‘Death Star’ tug on community heart strings

Image: Mortenson Construction

The construction team which was in charge of building the jaw-dropping Allegiant Stadium – Mortenson | McCarthy – recently issued the final report vis-à-vis how the benefits percolated down to the community where the spectacular venue sits when the construction work was on.

The 65,000-capacity Allegiant Stadium is a domed stadium located in Paradise, Nevada, United States. It serves as the home stadium for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL), and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) Rebels college football team.

In July 2020, the spiffy home venue of the Las Vegas Raiders – whose price tag stands at $2 billion – was completed. It was on time and on budget and exceeded all community benefit goals.

A statement on the Mortenson website read, “The project delivered industry-leading workforce diversity, exceeded local, small, and women and minority-owned business goals, and established a new industry benchmark in sports construction and for Southern Nevada. It also successfully created long-lasting opportunities for diverse local businesses and its more than 12,000-person craft workforce.”

Remarked Las Vegas Raiders President Marc Badain, “The Raiders are thankful to Mortenson | McCarthy, the leaders of this community and the incredibly diverse workforce that built Allegiant Stadium. To be able to design and build a stadium on time and on budget is a tremendous feat and to deliver on that vision with a workforce that is reflective of the community and exceeds all community benefit goals is a source of great pride.”

When the construction of Allegiant Stadium began, Mortenson | McCarthy promised that floodgates of opportunities will open up for a broad and diverse membership of the community on which the stadium will be lodged. The community will be able to participate in and benefit from the construction of the arena.

The diverse mix includes women and people of color, small, minority and women-owned businesses, and other identified groups. The construction of the scintillating stadium offered geyser of opportunities and helped establish a lasting benefit and community legacy and the same will be continued through the operation of Allegiant Stadium and across other construction projects in Nevada, the Mortenson website further mentioned.

Commented Lynn Littlejohn, Vice-President, Community Affairs, Mortenson, “Our goal is to leave the communities where we build better off through business growth, employment opportunities and stewardship. To reflect the diverse nature of the Las Vegas community, Mortenson | McCarthy was committed to providing targeted opportunities on the Allegiant Stadium project for those who are underrepresented in the industry, including people of color, women, veterans, and people with disabilities. Many workers gained vital skills and experiences that they can rely upon for the next project, their next opportunity.”

A comprehensive approach adopted including proactive planning, engaging the community and outreach, supporting and offering technical guidance, internships, and much more helped reap rewards and reach the desired objectives.
 

Focal points:

• Established per the Nevada State Legislature, the Small Business Enterprise (SBE) goal for the construction of Allegiant Stadium was 15 percent. The project SBE achieved was 23 percent;
• $1.3 billion of work was awarded with $297 million awarded to SBE firms;
• Different SBE firms – totaling 169 – were awarded work on the project; 48 with multiple contracts;
• 70 percent of firms awarded work were based in Nevada;
• $86.4 million were awarded to 42 different women and minority-owned firms;
• The 12,000-person workforce comprised 63 percent minority/female and 2 percent veteran, with approximately 7M workforce hours. Local Nevada residents consisted of 80 percent of the workforce; and
• There were 1,076 apprentices on the project with 858,093 hours (14 percent) worked.

 
Stated Heather Avila, President and CEO, Live Electric, a Las Vegas business involved in the project, “I attribute the bulk of our success to the oversight provided by the joint venture to ensure mentorship was progressing as intended. Now, I can earn work based on our proven performance and capabilities.”

Logan Gerken, Vice-President-cum-General Manager, Mortenson, concluded, “We take pride in helping to create a more equitable playing field for our business and workforce partners. Authentic change is what we strive to create and the sustaining legacy we leave when the job is done.”

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