Turner-Walsh to helm Ryan Field redevelopment

Article posted by Coliseum, April 4^th, 2023

Image: Northwestern University

The Northwestern University has selected a partnership between Turner Construction (North America-based international construction services company) and Walsh Construction (construction management and design-build firm in North America) (Turner-Walsh), leaders in the construction industry, as its Construction Manager for the redevelopment of the Ryan Field in Evanston, Illinois, US.

‘NORTHWESTERN NOW’ stated that the university plans to submit its Planned Development Application to the City of Evanston in April, with hearings at the Land Use Commission and the City Council over the coming months. The stadium project has targeted 35 percent of its total subcontracted spending to be local, minority-owned and woman-owned businesses, with priority given to businesses and individuals located in Evanston.

The Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois, US. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United States and the world.

The 47,130-capacity Ryan Field is a stadium in the Central United States, located in Evanston, Illinois, a suburb North of Chicago. Located near the campus of the Northwestern University, it is primarily used for American football, and is the home field of the Northwestern Wildcats football of the Big Ten Conference.

The Northwestern Wildcats football team represents the Northwestern University as a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I college football team and member of the Big Ten Conference based near Chicago in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, the Northwestern began playing football in 1882.

The Big Ten Conference is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives in 1896, it predates the founding of its regulating organization, the NCAA. It is based in the Chicago area in Rosemont, Illinois.

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student-athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges and universities in the United States and Canada and helps over 500,000 college student athletes who compete annually in college sports. The organization is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, US.

‘NORTHWESTERN NOW’ further stated that the university and Turner-Walsh will host an initial community outreach session on April 5^th at the Wilson Club in the Welsh Ryan Arena on Northwestern’s campus. The session will introduce the project’s leadership team, including key leaders from the university and Turner-Walsh, and will focus on the opportunities for local contractors and businesses.

It also will provide information on the bidding processes and timelines, workforce training and planning and other strategies Turner-Walsh will be using to partner with the local business community in alignment with Northwestern’s commitments to the local businesses and underrepresented communities. This session will be the first in a series designed to connect local businesses to the opportunities offered by the project.

Said Luke Figora, Vice-President (Operations) for Northwestern University, “We are looking forward to the opportunity to work with the Turner-Walsh team to deliver such a transformational project for Northwestern and the City of Evanston. These two firms have an unmatched track record of success that includes a strong commitment to local workforce development. Northwestern remains committed to creating economic opportunities for minority-owned, woman-owned and local Evanston businesses. We want to enable Turner-Walsh to start the efforts they’ve committed to, while we work through the final stages of approval with the City.”

Unrelated to the redevelopment of the Ryan Field, the Northwestern is undertaking a set of maintenance projects on its Central Street athletics campus.

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