US Bank Stadium Is One of the Nation's Most Distinctive And

U.S. BANK STADIUM

THE NEW HOME OF THE MINNESOTA VIKINGS

STEVE BERG

Foreword by ALAN PAGE

Published by the Minnesota Historical Society Press, in association with the Minnesota Vikings

MNHS_Berg_U.S. Bank Stadium page ii 09/25/16 MNHS_Berg_U.S. Bank Stadium page iii 09/25/16 Text copyright © 2016 by Steve Berg. Photo copyrights indicated at back of book. Other materials copyright © 2016 by the Minnesota Historical Society. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. For information, write to the Minnesota Historical Society Press, 345 Kellogg Blvd. W., St. Paul, MN 55102-1906.

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The Minnesota Historical Society Press is a member of the Association of American University Presses.

Manufactured in the United States of America

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MNHS_Berg_U.S. Bank Stadium page iv 09/25/16 MNHS_Berg_U.S. Bank Stadium page v 09/25/16 CONTENTS

FOREWORD by Alan Page . . . viii

PREFACE A Letter from the Owners . . . x

INTRODUCTION A New Stadium Sparks Memories and Expectations . . . xii

1 Kickoff: Opening Day at U.S. Bank Stadium . . . 1 2 Going to Overtime: The Eighteen-Year Journey to a Stadium . . . 17 3 Imagining the Legacy: Creating a Daring Design . . . 61 4 Stadium Rising: Constructing U.S. Bank Stadium . . . 103 5 The Fan Experience: In and Around U.S. Bank Stadium . . . 149

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS AND PHOTO CREDITS . . . 208

MNHS_Berg_U.S. Bank Stadium page vi 09/25/16 MNHS_Berg_U.S. Bank Stadium page vii 09/25/16 KICKOFF

OPENING DAY AT U.S. BANK STADIUM

MNHS_Berg_U.S. Bank Stadium page xvi 09/25/16 MNHS_Berg_U.S. Bank Stadium page 1 09/25/16 t is hours until kickoff but already thousands of revelers gather in the grassy park celebratory. Bands play bluegrass and just outside the sparkling new Vikings football palace on the east end of downtown rock music. Kids toss footballs. Dogs “ This is a beautiful place. The views Minneapolis. This will be U.S. Bank Stadium’s first regular-season NFL game, and pause to kneel and pant on a grassy Ithe league couldn’t have concocted a better script. The Vikes are matched against their slope. Cars clog the nearby streets. are amazing. It’ll help us in recruit- archrivals, the Green Bay Packers, in the 112th “border battle” between neighbors who Trains disgorge streams of passengers. ing, that’s for sure.” don’t always see eye to eye. Food trucks dispense their tempta- The cheese-wedge hats favored by the Green Bay faithful are abundant in the tions. Amber liquids flow at the beer festive crowd but nearly lost in a sea of Vikings purple. Scattered among the ordinary- garden across the way. LINVAL JOSEPH, defensive tackle, looking fans in numbered jerseys are those in scary costumes: caped marauders, Bob Tarud and Angela Alfieri have Minnesota Vikings purple-faced zombies, winged Valkyries with flowing purple hair, and various furry flown in from Philadelphia to meet creatures horned and armored for battle. Michael Richards and his young son, Still, the overall mood is less testy than campy. This is a giant family picnic late on Mikey, from Tampa. All are decked out a breezy mid-September afternoon. The temperature is eighty, the crowd smiley and A Vikings–Packers game always brings out playful ribbing between friends and mixed couples. in Vikings garb and eager to see their favorite team’s new digs. “It looks gor- U.S. Bank Stadium’s geous from here,” Alfieri says. “I can’t regular-season christen- ing came with an always wait to get inside.” Gazing at the glassy, highly anticipated match angular shape three blocks away, against the archrivals purple- faced Mikey describes the sta- from across the border. dium as “a big, beautiful piece of art.” Standing nearby are Andrew and Collin Austreng and Michael LaPaglia, all newly arrived from San Diego and eager to see the stadium’s giant glass doors swing open. Will this place some- day be as legendary as Green Bay’s hal- lowed Lambeau Field? “You need a team for that to happen,” LaPaglia says. “We’ll have to wait and see.” Fans decked out in all manner of Families traveled from far and wide to be a part of It’s easy to spot hand-holding cou- Vikings swag filled the streets of the festivities. ples or clumps of friends with split Minneapolis’s East Town district prior to game time. loyalties. Jane and Rob Stevenson from Marshfield, Wisconsin, are a mother and son who see football through

2 CHAPTER 1 KICKOFF 3

MNHS_Berg_U.S. Bank Stadium page 2 09/25/16 MNHS_Berg_U.S. Bank Stadium page 3 09/25/16 Perhaps the biggest “wow” factor at U.S. Bank Stadium is the massive different lenses. “I don’t know where I went wrong,” she says, poking her purple-clad “ We’ve come year after year operable glass doors that welcome boy. His answer is diplomatic: “We had to come and be part of history.” visitors and blur the lines between The Freirmuth clan from Elmwood, Wisconsin, is a mishmash of purple and green, to Vikings games, and this inside and out. owing to a move across the river decades ago. “I was born Minnesota, I’ll die Minne- is unbelievable.” sota,” says Jamie, a woman strongly fastened to her roots. Indeed, the stadium’s regular-season debut marks an important moment for Min- JOAN KNUDTSON, fan, Minnetonka nesotans whether or not they are football devotees. Never before have they had a truly state-of-the-art gathering place for major events year-round. The Metrodome, the last of the inflatable stadiums, always came across as a bargain basement. But U.S. Bank Sta- dium is a wholly different creature. This is a significant building, locally and nationally.

The stadium’s striking and innovative architecture sets it, and its city, apart from other stadiums around the league, the country, and the world.

“ U.S. Bank Stadium is one of the nation’s most distinctive and identifiable buildings. Everyone who sees it will recognize it as the home of the Minnesota Vikings.”

LENNY WILF, vice chairman, Minnesota Vikings Football LLC

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MNHS_Berg_U.S. Bank Stadium page 4 09/25/16 MNHS_Berg_U.S. Bank Stadium page 5 09/25/16 The stadium—along with the Twins’ Target Field—puts the Twin Cities back into the national picture for hosting high-profile sports and other big events and, in the process, raises the region’s visibility and competitive chops at a time when its image has taken a hit. Despite a strong economy and a vibrant, sophisticated cultural scene—and thanks, perhaps, to the biting humor of Garrison Keillor and the Coen broth- ers—people tend to see Minnesotans as naïve, small-town eccentrics in puffy jackets who talk “kinda funny.” left: Workers in the stadium’s production control room get ready for “We have some repair work to do,” says Maureen Bausch, the show to start for the carefully choreographed pregame ceremony. CEO of the committee bringing the Super Bowl to Minneapo- below: Let the festivities begin! lis in 2018. Also significant is the distinctive architecture of the building. It breaks new ground. Unlike any stadium in the United States, its see-through roof offers patrons the illusion of being outdoors while enjoying the climate-controlled comfort of an indoor venue. Its giant operable glass doors add to the indoor-outdoor effect. Joan Knudtson of Minnetonka stands marveling in the gaping doorway while her brother, Steve Barnett of Minne- apolis, snaps photos. “We’ve come year after year to Vikings games, and this is unbelievable,” she says. Asked if fans like her “deserve this,” she replies, “Don’t make me cry.” Up in the NBC booth, the TV commentators gush over these new digs. “I love how it makes you feel outside when you’re inside,” says Cris Collinsworth. “What a buzz in downtown Minneapolis,” says Al Michaels, as the boisterous crowd gathers before kickoff. “This is a mad- house.” Shifting to an exterior shot of the stadium’s glassy front, glowing against the setting sun, Michaels adds, “What

The energy inside the stadium was electric a sight it is, the reflection of downtown on U.S. Bank Stadium. as the teams got ready to kick off. Beautiful.”

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MNHS_Berg_U.S. Bank Stadium page 6 09/25/16 MNHS_Berg_U.S. Bank Stadium page 7 09/25/16 Hall of Famer Bud Grant sounds the cere- monial gjallarhorn from the second-level perch on the west end of the stadium.

“ It was electric. This is a great venue, awesome. We’re pumped.”

ERIC KENDRICKS, linebacker, Vikings

Two longtime rivals go head-to-head on a historic night.

Viktor the Viking takes it all in. The 2016 Minnesota Vikings head onto the field for the first regular- season home game at U.S. Bank Stadium. 8 CHAPTER 1 KICKOFF 9

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CREATING A DARING DESIGN

MNHS_Berg_U.S. Bank Stadium page 60 09/02/16 MNHS_Berg_U.S. Bank Stadium page 61 09/02/16 water Snow and Ice Falls nordic design: traditional texture here does architecture come from? Does it come from the overactive imag- ination of designers who indulge in personal whims to dream up radical Glaciers buildings like U.S. Bank Stadium? Not in this case. WCreativity was applied, yes, but only after deep investigation into Minnesota’s geology, climate, culture, and heritage—and into Minneapolis’s extraordinary lineage of modern civic buildings. Only after all those influences came together did architects begin to sketch the angular piece of sculpture that now dominates the skyline of downtown Minneapolis’s east end. nordic design: texture “ This building could Most stadiums, from an architectural point of view, could be almost anywhere. have happened only NFL stadiums in Green Bay and Chicago are steeped in tradition and carry deep emo- tional connections to fans of the Packers and Bears, but nothing in the architecture in Minneapolis.” itself ties those buildings to those particular cities. Not so with U.S. Bank Stadium. “This building could have happened only in Min- traditional industry neapolis,” said Bryan Trubey, the primary creative force behind the stadium’s design. BRYAN TRUBEY, Farming Milling Railroads director of sports and As director of sports and entertainment at HKS in Dallas, Trubey led a team of archi- entertainment, HKS tects who, initially at least, took on the roles of historians, climatologists, and archeol- ogists, all with the aim of designing a stadium with a distinct local character. nordic design: pattern They studied old buildings in cold, snowy climates, particularly in Scandinavia, paying special attention to steeply pitched roofs designed to handle heavy snow. They trudged through the Mississippi River gorge not far from the stadium site, examining the angular rock outcroppings and the crystalline shards of ice. And they began to appreciate the basic conflict of Minnesota life—the love of nature and the outdoors, but also of comfort and

togetherness. Viking imagery physical context above and left: The architects at Added together, those features— HKS examined all aspects of Minne- nordic design: form the pitched roof, the sharp-angled sota’s environment and culture for design inspiration—everything from shapes, the indoor-outdoor feel— climate and ecology to industry and produced a uniquely Minnesota architecture, as well as Viking tradi- building. Trubey called the process tions from the football field and the “an application of deep context.” homeland. right: HKS also looked to Nordic design influences—forms, tex- But how does one capture “deep tures, patterns, and craftsmanship— context” in a piece of architecture? that reflect both Minnesota culture and the name of the football team.

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MNHS_Berg_U.S. Bank Stadium page 62 09/02/16 MNHS_Berg_U.S. Bank Stadium page 63 09/02/16 HKS: Bold Design and Community Context HKS, Inc., the designer of U.S. Bank Stadium, is one of the nation’s wood Park racetrack in Inglewood. That stadium includes a swooping largest and most diversified architecture firms. Headquartered in see-through roof patterned after the one covering the Vikings’ new Dallas, the company has offices in eighteen U.S. cities and seven home. international locations. Founded in 1939, HKS has designed a wide Bold design is an HKS hallmark. “Architecture not only reflects our variety of commercial and residential buildings valued at more than time and culture, but also shapes it,” is how the company describes $70 billion. its activist philosophy. HKS not only strives for a distinctive local look The firm’s Sports and Entertainment Group, a relative newcomer to their stadiums but also aims to enhance clients’ profitability while to the business, has made its mark in recent decades with distinctive expanding opportunities for diversity and sustainability. venues that reflect local context. Among them are NFL stadiums in The firm actually won the design competition for U.S. Bank Stadium Indianapolis, Dallas, and Los Angeles, where its new Rams stadium is twice—its 2008 stadium wasn’t built when the Minnesota legislature part of a larger entertainment complex on the site of the former Holly- declined funding. HKS won the 2012 competition after setting up a three-way internal rivalry among its Dallas, Los Angeles, and New York Bryan Trubey, HKS’s project lead on U.S. offices. Bank Stadium, has been named one of the “20 Most Influential People in Dallas architects John Hutchings and Kevin Taylor emerged as key Sports Facility Design, Architecture and players on the Twin Cities project, led by the firm’s chief designer of Development” by Sports Business Journal. sports venues, Bryan Trubey. Emphasizing an integrative approach, Trubey’s strength lies in combining artistic design with business, tech- nology, branding, context, and civic identity. Growing up in the Dallas area, Trubey was captivated by architecture even as a small child. He drew tree houses, played endlessly with blocks and Legos, and delighted in books about pioneer modernists Frank Lloyd Wright and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. As an architect himself, Trubey transitioned from houses to big sports buildings in the late 1980s, eventually leading HKS into the sports design business. Of the nation’s standalone stadiums, Trubey ranks U.S. Bank Stadium very high. “This one is at the top of the heap,” he said, “and The architects at HKS created a scale model of downtown will be for a long time.” The HKS team explored the design components Minneapolis to envision how of the stadium from every angle. their design for the stadium would mesh with the city’s architecture and layout.

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Downtown The roof was HKS’s initial focus, and for good reason. More than any element, a Snow Shed

dramatic roof would establish the building’s first impression and set it apart from City

To achieve a distinctive look, other stadiums. 01 Generic 02 Adapt 03 Respond 04 Specific Trubey and his team drew on To achieve a distinctive look, Trubey and his team drew on Minnesota’s Nordic heritage. A steeply pitched roof would harken to the Scandinavian style while offering Minnesota’s Nordic heritage. a signature look that was unlike any other stadium in the NFL. Moreover, the slope Most teams and fans wanted A steeply pitched roof would employ gravity to minimize the accumulation of snow, a problem that had an outdoor option. Football is over- would not only provide a plagued the Metrodome. whelmingly an outdoor sport. Despite dramatic, signature look “Our big challenge,” said Trubey, “was to scale up the pitched-roof idea and make it advances in artificial turf, players to the stadium design but would also address look powerful, authentic, and meaningful.” and coaches tend to prefer the natu- the practical consid- The design would require a single truss, however, something seldom attempted on ral grass that outdoor venues allow. eration of minimizing a building so massive. Other new indoor or operable-roof stadiums had used multiple Even in cold, snowy climates, teams snow accumulation. trusses or complex cable systems to support heavy roofs. To support the weight of in Green Bay, Chicago, Pittsburgh, a big roof, a single truss structure would have to be exceptionally strong, and the Cleveland, and Buffalo continue to roof itself exceptionally light. Trubey saw the challenge as both doable and ironic: play outside. It was the public agen- “Creating the lightest roof of any building in the country in a snowy climate that cies associated with the stadiums that would other wise require the heaviest.” insisted on an indoor option, hoping to But there was another complicating consideration: Should such a roof be capable maximize the building’s potential for of opening and closing? Operable roofs were all the rage. Five of the newest NFL attracting concerts, basketball tourna- stadiums had them—in Houston, Indianapolis, Dallas, and Phoenix as well as the ments, trade shows, and other indoor The architects sketched out a variety Falcons’ new home under construction in Atlanta. events. of concepts before settling on the In Minnesota, legislators insisted dramatic pitched-roof look. on an indoor option. “An open-air stadium was never realistic,” said Michele Kelm-Helgen, chair of the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority. “We wanted to be able to host the Super Bowl, the Final Four, and other events, big and HKS developed rounded small. We wanted flexibility.” as well as angular roof designs, drawing inspiration from Nordic HKS architects explored the possibilities and rural Minnesota for a rounded roof design, in both fixed- architecture. and retractable-roof configurations.

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MNHS_Berg_U.S. Bank Stadium page 66 09/02/16 MNHS_Berg_U.S. Bank Stadium page 67 09/02/16 HKS considered several designs for an operable Various options for operable roof. One employed two panels on the south slope roofs were considered before pragmatic concerns about that moved east and west to open a 109,500 square- cost and structure led all foot clearing. That’s an opening about twice the size parties back to the idea of a of the playing surface. Another option opened a fixed-roof design—but with a see-through twist. slightly larger hole by sliding a single panel over the top of the south seating bowl. An operable roof posed significant problems for designers, however. One was excessive weight. Such a roof might be too heavy for the single-truss, pitched-roof idea. To scrap that idea for the sake of a retractable roof wasn’t all that appealing because the building would then lose its distinctive look as well as its ability to handle heavy loads of snow. There was also a pragmatic concern over how often an operable roof would actually be opened. For most of the NFL season, snow, cold, and wind would likely keep the roof closed. Even in gentler climates, retractable roofs on NFL stadiums were opened for only one-third of games, according to a 2013 survey by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. In Houston, the roof was opened for only 31 of the first 90 games at the stadium, with a similar pattern showing for Phoenix (32 open for 59 games), Indianapolis (13 for 43), and Dallas (13 for 33). All of that cast serious doubt on whether an operable roof would be worth the extra cost, which might exceed $100 million. When, in early 2013, the MSFA and the Vikings finally decided against pursuing an operable roof, the HKS architects were not disappointed. They had found what they considered a better idea: ETFE.

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CONSTRUCTING U.S. BANK STADIUM

103

MNHS_Berg_U.S. Bank Stadium page 102 09/02/16 MNHS_Berg_U.S. Bank Stadium page 103 09/02/16 ven the best architectural ideas lack meaning until they are constructed. That’s Twin Cities–based Mortenson Construction was a perfect fit for making it happen, why principal designer Bryan Trubey of HKS was wise to list “craft” as one of and in perfect sequence. The company has a national reputation for taking on tough U.S. Bank Stadium’s highest achievements and as an attribute that sets this jobs. “We’re well suited to build a project of this complexity,” said John Wood, senior “ We’re well suited to build a project Evenue apart. Nordic immigrants left a legacy of strong craftsmanship in the Upper vice president specializing in national projects. “We have a track record of success in of this complexity. We have a Midwest, he said, giving architects confidence that their complex designs could be building complicated, iconic forms, and this project put us to the test.” brought to life with skill and precision. Not everywhere in the United States do con- track record of success in building struction workers possess the talent to master a project with so many difficult angles, complicated, iconic forms, and this he said, and requiring so much intricate choreography. A billion-dollar construction project is, indeed, an elaborate dance in which every project put us to the test.” movement is carefully scripted. Trucks arrive and depart. Dust flies. Shovels dig. Pile drivers bang away. Concrete flows. Cranes pivot. Steel frames rise three hundred feet JOHN WOOD, senior vice president, into the sky. Sunny skies turn cloudy. Winds blow, driving sleet, then snow. Plastic Mortenson Construction sheets flap in the breeze. Mud is everywhere, even as sunshine returns. More than a thousand helmeted workers swarm over the site. And day by day, inch by inch, a new building takes shape.

The construction site was bustling with towering cranes, rumbling heavy equipment, and scurrying craft workers for nearly thirty months, from demolition of the Metrodome in January 2014 to substantial completion of the above: Even in the dead of winter new structure in June 2016. and under a blanket of snow, workers were hard at work on this major construction project.

right: From a seeming tangle of steel and concrete, a stadium was gradually emerging.

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MNHS_Berg_U.S. Bank Stadium page 104 09/02/16 MNHS_Berg_U.S. Bank Stadium page 105 09/02/16 THE HIGH END OF COMPLEXITY Mortenson has built a number of landmark structures across the country, including several high-profile sports venues. Among its most notable civic projects are Cesar Pelli’s compelling Central Library in Minneapolis (2006) and Frank Gehry’s flamboy- Final Dome Destruction ant Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles (2003), an undulating structure that It took three months to dismantle the structure that served Construction by the Numbers boosted the company’s reputation for sophisticated, digitally driven construction. as the Vikings’ home for more than three decades. The 1,750,000 total square feet U.S. Bank Stadium was, in some ways, the company’s most formidable challenge. Metrodome roof was deflated on January 18, 2014. The last 971,634 cubic yards of dirt removed A substantial building (the Metrodome) had to be imploded and demolished. The load of debris was hauled away on April 16. In all, 4,910 102,486 linear feet of precast concrete leftover hole had to be enlarged. Contaminated soils had to be hauled to a safe place. truckloads were removed from the site. More than 80 percent 18,812 tons of structural steel Hundreds of footings had to be drilled into a layer of bedrock bedeviled by a high of those materials were recycled, much of it for use in other 434,029 square feet of metal panels on water table. The twenty-acre site wasn’t so cramped as earlier baseball projects in building projects. exterior facade Denver and Minneapolis, but downtown traffic and the clutter of adjacent construc- 245,076 square feet of ETFE roof material tion hindered inbound shipments. Perhaps the project’s biggest challenge was its 200,000 square feet of glass sheer size. At 1.75 million square feet, the stadium was twice the size of the Twins’ 8,000+ construction workers total ballpark, yet its construction had to be completed on a similarly ambitious schedule. 1,500 construction workers on-site at peak Finally, there was the complexity of the design itself: the sharp angles, the translucent 3,800,000 total construction work hours roof, the movable glass wall. “This particular design was extremely complex compared to other stadiums and arenas we’ve built,” said Wood. The absence of symmetry and repetition made the project simultaneously spectacular and difficult, he said, adding, “It was on the very high end of complexity for the NFL.”

The U.S. Bank Stadium construction site was a highly coordinated oper- ation involving superior levels of craftsmanship from top to bottom.

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MNHS_Berg_U.S. Bank Stadium page 106 09/02/16 MNHS_Berg_U.S. Bank Stadium page 107 09/02/16 The Mortenson Legacy The Mortenson family’s construction legacy goes back to the nineteenth century. Soon after without seeing Mortenson’s handiwork: Fairview Southdale Hospital, the Humphrey Institute arriving in the United States from Sweden in 1897, Nels Mortenson landed a job in Minneapolis at the University of Minnesota, the Minneapolis Convention Center, the Minneapolis Institute of as a carpenter. By 1924, he had risen to construction supervisor for Memorial Stadium, then being Art, the Wells Fargo tower, Xcel Energy Center, Walker Art Center, the Minneapolis Central Library, built on the University of Minnesota campus. His ideas for the efficient mixing and moving of Target Field, TCF Bank Stadium, and the remodeled Union Depot, just to name a few. concrete around the site helped his employer finish the stadium forty-two days ahead of sched- The company also won numerous projects around the country, and today Mortenson is the ule. Nels’s oldest son, Mort, worked as a carpenter’s apprentice on the project. nation’s second-largest sports contractor. Among its premier sports and cultural venues are the Three years later, Nels Mortenson repeated his success in helping build the “Big House,” the Denver Art Museum and Coors Field in Denver, the Dome at America’s Center (formerly Edward University of Michigan’s legendary football stadium. All three of his sons worked on the project, Jones Dome) in St. Louis, Sprint Center in Kansas City, FedEx Forum in Memphis, and the Marcus Mortenson Construction was tasked with bringing M. A. “Mort” Mortenson Jr. chats with a Mortenson but it was Mort who would eventually make construction a family-owned business. Center for the Performing Arts in Milwaukee. The firm’s masterpiece is the Walt Disney Concert Hall to life Frank Gehry’s fanciful design for the Walt employee at the U.S. Bank Stadium site in May In 1954, with the postwar housing boom hitting full stride, Mort founded his own company. in Los Angeles, a complicated piece of sculpture designed by architect Frank Gehry and completed in Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. 2015. Mort worked for the family company for His first job was a $370 bait shop in Minneapolis, but big things soon followed. By 1960, the 2003. Building the Disney offered an opportunity for Mortenson to show off its computer- generated more than fifty years and served as its chairman up-and-coming firm had built Swedish Hospital, two Minneapolis churches, and a string of other construction skills, techniques the company developed further on the U.S. Bank Stadium project. from 1976 until his retirement in early 2015. local projects. The Mortenson profile grew over the next decade as Mort’s son, Mort Jr., led the “I’ve seen a lot of NFL stadiums and there are a lot of impressive buildings among them,” said company. Schools, hospitals, power plants, university buildings, and downtown office towers John Wood, Mortenson’s senior vice president specializing in national projects. “I think this will followed. By the turn of the twenty-first century, it was hard to go anywhere in the Twin Cities rank at the top.”

far left: John Wood, a senior vice president at Mortenson, led the construction team. Here he addresses workers at the steel topping out ceremony in September 2015.

left: Safety is a priority on any Mortenson construction project, and reminders are found throughout the site. Target Field was one of Mortenson’s greatest construction challenges given the tight confines of the site. It is also one of the firm’s most distinctive sports venues.

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MNHS_Berg_U.S. Bank Stadium page 108 09/02/16 MNHS_Berg_U.S. Bank Stadium page 109 09/02/16 EMPHASIS ON TEAMWORK Mortenson is also known for the softer, collaborative skills so important to any large project. The company makes a special point of maintaining strong relationships with Rasheda Jenkins Of the 362 subcontracting specialized subcontractors that typically perform 90 percent of the work. Altogether, LABORER companies that worked on 362 subcontracting companies worked on the U.S. Bank Stadium site, 302 of them Minneapolis, Minnesota from Minnesota. Minneapolis-based THOR Construction, one of the nation’s largest U.S. Bank Stadium, 302 were African American–owned businesses, shared a general contracting role. Minnesota- “I’m a Minnesota girl,” said Rasheda based LeJeune Steel, Wells Concrete, Danny’s Construction, InterClad, Gephart Jenkins, who grew up in St. Paul before from Minnesota. About 85 moving across the river. “It’s a great Electric, Parsons Electric, and Ames Construction, among others, were key members feeling to drive past this stadium and percent of the workforce was of the cast. hear my kids say, ‘My mom built that!’ “I never cease to be impressed by the incredible skills day in and day out of the from Minnesota. ‘Look what mommy built!’” people who worked on this building,” Wood declared. “We build across the U.S. and Jenkins has two girls and two boys. the world, and the quality, craftsmanship, and work ethic of the men and women of Known by her colleagues as “RaRa,” the Minnesota building trades is really, in our experience, extraordinary.” she used her bubbly personality, among other skills of the trade, to make Mortenson brought in herself indispensible on the job. “Being workers from more than a people person is so important in 350 subcontracting firms, this industry,” she said, explaining the emphasizing teamwork and collaboration for connection between good morale and getting the job done. quality work. RASHEDA “RARA” JENKINS, LABORER On the Mortenson roster, Jenkins is a laborer, but she’s more than that. “I’ve given myself the title of coordinator in that,” she said. “Here, there’s some- stadium project. “I hope my momen- of deliveries. Every truck that comes thing new every day.” Target Field was tum builds their momentum,” she said, through here comes through me,” she her first big job. Ultimately she hopes to looking up at the stadium behind her. said, laughing. Whenever a truck driver start her own small business. She loved “To think that we started here with or a sheet metal worker was having a the cross-cultural flavors of working nothing. Man! A lot of people put in a bad day, his outlook quickly improved with so many different people on the lot of work.” once he encountered RaRa. “It helps to have a positive attitude and a great “ It’s a great feeling to drive past this stadium outlook on life,” she said. Jenkins landed in construction after and hear my kids say, ‘My mom built that!’ trying cosmetology and driving school buses. “There was a lot of redundancy ‘Look what mommy built!’”

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MNHS_Berg_U.S. Bank Stadium page 110 09/02/16 MNHS_Berg_U.S. Bank Stadium page 111 09/02/16 While the collaboration ran relatively smoothly on the job site, there were stress- ful moments in the executive suites. The Vikings’ focus on a customized experience for football fans didn’t always jibe with the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority’s “ We build across the U.S. and the emphasis on the stadium’s other public purposes and its wider community role. Within the MSFA itself, controversy erupted over the roles of Michele Kelm-Helgen, world, and the quality, crafts- the chair, and Ted Mondale, the executive director. One board member, Duane Benson, manship, and work ethic of the resigned during the construction phase, wondering “how can we have two people doing the same job?” men and women of the Minne- The project’s most significant conflict, however, was over money, arising from sota building trades is really, in the unavoidable circumstance that the stadium had been designed and priced in a recession but built during a recovery. Rising costs placed enormous pressure on the our experience, extraordinary.” guaranteed price that Mortenson agreed to in its contract. The Vikings covered many of the upgrades—larger glass pivot doors, for example, and 1,200 additional flat-screen JOHN WOOD, Mortenson Construction TVs. Altogether, the team and its sponsors kicked in an extra $125 million beyond their initial commitment. But the team was not liable for every upcharge. That left the MSFA and Mortenson at odds over who should cover the remainder. State law capped Cranes, trucks, and workers were busy inside and out the public’s expenditure on the project at $498 million. Eventually, the sides agreed to putting the exterior shell on the stadium’s east end while the interior structure and roof framing were a mediation process that provided Mortenson with an extra $19 million. taking shape in the summer of 2015.

From dawn to dusk, In the broadest sense, however, all workers were on the job, keeping the project on sides did a remarkable job to maximize schedule and on budget. the stadium’s impact while minimizing overruns. The project’s overall price rose from $975 million in 2012 to $1.1 billion in 2016, a jump of 13 percent. By comparison, over the same period, the cost of the NFL’s other major construction project, the Falcons’ Mercedes- Benz Stadium in Atlanta, rose by 58 percent, from $948 million to $1.5 billion. And that project didn’t finish on schedule.

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