Golden Valley Companies Reach Halfway Mark at Allianz Field
Allianz Field is under construction in St. Paul. But the team that will play there, the company that is building the stadium, and the company it’s named after are all based in Golden Valley. The 20,000-seat stadium will open next spring.
“The location’s great,” said Greg Huber, project manager for Mortenson Construction. “It’s one of the largest sites we’ve built a sports stadium on.”
The future home for Minnesota United FC will be a soccer gem. It is 50 percent complete and will cost $200 million.
“Despite a really, really tough winter and a very brutal spring,” Huber said, “we’re on schedule and we’re also on budget.”
It has been a trifecta of convenience to have all three companies — Allianz, Mortenson Construction and Minnesota United — based so close to each other.
“Our first project office was right across the hallway from Minnesota United, so there’s a lot of collaboration back and forth,” Huber said. “We were able to work pretty closely.”
“Functionally is really great,” said Bill McGuire, Minnesota United’s majority owner. “We do know that people work from all different parts of the world on projects and move around. To be that proximate for the day to day stuff is great.”
Mortenson is the gold standard in sports construction. They have built arenas and stadiums around the globe. For them, this project is extra special.
“To do it in your hometown means the world to us,” Huber said, “Because we live and work in this community.”
The 20,000-seat stadium will have a wow factor, including a canopy that shields fans from the rain, snow and sun, but leaves players exposed to the elements.
Currently there is a bed of rocks on the floor of the stadium. But in a few months that will change, as grass is trucked in from Colorado.
