Construction Manager Named For Riverfront Stadium

The St. Louis Regional Convention and Sports Complex Authority (RSA) today named Hunt Construction Group/Clayco as the construction manager to build an NFL stadium on the North Riverfront of downtown St. Louis that could be the new home for the St. Louis Rams.

Hunt/Clayco will lead a joint venture branded as HCKL with St. Louis-based firms KAI Design & Build and Legacy Building Group. As HCKL – the first initials of Hunt, Clayco, KAI and Legacy – the group will report to John Loyd, who was hired as Developer’s Representative to consult on stadium construction and design.

The RSA is working with the task force appointed last year by Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon to study and advance plans for the new stadium. The RSA is empowered to acquire, purchase or lease and construct, operate and maintain convention centers, sports stadiums, field houses, indoor and outdoor convention, recreational and entertainment facilities in St. Louis, and it is working in tandem with Dave Peacock and Bob Blitz, the co-leads of Gov. Nixon’s task force.

In addition to the four firms comprising HCKL, St. Louis-based Kwame Building Group will also join the project to provide project management support services.

HCKL was one of three joint ventures which responded in March to Requests for Proposals from the RSA. Presentations and interviews were held earlier this month and the decision to hire HCKL was made last week. The four firms were selected by the RSA.

“HCKL was chosen over two extremely strong proposals from quality companies,” Loyd said. “Hunt has quite a body of work in building NFL stadiums and Clayco has valuable experience working in the past with the RSA and the Rams. We have an excellent construction management team that knows St. Louis, knows the industry and will get the job done on time and on budget, or better.”

Hunt and Clayco’s combined experience includes more than 150 projects in the St. Louis area. Hunt built the new Busch Stadium, which opened in 2006, as well as worked on 13 NFL stadiums including Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis and University of Phoenix Stadium in Phoenix. Clayco built the Rams’ headquarters and training facility in Earth City, Mo.

KAI Design & Build performs architecture, engineering, and program management/construction management services nationwide. Legacy Building Group is a Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) firm specializing in industrial and institutional design, among other construction capabilities. Kwame Building Group, also an MBE firm, offers 100 percent of its resources to construction management services, focusing on timelines, budget and quality assurance.
“John Loyd, the HCKL team and Kwame will serve as the foundation for a world-class construction team to help us realize our vision,” Peacock said. “This project is part of the continuing revitalization of St Louis and, therefore, deserves only the best. We will also always be mindful of positioning this project as a real and meaningful opportunity for partners with a firm commitment to a minority workforce that reflects our region.”

Loyd said HKCL will comply with the task force’s mandate of targeting a workforce employing 25 percent MBE contractors, 5 percent woman-owned firms and 3 percent disabled veterans. HCKL will use certified payroll to document minority workforce levels, Loyd added.

Construction of the new stadium would provide jobs that pay competitive wages, creating more than 5,000 construction jobs over a four-year period, in addition to retaining a major regional employer and more than 2,400 game-day jobs.

The task force also announced last week that it has been invited by the National Football League to make a presentation later this week at NFL league headquarters in New York City.

Led by Peacock and Blitz, the task force will meet with league officials and a committee of six NFL owners appointed to oversee the process of exploring the NFL’s potential return to the Los Angeles market. The task force will provide an update to the NFL on stadium design, project schedule and efforts underway in St. Louis.

The task force will refrain from comment until Friday, when it has returned to St. Louis following the meeting in New York.