plans for the future - the national hockey and event center
Proposed exterior of the National Hockey and Event Center.
(Images courtesy of JLG Architects)
Watch the National Hockey and Event Center Fly-Over Video
NEW!!! -- National Hockey and Events Center Video
Construction Firm Selected to Manage NHEC Project
Front Row Marketing to Help Secure Naming Rights for NHEC
ST. CLOUD, Minn.—St. Cloud State University is looking to secure naming rights and sponsorships for its planned expansion of its National Hockey Center into a regional event facility. The University has hired Front Row Marketing Services, a subsidiary of the internationally recognized sports and entertainment firm Comcast-Spectacor of Philadelphia to secure these opportunities.
“Front Row Marketing Services is one of the leading sports and entertainment marketing services firms in the country,” according to Craig Wruck, vice president for advancement at St. Cloud State and executive director of the St. Cloud State Foundation.
“We are excited to have Front Row Marketing Services, one of the country’s leading marketing firms, working with our expansion efforts at the National Hockey Center,” Wruck said.
Wruck said the primary responsibility for Front Row Marketing Services will be to assist St. Cloud State in identifying potential sponsors which could name the hockey and event center. The $30 million renovation and addition project will start in early 2011.When the two-phased addition and renovation is finished in 2013, the facility will offer central Minnesota an 8,000-seat event center which, in addition to hockey, will be capable of hosting concerts, theatre, other athletic events and entertainment opportunities.For hockey, the renovated center will feature club seating, expanded suites, a team store, atrium and other amenities to enhance the fan experience and increase attendance to more than 500,000.
“We are pleased to land this outstanding opportunity in the heartland of America. We think the National Hockey and Event Center has outstanding potential and it will become an even greater asset to central Minnesota when the addition and renovation are completed,” said Adrian Staiti, senior vice president for business operations for Front Row Marketing Services.
In addition to the naming rights, Front Row Marketing Services will assist in identifying sponsorship opportunities as well as buyers for premium seating created with the addition of more than two dozen corporate suites.
In November 2009, Front Row Marketing Services successfully secured a naming rights partner for the 10,000-seat arena in Trenton, N.J. to Sun National Bank, now known as Sun National Bank Center. Other past and present clients of Front Row Marketing Services include the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, home of the Philadelphia Flyers and 76ers; Temple University and the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia; Fargodome in Fargo, N.D.; Iowa Events Center in Des Moines, Iowa; Santa Ana Star Center in Rio Rancho, N.M.; Miami Beach Convention Center in Miami Beach, Fla. and the Phoenix, Ariz., Convention Center Complex. They have also consulted with Comcast Cable, NBC Retail Operations, as well as nearly two dozen professional athletic teams and numerous government entities.
Hockey and Events Center renovation to start in 2011
Enhancing the fan experience and creating an event center for Central Minnesota are two of the goals of a planned $31.1 million renovation and addition project for the National Hockey Center.
The 20-year-old structure, on the south end of the St. Cloud State University campus, will be renovated and expanded into a regional events center and multipurpose venue.
When completed in 2013, the building will have 20-30 luxury suites and additional seats. The entrance, ticketing, administration, pro shop, concourse, restroom and concession areas will be upgraded. In its concert configuration, the facility will hold about 8,000.
In addition to hockey, the building will be capable of hosting concerts, theater productions, speakers, ceremonies and a variety of athletic events.
“We plan to build a complex that puts fans first, emphasizes the history and tradition of our university and teems with the spirit of Husky hockey," President Earl Potter III said. "It will bring to central Minnesota entertainment and events unlike any before.”
The project is being funded by $6.5 million from the State of Minnesota and nearly $23 million in projected private money, sponsorships and naming rights income.
The National Hockey and Events Center (NHEC)and the proposed St. Cloud Civic Center addition are described as “anchors” for extensive development of Fifth Avenue in central St. Cloud. The Fifth Avenue Live! project is expected to include housing, commercial and retail facilities connecting the city’s downtown and the St. Cloud State campus.
The initial phase of the project, a $30-million structure being developed as partnership between private developers and the Wedum Foundation will be completed by August of 2010. St. Cloud State will lease much of building to house 455 students in apartment-style living along with a 12,000-square-foot welcome center. Nearly 20,000-square-feet of retail space is also included in the structure.
For more information on NHEC project, please call Sara Granheim at 320-308-2073
(Check below for more images of the proposed improvements to the National Hockey and Event Center. All images courtesy of JLG Architects.)
Architect Selected for NEHC Project
March 9, 2009
ST. CLOUD, Minn.—JLG Architects of Alexandria and Minneapolis, Minn., and Grand Forks and Fargo, N.D., has been selected as the architect for St. Cloud State University 's planned National Hockey and Event Center addition and renovation project slated to start in 2010.
JLG will work with Hagemeister Mack Architects of St. Cloud in providing the architectural services for the project estimated to cost $29.3 million. The renovation plan will convert the facility from primarily a hockey arena into a regional multi-purpose event center, add 20-30 luxury suites and additional seats and upgrade the entrance, ticketing, administration, university store, concourses, restrooms and concessions areas. When completed, the facility will be able to seat about 8,000 for concerts.
When renovated, in addition to hockey, the regional multi-purpose event center will be capable of hosting concerts, major speakers, theatre productions, trade shows in cooperation with the St. Cloud Civic Center, ice shows, family shows and other athletic competitions like arena football, youth wrestling, basketball and volleyball.
JLG was selected in a competitive process and has worked on a number of large athletic facilities including the $100 million Ralph Engelstad Arena and the Corporate Center in Grand Forks, civic centers in Bismarck and Fargo, N.D., the North Dakota Museum of Art, The Mississippi Master Plan for Elk River, Minn., and numerous other projects in the Upper Midwest. The firm is currently working on new arena projects in Wausau, Wis., Indianapolis, Ind., Dayton, Ohio and Seattle, Wash.
St. Cloud State President Earl H. Potter III said, "We are pleased to have an architect with the background and experience of JLG. This is an important project for Central Minnesota and having the best architect for the job on board is an essential element in creating this regional hockey and event center. "
Potter added, "We plan to build a complex that puts fans first, emphasizes the history and tradition of our university and teems with the spirit of Husky hockey. It will bring to Central Minnesota entertainment and events unlike ever before. "
Bill Breyfogle, director of design and construction for Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, said, "JLG Architects was selected based upon their technical competence, cohesiveness and compatibility, ability to deal with aesthetic factors, unique qualifications and geographic relationship to the project site. "
The project is being funded by a $6.5 million investment from the state of Minnesota and private fund raising, sponsorships and naming rights income projected at nearly $23 million.
The National Hockey and Event Center project along with an addition to the St. Cloud Civic Center, both in the planning stages, are referred to as "anchors " of extensive re-development of Fifth Avenue which will include the addition of housing, commercial and retail facilities connecting the city’s downtown and the St. Cloud State University campus.
The schematic design phase contract is for $351,000. Additional architectural fees for the design and construction services will amount to $1.4 million.
St. Cloud State, located 70 miles northwest of the Twin Cities along the banks of the Mississippi River, offers its 17,000 students more than 200 undergraduate and graduate programs leading to degrees and certificates in business, education, fine arts and humanities, science and engineering and social sciences
(L-R) Mayor Dave Kleis, State Rep. Steve Gottwalt, Governor Tim Pawlenty, State Rep. Dan Severson and State Sen. Tarryl Clark at the ceremony in 2008 celebrating the signing of the bonding bill that will help provide funds for the NHEC renovations.
A view of the the proposed atrium lobby, which well help transform the NHEC into a true regional center for entertainment, athletic and cultural events at St. Cloud State University. (Image courtesy of JLG Architects).
A view of the the proposed main arena in the NHEC. (Image courtesy of JLG Architects).
A view of a proposed suite in the National Hockey and Event Center. (Image courtesy of JLG Architects).
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