By Karen Caro

Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta recently welcomed the 20th Junior Theater Festival, the world’s biggest and best celebration of young people performing musical theater attended by approximately 6,500 performers from across the United States and beyond.

The festival, held Jan. 13-15, featured 125 youth theater groups for an incredible weekend of fellowship, singing, dancing, acting, and learning. Original Mean Girls Broadway cast members, along with Pasek & Paul (songwriters/producers of Dear Evan Hansen and The Greatest Showman), and Thomas Schumacher, president & producer of Disney Theatrical Productions, highlighted the weekend.

What started 20 years ago as an event with 650 attendees has grown through the years to have a tremendous economic impact on the area, with attendees and their families filling up an estimated 7,000 hotel room nights throughout the three-day event. Cobb Galleria Centre’s exhibition halls are transformed into a 6,000-seat Broadway theater for the weekend.

“These students and teachers are not just the future of musical theatre, they are musical theatre. Their positive impact is huge. They chart cast albums, they sell out shows. They introduce so many to musical theatre through their own productions and they continually evolve this art form through their storytelling,” said Timothy Allen McDonald, founder and CEO of iTheatrics and the Junior Theater Group, which produces the international Junior Theater Festivals. “After 20 years of this festival, we’ve seen what prioritizing the arts can do for individuals, communities, and musical theatre itself, and we understand the importance of giving theatre kids the opportunity to be in the company of thousands of other people who care just as much about this art form as they do,”

Karen Caro is Marketing Manager for Cobb Galleria Centre and Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre in Atlanta.

The New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, always forward-looking to how it conducts its business, announced the creation of a new initiative called the Innovation Team. As a division of the People Services Department, the Innovation Team will focus on developing creative approaches to optimize, streamline, and transform convention center operations to assist the venue in delivering on its mission to advance innovation in its organization.

The Convention Center also named new leadership positions for the Innovation Team, promoting Tim Tumminello to Senior Director of People Services & Innovation, and Kelli Zohar-Davis to Assistant Director of Talent Development & Innovation. The Convention Center will also add an Innovation Manager to the team in the near future.

In July 2021, the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center engaged local consulting firm trepwise to enhance and improve its already award-winning employee culture. Through inclusive employee engagement and collaborative ideation, trepwise led Center employees through a design process to create a culture that rewards creativity, accountability, and risk-taking. That work resulted in what the Convention Center called the “Innovation Lab” – an employee-owned project where staff members held town hall meetings and workshops about how to best move their workplace into the future. Convention Center leadership took the feedback from the Innovation Lab and used it to pinpoint the need for the creation of an innovation-focused division within the ranks of the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.

“Without the valuable insight garnered from the Innovation Lab from our employees, who we consider internal customers in the success of our business, we may have never considered creating a team like this,” said Michael J. Sawaya, Convention Center President. “We believe that consistent iteration of innovative concepts will improve customer satisfaction and will support our vision of being a leading-edge organization.”

Tumminello joined the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in 2002 and most recently served as the Director of People Services. Over the course of his career, he has dedicated himself to creating cultures that provide continuous growth by empowering and motivating employees to realize their full potential and bring their best to the job. Tumminello is a results-focused leader who delivers talent acquisition, retention, and talent development solutions that has helped the Convention Center harness the full power of one of their most valuable assets – its people.

Before assuming her role as the Assistant Director of Talent Development & Innovation, Zohar-Davis honed her skills as a high school teacher and university lecturer. She then joined the hospitality industry where she garnered an extensive background training professionals in the food service sector. She developed training programs and provided guidance on operating standards and systems for some of the most popular fast food and fast casual restaurants in America, such as Sonic Drive-Ins, Chili’s Bar and Grill, and McDonalds. Zohar-Davis joined the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in 2010 as the Talent Development Manager where she developed employee training programs and managed culture initiatives like the Innovation Lab. She is currently the President of the New Orleans Chapter of the Association for Talent Development.

“This is an exciting, first-of-its-kind initiative focused on getting Convention Center employees involved in the decision-making process of some of the most major aspects of our business,” Tumminello, said. “Kelli and I are looking forward to continuing to foster our award-winning employee culture with innovative approaches to the unique challenges that businesses of our size face on a daily basis.”

From TDGarden.com

Delaware North, owner and operator of TD Garden, Boston’s premier sports and entertainment arena, together with the venue’s naming rights partner, TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank®, announced a historic 20-year naming rights extension that keeps the beloved landmark and arena name as “TD Garden” through 2045.

TD Bank has been the exclusive naming rights partner of the storied “Boston Garden” arena since July 1, 2005. The agreement was set to expire in 2025, but this early naming rights extension adds another 20 years to the existing relationship. In addition, TD Bank has renewed its status as the official bank of the Boston Bruins through 2045. Financial terms of the deal will not be disclosed.

“We are proud to deepen our commitment to Boston and Greater New England by extending our naming rights to one of the world’s most recognized and beloved arenas – the ‘TD Garden’,” said Leo Salom, President and CEO of TD Bank. “We also want to thank Delaware North and the Boston Bruins for continuing a relationship that began in 2005 and continues through 2045. Serving our customers and building stronger communities brings us together as does the TD Garden, and we couldn’t be more excited about what the future holds for us all.”

The naming rights extension comes only a few years after Delaware North completed a $100 million renovation and expansion of TD Garden, adding 50,000 square feet of additional space on all levels, marking the “Legendary Transformation” of TD Garden and the fan experience for generations to come.

“We are proud to continue our partnership with TD Bank as they share our pride in providing a best-in-class experience for our fans, teams and long-term commitment to our community,” said Charlie Jacobs, Delaware North CEO. “TD Garden is the heart of our strong Boston tradition in sports and entertainment. The Bruins are about to celebrate 100 years, making this an exciting time for our arena and city. We’re proud to continue into this next chapter together with TD Bank.”

With the extension, TD Bank is committing more than $15 million in community programming to make the arts more accessible and inclusive. Through “Access the Arts,” two new programs are launching today, the “TD Guest List” and the “TD Garden House Artist.” TD Guest List provides complimentary tickets to TD Garden experiences each year to a nominated individual or group from an underserved or underrepresented community. The TD Garden House Artist program commissions local artists from underrepresented communities to create transformative art in and around TD Garden.

In addition to the community endeavors, TD Bank and TD Garden are excited to offer new experiences and incentives for fans, TD Bank customers and the New England community. TD Bank customers can receive a 15 percent discount at the ProShop powered by ’47, free admission to The Sports Museum located in TD Garden, fast lanes at select concessions lines for customers who show their TD Bank card, and $20 TD Garden mobile gift cards to customers who add their TD Bank card as a form of payment in the TD Garden Hub App.* TD Bank will also open a newly branded activation zone on Level 7 of the arena in spring 2023.

As the official bank of the Boston Bruins, TD Bank will be featured on the helmets of Boston Bruins players through the 2044/45 season. Additionally, TD Bank will sponsor a variety of initiatives with the Bruins throughout the hockey season, including youth hockey events, Hockey is for Everyone Night and TD Bank Mini 1-on-1. The agreement also features the continuation of the Small Business Takeover initiative, where TD Bank grants its advertising opportunities at TD Garden at least twice per season to a local small business for the duration of a game. The Bruins and TD Bank will also host the Community Clubhouse opportunity at Bruins home games, where TD Bank will provide youth groups and local New England, community-based organizations with blocks of tickets to every home game.

“The Boston Bruins are proud to continue our longstanding relationship with TD Bank through 2045,” said Cam Neely, President of the Boston Bruins. “Over the last 16 years, I’ve seen firsthand TD Bank’s tireless commitment to our community through their support of youth hockey programs, local small businesses and Hockey is for Everyone initiatives, as well as an unwavering loyalty to our fans at TD Garden and beyond. We are excited to work alongside TD Bank for many years to come.”

By Mary Klida

Karen Totaro, CVE, general manager for Huntington Place/ASM Global, announced that Huntington Place in Detroit has again achieved LEED Gold status by recertifying under the LEED v4.1 O+M rating system, the most robust, flexible, and transparent rating system to date.

LEED or Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design is a globally recognized symbol of excellence in green building. LEED certification ensures electricity cost savings, lower carbon emissions and healthier environments where people live, work, learn, play, and worship. In the United States alone, buildings account for almost 40 percent of national CO2 emissions, but LEED-certified buildings have 34 percent lower CO2 emissions, consume 25 percent less energy and 11 percent less water, and have diverted more than 80 million tons of waste from landfills.

“To keep a high-performing green building, the Huntington Place team is dedicated to ongoing performance measurement and training,” said Becky Bixby (pictured on right next to Karen Totaro), assistant general manager Huntington Place/ASM Global and LEED project manager. “We invest in educating employees, vendors, customers, partners, and visitors on our efforts and the importance of sustainable practices.”

Huntington Place was recognized by LEED for several best practices resulting in the certification. The project scored very high in Human Experience which includes an Indoor Air Quality Evaluation – and demonstrates the building has excellent ventilation and air quality.

During the COVID-19 Pandemic while Huntington Place was closed for business, Gretchen Whitmer, Michigan’s Governor, asked venue leadership to work with FEMA and become a field hospital and vaccine distribution center. The temporary site was designed to relieve the burden on local hospitals treating patients with COVID-19, equipped with patient oxygen supply and negative air pressure to accommodate healing.

Environmental air quality in the Atwater Garage was monitored in real-time for CO levels in the garage with 48 sensor readings that signal the engineering team to turn on the required sequence of 17 variable-speed exhaust fans. A twelve-foot by ten-foot video monitor with mapped locations of all CO sensors and exhaust fans is located in the engineering control room and watched by team members.

Both endeavors contributed to high scores for Huntington Place in the LEED Indoor Air Quality Evaluation and recertification as a LEED Gold building noting that the building was managed and controlled for minimum energy and water usage (or high energy/water performance) despite changes in occupancy, usage, or operations is really commendable.

The venue’s performance for water use was also highly rated. The building uses less water per square feet and per person than the local average through the use of very low flow plumbing fixtures and optimal cooling tower maintenance and operations.

Sustainability innovation is part of the venue’s Green mission, and new and innovative Green initiatives are continually implemented throughout the facility. Last month the Huntington Place Green Committee installed large recycling cages in the back of the house of exhibit halls to make it easier for labor building and deconstructing event spaces to recycle wood, glass, metal, and other materials that can be collected and moved along material life cycles to stay out of the waste stream.

This month, Bixby officially became a LEED Green Associate, a professional credential highlighting her understanding of green building design, construction, and operations attained after 16 hours of course work and exams. “I’m excited to be on this journey to help make Huntington Place a more sustainable venue for our customers and employees,” she said.

In 2020, Huntington Place received the Leadership Award from the USGBC in recognition of leadership in driving the adoption of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) across business portfolios, higher education and green affordable housing, as well as helping to advance Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) performance, resilience planning and innovative waste management solutions. Leadership Award recipients are a model for how LEED and other sustainability practices can be used to improve communities, support business, and contribute to a better future for all.

“Achieving LEED certification is more than just implementing sustainable practices. It represents a commitment to making the world a better place and influencing others to do better,” said Peter Templeton, president and CEO, USGBC. “Given the extraordinary importance of climate protection and the central role buildings play in that effort, Huntington Place is creating a path forward through their LEED certification.”

LEED is the most widely used green building rating system and a symbol of international excellence. Green buildings allow venues like Huntington Place to operate more sustainably and provide a healthier, more comfortable space for people to enjoy. More than 98,500 commercial and institutional projects are currently participating in LEED, comprising more than 21 billion square feet of construction space in all 50 states and more than 175 countries and territories. There are 213 LEED certified buildings in the Metro Detroit area.

“Huntington Place’s LEED certification demonstrates tremendous green building leadership,” said Templeton. “LEED was created to make the world a better place and revolutionize our buildings and communities by providing everyone with access to healthy, green, and high performing buildings. Huntington Place is a prime example of how the innovative work of project teams can create local solutions that contribute to making a global difference.”

The convention center maintains its status as the largest LEED certified venue in Michigan.

By MLB.com

The Cleveland Guardians announced renovation projects that are scheduled to be completed over the next three years as a result of the Cleveland Guardians new lease extension at Progressive Field announced last year.

Progressive Field Reimagined will improve and extend the life of Progressive Field, which is the 11th-oldest ballpark in Major League Baseball, and will include renovations to the Upper Deck, Terrace Club, Dugout Club, home and visiting Clubhouses & Service Level, and the Guardians Administrative Offices.

“Progressive Field has been a fantastic home to Cleveland Baseball since it opened in 1994,” said Cleveland Guardians Owner, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Paul Dolan. “We are excited to continue to call Progressive Field home for decades to come, and we look forward to providing new experiences and updated enhancements to our fans, players, and staff through renovation projects that will continue to keep our ballpark competitive as one of the best venues in Major League Baseball.”

“The new fan-facing renovation projects have a heavy emphasis on social experiences at the ballpark,” said President of Business Operations Brian Barren. “As we surveyed our fans, we continuously heard feedback that aligned with the success we saw with the Corner Bar – a focus on more social spaces and compelling fan experiences in the ballpark offering unique ways to enjoy a game. We believe our renovation projects which include a revamped Upper Deck, a reimagined Terrace Club space (which will be renamed the Terrace Hub), and a new Dugout Club will deliver new unique experiences for fans at Progressive Field.”

“Year over year we are continuously striving to achieve our ultimate goal of winning a World Series Championship for the City of Cleveland,” said President of Baseball Operations Chris Antonetti. “To achieve that goal, we need to provide our players the adequate space and amenities to focus on training, recovery and rehabilitation, and those will be the biggest focus areas as we build out the renovated clubhouse space.”

The scheduled renovation projects will focus on the following areas:

Revamped Upper Deck

The revamped Upper Deck will feature multiple social spaces for fans to enjoy the game. The new-look Upper Deck will feature a Beer Garden down the left field line, a new group outing space in right field, and new concession spaces, including two new View Box bars that will flank home plate and allow for more open sightlines from the Upper Deck concourse.

Terrace Hub

The current Terrace Club will be reimagined as an open-air hub with terraced-ticketed seating on the 200 and 300-levels, and a new expansive authentic-to-Cleveland Beer Hall food and beverage experience on the 400-level that will be open to all ticketed patrons at Progressive Field. The ticketed seating sections will have their own private club space on the 300-level.

Dugout Club

The new Dugout Club will combine the best of both worlds when it comes to premium seating, allowing for the same great field-level seats that currently exist while creating a new exclusive lounge behind home plate. The Club will also feature seven private lounges to allow for groups to enjoy an exclusive experience.

Clubhouses & Service Level

Both clubhouses, as well as the ballpark Service Level, will be updated for the first time since the ballpark opened in 1994. The new home clubhouse will be completely reimagined with a focus on player amenities in performance, training, and recovery.

Through these renovations, we will significantly improve our ability to support player preparation, performance, and recovery through expanded and enhanced strength and conditioning and athletic training areas, improved kitchen facilities, more robust technological support for players, coaches, and staff members, among other improvements.

E. 9th Street Building

To allow for the clubhouse expansion, a new four-level E. 9th street building will be erected in right field to allow for a new kitchen and commissary for the Guardians concessionaire, as well as additional storage facilities for the ballpark. The rooftop of the new E. 9th street building will connect to the Upper Concourse and serve as a new group space at Progressive Field.

Cleveland Guardians Front Office

The Guardians Front Office will also be fully renovated for the first time since 1994. As part of the renovation, the Guardians will add a fifth floor to the current four-level structure.

Project Funding

The funding for the projects will be supported by the new lease agreement which extends the current lease to 2036 (with potential options to extent to 2046) and was agreed upon between the City of Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, State of Ohio, the Gateway Economic Development Corporation of Greater Cleveland and the Cleveland Guardians. The estimated total of the projects will be $202.5 million with $67.5 million coming from the Cleveland Guardians. The Guardians are also responsible to provide additional funds to cover cost overages, if any, that may result from the projects.

Project Timing

The Guardians expect all renovations to be completed by the 2025 season. The schematic design process is close to completion, and the majority of the 2023 season will focus on design development with the hope of starting construction at the end of the 2023 season.

2024 Opening Day Project Completion:

Upper Deck Experience
E. 9th Street Building
2025 Opening Day Project Completion:

Terrace Hub
Dugout Club
Clubhouses & Service Level
Administrative Offices
Manica is serving as the lead design architect on the finalized projects, while Ohio based Moody Nolan – the largest African American Architecture firm in the US – is serving as the architect of record.

Mortenson is the national construction manager while Northeast Ohio’s Independence Construction will work with Mortenson in providing construction management services.

The Guardians and Gateway have made our Community Benefits Programs a priority to set project goals for contracting diverse businesses, hiring local and minority workforces, expanding training programs and studying best practices for improving diversity and inclusion in the construction, engineering, and architecture industries. As another example of this focus, the Guardians recently announced the selection of a diverse small locally owned business, The AKA Team, to serve as an additional Associate Construction Manager for the project. The AKA Team is a local minority and female-owned company and a certified Cleveland Small Business, that has been in business since 2009.