…which is when Mike McCormick joined the stadium industry as Executive Director of the Jackson County Sports Complex Authority (Arrowhead & Kauffman Stadiums) in Kansas City. Since then he has used his background in sports facilities, law, engineering, and project management to deal with virtually every stadium issue imaginable, both in KC and elsewhere. In 2012 he received the Stadium Managers Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his "impact in our industry".
Here's an overview of our work:
No industry deals with claims and controversies more than construction — and stadiums are at high risk during their entire life cycle: (1) Development and construction of new facilities; (2) ongoing repair and maintenance; and (3) major capital improvements, aka Keepin' Up With the Joneses.
Facility funding, leasing, operations, bidding & procurement are the foundation of a successful stadium, and are the subjects of intense negotiation and careful drafting. Despite that, or perhaps because of it, they all too often result in acrimony and disagreement. We can help resolve these issues.
The UAS, aka drone, phenomenon is growing at light speed. Stadium managers are in the unique position of needing to deal with the phenomenon not only from a safety and security standpoint but also as an asset for their building’s marketing, repair, maintenance, entertainment, and other internal objectives.
We can provide an additional resource for legal or other local professionals who may not be as familiar with the stadium industry as they would like, or who simply desire supplemental knowledge and perspective. We can also create and manage of a team of professionals to assist with defining and negotiating capital improvements or supporting lease negotiations.
We are available to serve in the traditional roles of mediator, arbitrator, or negotiation facilitator, albeit doing so consistent with the philosophies laid out below. That said, we are also big believers in the newer, more imbedded and proactive approaches that focus on a "Chief Collaboration Officer or Team", such as construction neutral, initial decision maker, Guided Choice, and the like.
Since 2014 we've been working with Congress, the FAA, DHS, and the sports facilities industry to understand and implement security measures (incl. §2209 "designated" No Drone Zones), comprehensive best practices, and innovative on-site applications. We can help individual stadiums with those issues as well as sorting out the ever-increasing conflict of federal, state, and local laws.