A stadium overhaul for the Tampa Bay Lightning
Through sports surfaces and other challenging tasks, we’ve developed a close relationship with the leadership of Amalie Arena, home of the Tampa Bay Lightning and many major performances. Our team has completed more than 40 different projects there over a span of more than 12 years. Just one of our many projects, in 2011, we completed a $1 million flooring project as part of a major stadium transformation. Our work which included flooring for suites on the third and fifth floors, concourses on the fourth and fifth levels, bathrooms on multiple levels, concessions, the west entry — where the ticket office and retail store is located — and the Lightning’s locker room, which includes a 20-foot by 32-foot exact replica of the hockey rink. Our most recent major project, and the subject of this case study, was a $1.1 million flooring installation in 2015 that consisted of 25 separate projects — a tremendously challenging undertaking with an extremely fast-track schedule.
Sports Surfaces: The demands of the project
Amalie Arena hosts not only a full regular season of NHL games on sports surfaces but also Disney on Ice, concerts and other performances. No matter what work is going on, the show must go on. When the arena leadership wanted to overhaul much of the flooring throughout the stadium during the 2015 offseason, the work had to be done in an active environment. As big fans and season ticket holders ourselves, we were thrilled when the Lightning made a deep run into the playoffs — getting all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals in June. But as a result, the flooring installation schedule was cut short by a month, since all work had to be completed before the hockey season began in October. In addition, the project brought other complexities. It involved the installation of several specialty flooring products, such as penny tile and glass tile used in a mosaic finish. We had to coordinate the installation of 25 different types of ceramic tile and 11 types of carpet, and on the fourth floor each area had its own unique finish. Needless to say, completing the installation in an active environment on a fast-track schedule was a major challenge. 
Flooring solutions and results
Through the years, our experienced team has gained a deep understanding of the facility’s many requirements and uses. We’ve learned how to work around the unique requirements of an active stadium environment. We take pride in putting together exceptional installation crews and getting the right mix of talent and experience on every project. Throughout this stadium flooring overhaul, our team worked proactively to keep the job site as clean and operable as possible, allowing the many performances to proceed as scheduled. We operated in open communication with the owner, facility leadership and general contractor, proactively participating in rigorous Plan of the Day (POD) meetings at 6am each morning with the team. Over the course of the project, we provided value engineering to improve the finished product, provide savings and streamline the schedule. Our team leveraged relationships with local manufacturers to help fill in the gaps to source materials at the best prices. Ultimately, we stayed under budget and met a tremendously challenging schedule, working nights, weekends and overtime when necessary to complete the project. We installed flooring for locker rooms, green rooms, the family lounge, a media room, concessions, and on one of the main concourses. On this concourse, we replaced carpet throughout, re-did large public restrooms and provided flooring for a bourbon bar, a premium restaurant section, a retail center, party suites, called lofts, and a luxury corporate suite called the Loge. We’re proud to deliver exceptional flooring for the Tampa Bay Lightning and help create an environment that delivers a quality game-day experience.
A buyer’s guide to commercial flooring
How to get the greatest-value floor and select the right contractor for your project.
