A few stats for week two of Construction at the Pepsi Center –

15,000: Members of the media expected at the Convention
600: Construction workers handling two shifts per day
120+: Blogs that will occupy the Blogger Lounge in the former Nuggets weight room
4: Pepsi Center suites completely “white boxed” (read more to find out what that means!)
3: Cable bridges, 16 feet high, to connect cables from the arena to the media pavilions and satellite trucks
2: Weeks of construction
1: fully erected media pavilion, complete with plywood flooring, a roof, and exterior walls

…And that’s just the beginning. Touring the Pepsi Center today, it was absolutely incredible to see the dramatic transformation that has happened in just two short weeks.

As the Denver Post reports this morning, “The Pepsi Center hands over the keys to construction teams for the Democratic National Convention Committee at 8 a.m. Monday, and the on-the-ground, multimillion-dollar race to transform the arena into a convention hall by Aug. 25 begins.” Click here for the full story.

This week we were proud to announce the DNCC’s construction management team.  The Denver-based partnership of Alvarado-Turner-HOK will be in charge of transforming the Pepsi Center into the 2008 Democratic National Convention hall.  The process will include designing and constructing the staging area for the Convention inside the Pepsi Center and then restoring the building as if we never stepped foot inside.

We’re also extremely proud of the fact that this minority and woman owned team will run the construction project with a strong commitment to diversity and inclusion.  Linda Alvarado, President of Alvarado Construction, will be our go-to throughout the construction process.  She is no stranger to overcoming obstacles and achieving what others believe to be the heaviest of lifts – she has even made history as the first Hispanic American owner of a major league baseball franchise. Colorado’s own, of course!

The materials and methods used in building out the hall will also reflect sustainable building practices, helping to make this the greenest political convention in history.  Plus, many of the materials that are disassembled after the Convention will be donated to community organizations.

We were able to catch up with Linda Alvarado and the team leaders at the Pepsi Center to talk about what lies ahead of them here.  Also, check out these news stories about the newest members of our Convention team:

The Denver Post: Denver firm to prep Pepsi Center for DNC

The Rocky Mountain News: Convention-prep contract awarded 

The Denver Business Journal: Democrats pick Alvarado Construction team for Pepsi Center work