Sounders FC Announces Venture General Contracting as Construction Lead for Club’s New Headquarters
September 15, 2022 – Major League Soccer (MLS) – Seattle Sounders FC News Release
SEATTLE, WASH. – Sounders FC today announced that the club has selected Seattle-based Venture General Contracting as the construction manager for the expansive Sounders FC Center at Longacres, the team’s new world-class home that is being developed in Renton, Washington.
Originally revealed in February, the site for the new team facility is located on Boeing’s former corporate headquarters at the historic Longacres. The club is working in partnership with Unico Properties on the project, whose next phases now begin in earnest with the official addition of Venture as general contractor.
“We are thrilled to be taking the next steps in developing the Sounders FC Center at Longacres, starting with today’s announcement of Venture as our general contracting partner,” said Sounders FC Chief Financial Officer Tom Riley. “This project is about more than a bright new facility. It’s about creating a generational home for Sounders FC; a home where the team can flourish, win championships and serve the community. We chose Venture to lead construction efforts because we feel that they understand this deeper mission. Their commitment to improving the region – not only through their projects, but through dedicated community and sustainability practices – makes them an ideal fit with the Sounders ethos. We’re thrilled to collaborate with Unico and Venture, both Seattle-based companies, as we realize the full potential of Longacres.”
As general contractor for the Sounders FC Center at Longacres, Venture is working alongside Sounders FC, Unico and Generator Studio – the industry leader in sports design and architecture – to bring the plans for the team headquarters to life, including four full-size training pitches and 50,000 square feet of space to house the club’s entire soccer and business ecosystems together for the first time in Sounders FC history. Venture works to enhance the building experience by coordinating seamlessly with all parties and selected subcontractors.
“Our team couldn’t be more excited about our involvement in the future home of Sounders FC,” said Jack Beaudoin, Partner, Venture General Contracting. “Venture strongly agrees with and supports the Sounders FC social justice framework. As a partner on this project, we are pledging to uphold these values and embody them in our own work. We look forward to finding ways to further promote their social justice values on the Sounders FC Center at Longacres project.”
“We are incredibly honored to be a part of the team for the Sounders FC Center at Longacres,” said Matt Parent, Partner, Venture General Contractor. “This is an exciting opportunity for us to build a partnership with a local organization that we are huge fans of. The Sounders’ RAVE Foundation aligns with our company’s philanthropic goals, and we are excited to use this partnership to find ways to give back to the community that we live and work in.”
Venture was selected by Sounders FC for this role in part due to the company’s local roots and commitment to social responsibility. Founded and operated out of Seattle, all of Venture’s earnings and philanthropy are directly reinvested back into the city and immediate region. The company also aligns with Sounders FC’s social justice framework and its major arenas for change.
Venture promotes diversity in a variety of ways. It is a founding member of ConstructDiversity, a group of like-minded companies and individuals committed to bringing a higher level of racial and gender diversity to construction and related businesses through giving high school students visibility to career paths that are available to them, making it known that they are welcome, wanted and needed – regardless of color or gender. In this program, Venture staff members adopt a student for two hours once a week, with students rotating through each month and learning about career opportunities that stretch from project management and field operations to accounting, safety, business development and trades and fabrication.
Additionally, Venture makes a concerted effort to award contracts to diverse subcontractors and suppliers. The company takes steps to maximize the opportunities for diverse suppliers by dividing scope packages and reaching out to diverse suppliers to become pre-approved to work for Venture.
Venture is also devoted to sustainable practices in its work – something critical to Sounders FC’s vision. The company is an active member of both the U.S. Green Building Council and Salmon-Safe. As a Salmon-Safe Certified general contractor, Venture extends its commitment to higher standards and sustainably progressive practices in the Pacific Northwest. Salmon-Safe accreditation requires a consistent application of the best construction site management practices to achieve a zero-sediment runoff goal. The Sounders FC Center at Longacres will pursue Salmon-Safe certification, promoting ecologically sustainable land management that protects water quality and biodiversity.
Venture also works with local nonprofit Forterra to implement Forterra’s Evergreen Carbon Capture program for the company, which calculates an annual carbon footprint and then plants native trees that sequester carbon and offset emissions. Tree planting is part of a comprehensive habitat restoration effort; these actions not only mitigate carbon impacts, but also help develop healthy, resilient forested parks and natural areas for future generations. Since 2019, Sounders FC has also worked alongside Forterra as part of the same program, becoming the first professional soccer team in North America and the first professional sports team from the major American men’s leagues to commit to full carbon neutrality.
The Sounders FC Center at Longacres is set to feature a team-first design layout that is built around the holistic needs of the entire Rave Green organization. As the project moves forward, further specifics of the design process will be publicly shared. With Seattle’s selection as a host city for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the new Sounders FC Center at Longacres will be available as a resource for the globe’s largest sporting event, both as a training site and other related needs.
For further queries regarding the Sounders FC Center at Longacres, please contact a member of Sounders FC Communications. Subcontractors and other professionals interested in the project’s construction elements should contact Venture General Contracting for more information.
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