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Two Top U.S. Bank Stadium Officials To Keep Jobs When Venue Officially Opens This Week

Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority Chair Michele Kelm-Helgen and Exec Dir & CEO Ted Mondale will "keep their jobs" when U.S. Bank Stadium opens this week, with the former "focusing on marketing and the other on operations," according to Rochelle Olson of the Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE. Kelm-Helgen and Mondale last week said that they are both "needed full time to monitor the operations" of the new venue. Their jobs, for "which they are respectively paid $130,175 and $165,333, supplement the work of various consultants" and SMG, which was "hired by the MSFA to promote and operate the building." Olson noted the dual roles of Kelm-Helgen and Mondale "have been a point of contention because of concerns about overlapping duties, distribution of power and her lower salary" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 7/16).

STATE OF THE ART: In Minneapolis, Jason Gonzalez noted Vikings fans will be "as close to the action as in any NFL stadium, with seats 41 feet from the sidelines." U.S. Bank Stadium is "built to maximize views and time" with 2,000 HD TVs, 16 video walls and large scoreboards for replays. Vikings Exec VP/Public Affairs & Stadium Development Lester Bagley: "One of the things that is most important about the new stadium is to deliver an outstanding fan experience." Gonzalez noted the stadium’s seven levels "include two general-admission concourses with 360-degree circulation and various views into the bowl." Club Purple is the "most intriguing of the seven club lounges in the stadium," as it "features an outdoor deck, the only one in the facility, with a view of the Minneapolis skyline" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 7/17). Also in Minneapolis, Kristen Leigh Painter wrote the venue's sleek and angular features have "dramatically altered" the city's skyline and "played a key role in the evolution of a burgeoning neighborhood." The stadium has "brought renewed national attention to the state and has already attracted" Super Bowl LII and the '19 Final Four. While the stadium is "unquestionably striking, it's part of a larger renaissance story -- one the Metrodome ... could never spur" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 7/17).

MINNESOTA MADE: Kelm-Helgen said that there are "more than 1,000 events scheduled at the facility" during the first few months of its existence. In Minneapolis, Jeff Strickler noted an open house this upcoming weekend is "expected to draw 100,000" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 7/17). The STAR TRIBUNE's Olson noted Aramark, the stadium's concessionaire, "worked with the theme 'modern, memorable and Minnesota.'" The result is a "mix of food from vendors big and small." Aramark M Hospitality GM Jamie Hodgson said, "We're incorporating as many local talents as we can" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 7/17). Olson noted Minneapolis-based Oslund & Associates Partner Tadd Kreun "was the project landscape architect" for the stadium. Kreun said he approached the landscape design as a series of zones, or "linear spaces you move through." Olson noted the "geometric shapes on the angular building, as well as the region's Nordic roots, inspired the design" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 7/17).

INSIDE LOOK: In Minneapolis, James Lileks wrote under the header, "U.S. Bank Stadium Looks Beyond The Bowl For Its Design" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 7/17). The STAR TRIBUNE took readers inside U.S. Bank Stadium, which it refers to as the "New Star Of The North" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 7/17). The paper also offers readers the chance to explore the stadium in a virtual reality video.

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