The Vikings announced that U.K.-based industrial manufacturing company Pentair has signed a 10-year deal to be a Founding Partner of U.S. Bank Stadium and the official sustainable water partner of the club. Pentair-filtered drinking water will be available throughout the stadium, as well as in the suites and clubs. As a Founding Partner, Pentair will be featured on both levels of the South Gate Entrance, including a lobby experience and wall activation that will help educate visitors of Pentair's water technologies to address global water scarcity and quality issues. Pentair is also collaborating with the Vikings on other water concepts inside U.S. Bank Stadium, as well as the team's potential future practice facility. To date, the following Founding Partners have been announced: Century Link, Hy-Vee, Land O'Lakes, MillerCoors, Pentair and Polaris (Vikings).
MONEY IN THE BANK: The AP reported the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority has approved $50M in "new private financing for the U.S. Bank Stadium under construction in downtown Minneapolis." The Vikings "originally were to spend" $477M to build the $1B-plus stadium, "with taxpayers picking up" $498M. But the team's "contribution has since grown" by 31%, and could approach $630M by the summer. With the new stadium set to open in '16, "not much more time remains" to spend money on the project. The Vikings may end up paying $150M "more than the state had asked" (AP, 12/19).
