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 The $400 million new Busch Stadium will open in the spring of 2006. Above, John Loyd reviews construction plans. |
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By Linda F. Jarrett
It’s a big hole to most people. To John Loyd, it’s a big challenge.
He watches the giant earthmovers crawling over the cavernous excavation that will, by the spring of 2006, be the new (and third) Busch Stadium, and one can only guess what goes through Loyd’s mind. As the liaison between the St. Louis Cardinals front office and the general contractor, architect and others involved in building the project, Loyd’s official title is “Owner’s Representative.”
If Loyd is nervous about overseeing one of the largest construction projects in St. Louis history, it doesn’t show. “This is the largest single project I’ve done,” he says, relaxing in his office. “It’s my third Major League Baseball park.”
| (Left to right): Brett Marshall, project engineer for Hunt-Kwame and Paul Wilson, general superintendent for Hunt Construction Group, stop for a moment to talk with John Loyd. |
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Loyd’s eyes light up when he talks of watching his first game after the $400 million downtown ballpark opens in the spring of 2006. “Baseball is intrinsically fun, and if you’re not having a good time building one of these parks,” he says, “Then you’re in the wrong business.”
Other ballparks in his portfolio include Jacobs Field in Cleveland, home of the Indians; The Oakland A’s Network Associates Coliseum; and Pittsburgh’s PNC Park, where the Pirates play. He also supervised construction of Gund Arena, home of the NBA’s Cavaliers.
| Other ballparks in Loyd's portfolio include Jacobs Field (shown at top), The Oakland A’s Network Associates Coliseum and Pittsburgh’s PNC Park (shown at bottom). |
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“I had always been involved in construction, through either construction management or real estate development,” he says. “I got a call from a headhunter one day about the projects in Cleveland, and that’s how I got started. Recently, (I’ve) been organizing the design and construction of large scale projects.”
Loyd says building ballparks does not differ much from other projects, except he calls them more complicated. “There’s not a lot of repetition in a baseball park,” he explains. “In an office building, you’re looking at 20 floors all the same. In spite of the fact that we have a 1.3-million-square-foot ballpark, we still have some tight spots that you have to run building supplies or building services through.”
A typical day for Loyd does not exist. “There are really no normal hours,” he says. “Sometimes it’s eight hours, sometimes 10. We’re here five days a week, and the contractors work seven days a week on some of the concrete operations.”
| Rendering: A look ahead at the new
Busch Stadium. Inset: Construction of the entrance is underway. |
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Most days include three or four meetings, including one with the general
contractor, Hunt Construction Group. He also meets often with the Cardinals owners, going over specific design items. His most important task, Loyd says, is removing obstacles for the design and build professionals.
“My job is to get decisions made in a timely manner and identify those things that could cause a hiccup in the schedule,” he says. “Remove the obstacles to make sure everybody has a clear run at what they have to do and encourage them to do their best professional job.”
Sid Perkins, project manager for Scottsdale, Ariz.-based Hunt Construction Group, the general contractor, holds Loyd in high regard. “It’s a pleasure to work with John Loyd. He’s a professional at this business,” Perkins says. “I’ve been at a number of stadiums that he has completed as an owner’s rep, which means he has all the...experience regarding development and construction on a project like this.”
Cardinals President Mark Lamping knew what he was getting when he hired Loyd to be his bridge between management and construction. “John comes to the Cardinals with a great track record of success in getting major stadiums open on time and on budget,” Lamping says.
Loyd says the new Busch Stadium has a 28-month schedule. “That is a very middle of the road schedule, not overly ambitious. The part of our schedule that is ambitious occurs at the end of the 2005 season,” he says. “That’s when we demolish (the current) Busch and get it out of the way so we can finish the new ballpark in some of the space vacated. We have about four or five months to do it, so that will be around the clock.”
According to Loyd, the stadium project has spawned no major crises so far. The big challenge, he says, was completing the dig. “We certainly hit our share of trash during the excavation. It was very painstaking,” he says. “Now, it’s just a ‘blow and go’ concrete operation in preparation for the steel arriving at the site, sometime in December.”
| John Loyd is a cool hand at the helm, shown here studying the latest plans. |
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A cool hand at the helm can set the tone for an entire project or operation. Lamping and Perkins agree that Loyd’s even-keel demeanor has made the going much easier. “He’s a very calm individual,” Perkins says. “A lot of that derives from the fact he’s done this work before. He understands the type of problems that arise, and he tends to stay very calm and cool. That’s a big plus in an owner’s rep from our side.”
Lamping agrees. “It’s important in this type of job—where it’s basically an exercise in managing the crisis of the day—that you keep a good, positive attitude and a sense of humor. John has certainly been able to do that.”
And even though Loyd and his family moved to St. Louis from San Antonio just for this project, Lamping says his relative unfamiliarity with the region has not been a disadvantage.
“Sometimes it’s a tough assignment being brought into a new community, and having to work closely with the local trades and contractors,” Lamping says. “However, he has developed a very positive relationship with the local contracting community.”
Early on, when the ballpark was projected for a spring 2005 completion, there was hope of hosting the All-Star Game in the new ballpark in 2006. “We’ve known for quite some time (that) the park will open in 2006,” Lamping says. “(But) the park and village development will not be at the level we’re happy with to be able to host a game that first year.” Now, Lamping expects St. Louis will be awarded an All-Star Game within the first few years of the ballpark’s opening.
That Loyd loves his job and this project is apparent. “It’s a thrill a minute. I love it,” he says. “It’s just so satisfying seeing it come together from a concept into a reality. All the steps along the way are very interesting, and we learn a lot every time.”
To relax, Loyd and his wife, Virginia, retreat to their second home on the Gulf Coast. “My wife and I like to fish and we go down there fairly regularly to spend time decompressing,” he says. The Loyds enjoy St. Louis, and are contemplating staying here after the ballpark is completed.
“Our family is here now, and it would be an ideal spot to live,” Loyd says. “We love it.”
In the meantime, there’s a great big hole to fill. |
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