The multipurpose project is set to host athletic and community events in Florence, Alabama

Birmingham-based program management firm HPM announced today the topping out of Bank Independent Stadium at the University of North Alabama (UNA), signifying the placement of the final structural beam. HPM is serving as the program manager for the $65 million multipurpose facility on UNA’s campus in Florence, Alabama. The project, which will be the University’s first dedicated stadium, broke ground in June 2024 for an anticipated opening in Fall 2026.

Bank Independent Stadium will feature Bobby Wallace Field, a three-level press tower with concessions, restrooms, suites, a club level and a “home tunnel” connecting the home locker room to the adjacent Flowers Hall. The venue will redevelop the athletic complex that previously included the UNA turf practice field, Mike D. Lane Field and band practice field, incorporating UNA’s football, baseball and soccer teams and marching band into the reimagined design. In addition to athletic practices and sporting events, Bank Independent Stadium is designed to enrich the city with concerts, live performances and other community events.

As part of a separate package, HPM will also oversee the addition of a 2,760 square foot video board for the stadium to use during games and community events. This is soon starting construction at the northeast end of the stadium.

“Bank Independent Stadium is a long-awaited project that the community has been excited about since its announcement, and HPM is proud to help bring the school’s dynamic vision to life along with our numerous design and construction partners,” said Matt Ernst, Senior Project Manager at HPM.

HPM is working closely with UNA to provide specialized services from pre-construction through completion, including oversight of budgeting, scheduling, design management, bidding and construction oversight. The project is split into multiple packages, which required careful sequencing to ensure the practice field was completed before the stadium work began, along with a mass excavation package, which included recessing the football field approximately 15 feet below the existing grade. The excavated dirt was then used as fill material across the site for the future baseball field. This design will provide 360-degree concourse access, allowing fans to circulate the facility without having the stadium structure block their view.

“Today’s topping out is one of many milestones in the construction of Bank Independent Stadium that UNA and North Alabama Athletics will be celebrating,” said Dr. Josh Looney, Director of Athletics at UNA. “We continue to work closely with our partners at HPM to ensure timelines and each phase fall into place on schedule. Our student-athletes, coaches and staff are eager to use this great facility to enjoy football, soccer and baseball games.”

This project represents the first partnership between HPM and the University of North Alabama. Additional project partners include Davis Architects as the architect, Ampere as the sports consultant and Fite Building Company as the general contractor for the football stadium package.

With a presence throughout the U.S. and a total management portfolio value of more than $1 billion annually, HPM has established itself as one of the industry’s leading program managers and owner’s representative companies. The firm’s other notable projects at higher education institutions include Bryant Denny Stadium, Sewell Thomas Stadium, Rhoades Softball Stadium, Hank Crisp Indoor Practice Facility, Coleman Coliseum and Mal M. Moore Athletic Facility at The University of Alabama; Daniel Meyer Coliseum and Lupton Baseball Field at Texas Christian University; The University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Protective Life Stadium; and Texas Tech University’s Jones AT&T East Side Stadium. HPM also provided program management expertise for the construction of Regions Field and the renovation of Legacy Arena, both located in Birmingham, Alabama.

For more information on HPM and its services, click here.

About HPM

HPM provides comprehensive planning, design and construction-related experience to offer clients a one-stop approach to complete program management and owner’s representation. From real estate acquisition analysis and facilities assessments to construction auditing and move management, HPM services clients in aerospace, automotive, sports and entertainment venues, commercial and industrial, higher education, K-12 and state and local government. With a footprint of accounts, projects and offices spanning throughout the US, the HPM team manages its work for national and international clients while providing a flexible, scalable team of experts at just the right time in the life of your facilities. For more information, please visit www.hpmleadership.com.

About The University of North Alabama

The University of North Alabama is an accredited, comprehensive regional state university offering undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degree programs through the colleges of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering; the Sanders College of Business and Technology; Education and Human Sciences; and the Anderson College of Nursing and Health Professions. Occupying a 130-acre campus in a residential section of Florence, Alabama, UNA is located within a four-city area that also includes Muscle Shoals, Sheffield, and Tuscumbia. UNA Athletics, a renowned collegiate athletics program with seven (7) Division II National Championships, is now a proud member of NCAA Division I, the Atlantic Sun Conference and the United Athletic Conference. The University of North Alabama is an equal opportunity institution and does not discriminate in the admission policy on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, disability, age, or national origin. For more: www.una.edu and www.una.edu/unaworks/.

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