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For construction teams delivering complex sports facilities, success is rarely defined by concrete and steel alone. It’s determined much earlier, during preconstruction, and proven much later, when owners are operating revenue-generating venues under real world conditions. For the Hillsboro Hops’ recently completed ballpark, Mortenson leaned heavily on early, data-driven decision-making and operational foresight to deliver a facility that meets business goals while remaining adaptable for the future.

Preconstruction played a critical role in shaping those outcomes. By keeping end goals front and center, the Mortenson team and design partners CannonDesign and Populous guided ownership through informed decisions that balanced immediate revenue opportunities with long-term flexibility.

Momentum was established early, when the team partnered with ownership to quickly evaluate whether renovating the existing facility rather than building new would best support long-term performance. By bringing cost, schedule, and operational analysis forward at the outset, the team helped the owner pivot decisively to a new-build solution and move the project ahead with confidence. From there, the start-with-the-end-in-mind approach influenced everything from seating configurations to premium areas, supporting day-one performance while accommodating the organization’s evolving needs over time.

How the Hops’ stadium project took shape

Construction of the Hillsboro Hops’ new ballpark, a $150 million, 4,700-fixed-seat baseball stadium with a capacity around 7,000, required careful coordination of revenue optimization, budget alignment, and operational readiness on a tight timeline.

Strong preconstruction positions projects to finish strong. By grounding early decisions in data, operational insight, and the owner’s long-term goals, teams can avoid locking buildings into inefficient uses of space and instead preserve flexibility in how facilities operate and evolve. That discipline supports adaptability without sacrificing cost control, performance, or schedule certainty.

Drawing on experience from more than 300 sports projects, Mortenson anticipates and avoids early missteps that might otherwise constrain flexibility and long-term revenue. The team relies on a highly data-driven and analytical approach, using successes and comparative data from past stadium projects to guide preconstruction decisions. That historical insight helps identify what consistently works, avoid overinvestment in underperforming spaces, and ensure design choices directly support the owner’s business goals.

That approach translated directly into design decisions for the Hillsboro Hops’ project, from establishing concourse widths that balance fan circulation (one of the primary cost drivers for an above-grade stadium) to intentionally leaving portions of the building able to accommodate future growth.

One example of this collaborative approach was the decision by Mortenson and its design partners to carve out select areas of the building and leave them unbuilt beyond the structural framework. By intentionally reserving these zones as empty space, the project team created opportunities for future expansion allowing new revenue-generating uses without disrupting existing operations or requiring costly structural modifications.

Planning for operations and not only completion

Preconstruction shaped how the project would be delivered and operated in the long term, not just how it would be built. Sports projects in particular demand this up-front coordination because events and operations often begin immediately after turnover with little luxury to work through issues afterward. All scopes, including the owner’s portion and the construction team’s, must interface correctly from day one.

Closeout planning began on day one. Rather than treating commissioning and turnover as end-stage activities, the team began working with the commissioning agent early and involved it in reviewing submittals from the outset. A clear strategy to drive closeout early helped ensure that when the building was turned over, completion truly meant the facility was ready for use.

This focus carried through construction and into closeout, with owner readiness treated as an integral part of the build rather than a final checklist item. Processes were put in place to manage punch lists efficiently, involve the owner throughout the process, and deliver training well before occupancy, so the ownership team was prepared to operate the facility from day one.

Those conversations start months before turnover and focus on how the owner will move into the facility and operate therein. The team tracks move-in timing, sequencing, utilities, access, and logistics alongside construction completion so expectations are aligned well in advance, and the handoff happens without surprises.

Operational training is approached with the same level of rigor. For major building systems, vendors are brought on site to conduct hands-on training with the owner team, with sessions recorded and documented as part of the closeout package. This ensures operational knowledge is retained, accessible, and fully integrated into the facility’s long-term management strategy.

Turning early planning into long-term performance

Mortenson’s approach to adaptability can be summarized with a simple phrase: agility makes facilities. For sports venues in particular, agility is essential to successful construction. There are always going to be changes, especially in the sports market. Things move fast, and the industry is constantly evolving with new technology, trends, and opportunities for revenue generation.

For the Hops’ project, agility informed early strategic decisions, including whether a renovation of the existing stadium or new construction would be best. The project initially moved forward as the former, but early analysis revealed that tens of millions of dollars in make-ready work would be required before meaningful renovation could even begin.

That analysis ultimately shifted the direction of the project. By comparing cost, schedule, and performance implications early, the team determined that new construction offered a more financially viable and operationally sound path forward. The project team pivoted accordingly, allowing the design and delivery of a new stadium aligned with business goals, long-term performance, and scheduling requirements.

Strategic foresight, early engagement with all partners, and disciplined closeout are what allow projects to finish strong and deliver long-term value. Maintaining a clear schedule while allowing thoughtful flexibility helps owners be more successful. When Mortenson turns over facilities, they are ready to operate and not just occupy.

In a market where sports venues must perform from opening day, Mortenson’s approach demonstrates that starting smart, staying agile, and finishing strong is not a slogan; it is a delivery strategy.

Jake Tonnessen is a senior project manager with Mortenson. Contact him at 971-202-4100 or [email protected].

The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed in the preceding commentary are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Daily Journal of Commerce or its editors. Neither the author nor the 91ÊÓƵ guarantees the accuracy or completeness of any information published herein.