Crunch Time: Jaguars’ Sports Performance Center Nears Completion

With more than 14 months of work behind them, it’s crunch time for Haskell and its contract partners on construction of the Miller Electric Center, the Jacksonville Jaguars’ new sports performance facility. If the project were an NFL game, they would be seconds from the two-minute warning.

So, when hundreds of crew members gathered in the recently erected grandstand for a Worker Appreciation Event and Safety Luncheon, it was perfectly on-point for Jaguars Head Coach Doug Pederson to impart the same message he gave his team down the stretch as they stormed to the AFC South Division championship.

“There are two things that I talked (about) to our football team,” Pederson said. “The first one that we splashed all over our all over our monitors in the building is ‘Working to Win.’ That means putting in the hard work and preparation. You cannot substitute for those two things. So, your hard work and your preparation is what's winning this project right here. And the last thing … is ‘Finish.’ You’ve got to finish a play. You’ve got to finish a period in practice. You’ve got to finish practice. And then, ultimately, you’ve got to finish a game.”

To finish the performance center on June 30 as scheduled, the construction team has worked seven days a week for months, with only Christmas and New Year’s Day as exceptions.

Once completed, the Miller Electric Center will be a state-of-the-art, 125,000-square-foot facility featuring all administrative and football offices, the team’s locker room, training, dining and strength rooms, an indoor practice field, two exterior practice fields, plus covered seating and fan amenities, including concessions and merchandise store. The project also includes hardscape and landscaping, additional surface parking and all site infrastructure.

“This will be the best of the best of the best in the National Football League,” Pederson said.

Noteworthy facts, figures and features include:

• The 2,100-seat public grandstand overlooks two practice fields (which can be configured north-south or east-west).
• The weight room encompasses 9,500 square feet with an upper cardio deck and an outdoor turf training area.
• A 1,500-square-foot press conference room has a dedicated TV studio and podcast room.
• The team meeting room seats 138.
• The locker room has 90, 42-inch-wide lockers, a steam room and a sauna.

Immediately upon the facility’s completion, the Jaguars will move all of its football operations out of TIAA Bank Field, a critical next step in developing what they’re calling the Stadium of the Future. Haskell has been involved in other essential parts of that journey, including conducting a structural assessment and confirming that the stadium is sound enough for renovation, and providing a complete 3D model of the facility.

Speaking to the assembled Haskell team members and subcontract partners, who have at times numbered more than 400 at a time on the site, Pete Kinsley, Operations President for Planning & Development, praised the quality and pace of the project.

“I want everyone out here to be proud,” Kinsley said. “We all work in the construction industry because we love this stuff. We see the fruits of our labor every day. But I can tell you that projects like this don't come along every day. This is an opportunity to do a project that's impactful and lasting on a community.

“This is a very special project. There are 32 franchises in the NFL. There are 30 cities that have teams, and we're one of them. For this city, quality of life is better, and it drives the economy. What each and every one of you is doing is you're helping build a facility that will allow Jacksonville leadership and coaching staff and players to elevate their play and take this franchise to the next level. So be very proud of what you're doing.”

Haskell mitigates risk and ensures on-time, on-budget delivery of essential capital improvement projects that make a difference in communities. Contact us to learn more.