Courtesy: Akron Media Relations http://www.gozips.com/ Dignitaries at The University of Akron’s “Toping Off” party sign a beam, which is the top-most beam for the school’s new on-campus football facility, InfoCision Stadium – Summa Field. Pictured are (l-r): UA athletics director Mack Rhoades; president & CEO of Summa Health System Tom Strauss; Cty of Akron mayor Don Plusquellic; UA president Dr. Luis Proenza; UA vice president for capital planning & facilities management Ted Curtis; Karen Taylor and founder & chairman of InfoCision Management Corp., Gary Taylo

AKRON – The rain cleared and the sun came out, both good omens as The University of Akron had its “Topping Off” celebration Tuesday afternoon on the corner of Vine and Union Streets, signifying the top-most beam being placed on its on-campus football facility: InfoCision Stadium – Summa Field. Another positive event surrounding the ceremony came when it was announced the FirstMerit Foundation will give $1 million toward the project.

Construction for InfoCision Stadium – Summa Field, which started this past February and have a capacity of 30,000, is on schedule and, in 332 days (Sept. 19, 2009), the facility will host its first football game when the Zips face Big Ten member, Indiana University Hoosiers.

Those 332 days will approach quickly and numerous people have already chosen to “Be a Part from the Start.” All of the 16 luxury suites, which seats 16 people each, have been sold and 31 of the 38 loge boxes have been accounted for through commitments. With the next wave of sales for the 2009 season starting soon, focusing on the club seats and other season ticket packages, people are encouraged to come on board as quickly as possible as there have already been 819 priority reserved season tickets sold, 445 reserved season tickets, 108 faculty/staff packages, and 500 family packages. All told, over 2,400 season tickets for next season have been sold. For more information, contact the UA athletics ticket office at 1-888-99-AKRON or the Z-Fund at 330-972-FUND.

Prior to the celebration, Akron’s athletics director Mack Rhoades announced a $1 million gift towards the project from the FirstMerit Foundation, the charitable giving arm of FirstMerit Corporation. In turn, the stadium’s fifth floor will now be called the FirstMerit Club Level, which includes 522 partially-covered chairback seats, 38 loge boxes, two lounge/bar areas and upscale concessions. Also, the now FirstMerit Club Level is where the University hopes to welcome conferences, meetings and receptions to truly make this facility a resource for this community.

"FirstMerit Foundation's award to InfoCision Stadium – Summa Field reflects our long-term commitment to investing in our community," said Julie Robbins, executive vice president, Retail, FirstMerit Corporation and member of FirstMerit Foundation. "Not only will the new stadium host the exciting home football games of The University of Akron Zips, it will also be a focal point for high school football games, music concerts, commencement ceremonies and other events that tie our community together. We proudly support The University of Akron and this multi-use, on-campus facility."

After that exciting announcement, numerous dignitaries spoke about this special day in the project, including UA president Dr. Luis Proenza; City of Akron mayor Don Plusquellic; InfoCision Management Corp. founder and chairman Gary Taylor; president and CEO of Summa Health System Tom Strauss; and UA vice president for capital planning Ted Curtis.

The group – and later everyone on hand – signed the beam and it, along with the traditional American flag and an evergreen tree, were hoisted to the top of the press tower structure.

Below is a transcript of the day’s ceremony.

InfoCision Stadium at Summa Field Topping Off Ceremony Transcript

Opening Statements – Mack Rhoades

Athletic Director, University of Akron

“Welcome, and thank you for being here to help us celebrate another milestone for this University, for this community, certainly for UA Athletics as we celebrate the “Topping Off” of InfoCision Stadium-Summa Field. Before beginning and introducing our special speakers we do have an announcement. With that, I would like to ask a few people to come up and join us at the podium. Julie Robbins who is Executive Vice President for Retail Sales with FirstMerit along with FirstMerit Foundation board members Jane Litz and Norm Bliss. Dr. Proenza, if we could please have you at the podium as well please.

“It is my honor and great privilege again, to introduce Julie Robbins of FirstMerit Bank.”

Julie Robbins – One million dollar gift presentation
Executive Vice President, Retail Sales – FirstMerit Bank

“Thanks Mack. On behalf of First Merit Foundation, we would like to present a donation to the University. The Foundation is a fully funded arm of FirstMerit Corporation and we use those funds to facilitate different activities in our communities. We focus a lot on education and social services and, really, this is what the University has been trying to do for the city of Akron. We feel this is an important contribution to the communities that we’ve been participating in and serving for over one hundred and sixty years. So on behalf of the foundation, we would like to present to you Dr. Proenza, a check for one million dollars in support of InfoCision Stadium.”

Mack Rhoades – Appreciations

“Thank you very much to Julie and the Foundation Board at FirstMerit. We certainly appreciate your generosity and they have served as wonderful community partners to the city of Akron. In exchange for their donation, FirstMerit receives the naming rights to the fifth level of the press box, our club level. So now, beginning today and forever more, we have the FirstMerit Club Level at InfoCision Stadium-Summa Field.

“Again, prior to introducing our first speaker, I would like to take the time to just thank a couple of people who have helped us get to this point – the ‘Topping Off’ point of this wonderful facility. I will ask those folks to stand or raise their hand and then if you would join me in providing a round of applause once I have called everybody’s name. First and foremost, from our athletic department staff, Paul Hammond and Hunter Yurachek. They have been involved in terms of all the daily operations of the building and construction of this facility, the design work, etcetera.

“Capital Planning and Facilities, folks we have worn out these two gentlemen. They have worked tirelessly on behalf of this University and UA athletics in making sure that the end product here in September of 2009 is one that we can all be proud of – Mr. Frank Horn and David Pierson.

“To help guide us through the financing throughout this project, Dr. John Case and Brian Davis have been tremendous. Thank you very much.

“Our lead architectural firm, HNTB, is represented today by Phil Dougherty out of Kansas City. Our construction manager from Welty Construction, Don Taylor is here with us. Don, thank you very much. And a gentleman who has become our best friend, the one we could not do without, again tremendous in terms of the attention he has provided us, is Mr. John Hefner of Welty Construction.

Mack Rhoades – Remarks About InfoCision Stadium – Summa Field

“As we move forward, people continue to ask me as excitement continues to build, how can we get involved? How can we support this process? The answer is very simple: purchase a season ticket. It gets none simpler than that. When we look at bringing football on campus, we need people here. We need people to help celebrate a wonderful event and what better event to have on this campus, than 20-30 thousand people here on Saturdays during the fall to come and experience college football. Not only college football on this campus, but for people to also see the transformation of this campus. If you look at the last 10 years, what has happened here, it’s absolutely phenomenal.

“And a true story, a student-athlete whose parents went to this University some 20 years ago and have never returned to campus since they graduated. Part of the reason why that young lady will come to play for us is because of that parent and how unbelievably impressed they were with what is happening on this campus. That is the same reaction almost every time we bring prospective student-athletes to this campus. We hear how beautiful and how wonderful this environment is. We are certainly excited. But please, for all of you who are not season ticket holders, purchase season tickets. Right now as everybody knows, our suites are sold out and 31 of 38 loge boxes have been committed to. We are beginning our club seat sales campaign and again, our season tickets to this day, our goal is eight thousand season tickets, right now we are a third on our way with some 300-plus days left in that process. Again, we look forward to the opening of InfoCision Stadium on September 19, 2009 against the Indiana Hoosiers and we look forward to everybody being there.

“It is now my pleasure and honor to introduce to you Dr. Luis Proenza, the President of the University of Akron. Just a couple of words before Dr. Proenza comes to the podium. When you talk about transformation over the last 10 years, this person has been the visionary for that process. He has led those efforts and we are all certainly very blessed to have a leader like this. I am very happy that I am here to say that I work for Dr. Proenza.”

Dr. Luis Proenza

President, University of Akron

“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to InfoCision Stadium at Summa Field. The progress being made is outstanding and this ‘Topping Off’ ceremony celebrates a significant milestone along the way. I want to recognize of course my colleagues Gary Taylor and Tom Strauss who are here and provided the initial impetus to get us moving. Thank you FirstMerit for your additional gift.

“I think it is important that we recognize the tremendous leadership that our Board of Trustees has played along the way. Thanks to Kevin Thompson and Marcus Phelps, our new student trustee is in the back. I’m particularly delighted to recognized the former Chairwoman of the Board of Trustees Mrs. Patricia Graves who really got this project rolling a few years ago by calling her colleagues to look at the condition of the Rubber Bowl and look at where we were moving with the football program and really get us thinking about what we had to do strategically to get to this point. Thank you Patty.

“As most of you know, this ceremony commemorates the hoisting of the highest steel beam into its position. This significant ritual signifies a high point in the construction schedule and imbues it with a longstanding tradition among those in the building industry. Of course no two ceremonies are alike, but the symbolism is longstanding and is very similar across the ages. The American Flag which you see on one end of the beam suggests the fulfillment of the American Dream. The evergreen tree on the other side of the beam conveys good fortune to the structure occupants and certainly to Coach (J.D.) Brookhart and Mack (Rhoades) because we certainly want winning seasons every season. Certainly, by adding your signatures to the final beam, we all collectively lend our support and commitment to the future of this great University. So please, before that gets hoisted walk around, there are pens on it, put your name on it.

“Just a couple of references in regards to the ceremony, for centuries civilizations have celebrated this type of rite of passage. There is evidence of this custom as far back as the sixth century B.C. in Rome and in ancient China. Construction crews would convey their wishes of health and prosperity to the future tenants. Those of us who were in China a just a few weeks ago certainly saw some of the affinity that people there have with great structures of the past, the Forbidden City and in many of the other temples.

“In 700 A.D., Scandinavia established the custom of raising an evergreen tree to the top of a new building to signal to anyone within eyesight that it was time to party. When iron and steel replaced timber as the building materials of choice, ironworkers decided to carry on this long and cherished tradition. And so today, we too celebrate this custom as a renewal of commitment to reshape and redefine this campus. And, while today’s observance is only a snapshot and a midpoint in this great new landscape for learning initiative overall, it certainly provides the exclamation point to all that we have done and thank you in that regard Mr. Curtis and Mr. Mayor for all the support that you have provided as we transform this campus over the year. Thank you ladies and gentlemen.”

The Honorable Donald Plusquellic
Mayor, City of Akron

“Thank you. I appreciate the opportunity just to say a few words because it is feeling a lot more like basketball weather than football weather suddenly here. I do not want to keep you too long. I just want to congratulate and thank on this day of celebration all those who are responsible for getting us this far. Certainly the construction company and the construction workers, who I can not even imagine what it is like climbing up there on a (windy) day like today. But, they have been up there all this time working to make sure that this project stays on time. I think all of us are excited, it certainly is another tremendous addition to the skyline of Akron and as others have said, to really enhance once again the campus, which is so important when you’re recruiting students.

“I appreciate what the University has done to really add to the things that are being done in this community. I only want to add one little commercial here and, that is, we need to make sure we have more students going to The University of Akron so they can fill those seats! Thank you everyone.”

Gary Taylor

Founder & Chairman of InfoCision Management Corp.
“Well, Karen and I are thrilled to be a part of this great day. We went on a whirlwind tour to look at other stadiums what now seems like forever ago. It is great to finally see it all coming together and to see it on schedule. I would just like to thank our partners at Summa and everyone involved. The leadership of Mack (Rhoades) and the Mayor for all they have done. We’re just grateful to be here, thank you.”

Tom Strauss
President and CEO of Summa Health System

“Good afternoon. It is great to be here on this beautiful afternoon here in Akron, Ohio. It is an amazing day for The University of Akron and our community. I just want you to know how excited we are at Summa and the Summa family to be apart of this project that really has been the vision of this community for a lot of years. We are thrilled to see what this stadium can do, not only for the University, but our neighborhood, University Park. By driving more attention and activity to the area, we believe in the ability to generate new economic development in the region. I want to again give special thanks to our mayor, Don Plusquellic. We are so blessed in this community to have a mayor of his strength I want to recognize the work he has done.

“And my good friend, Dr. Proenza. It’s been a good week for Luis and me. We had the Bio-innovation Institute announcement last week, which is a collaboration of all the hospitals near the University. And now, here today, we’re just so thrilled that we can be a partner on this Summa Field and InfoCision Stadium. A big thanks to Gary Taylor, his wife and those at InfoCision for their commitment to this project. Mack Rhoades, too bad Coach (Brookhart) is not here because we want to wish him well. We also thank the University of Akron Athletic Department for their vision and persistence in making this stadium a reality. Finally, Don Taylor, thank you for the work Welty has done to make this all work a reality and for bringing us in on time and on budget for our kickoff in September of next year. Thank you so much.”

Ted Curtis
Vice President/Capital Planning & Facilities Management, University of Akron

“Good afternoon. Welcome to The University of Akron and what a great crowd. Mack, according to the countdown on the key chains (that were passed out) in 332 days, the field will be ready. I do not want to get into details. I would like to welcome you all here also to the topping of stadium. By the way, the thanks have been passed out but I really want to thank the Taylors, Tom Strauss and Summa, and now FirstMerit and all the other people who have made donations along the line. Also, I would like to thank our Mayor, Don Plusquellic for allowing to abandon Carroll and Union streets so that we can create pedestrian malls but also the two streets behind you, the balance of Union and Vine Streets. Mayor, thank you very much, it helps our total program and our total campus work very well within itself and also with the city of Akron.

“Together we continue on this campus, together with the city of Akron, its citizens, its community leaders and through the leadership of Dr. Proenza we continue to solve the needs of our campus. And we are doing some good things because our enrollment has increased 15% in the last three years. So mayor, we hope that trend continues and that we bring people to downtown Akron.

“The actual work behind us started just in the middle of February, only seven months ago. I would like to acknowledge HNTB from Kansas City, Phil Dougherty also teamed with URS Construction Company, John Hefner and Don Taylor and also Bruce Wylam is here from the Hunt construction company. The Hunt Company probably has built more stadium projects in the country. The steel work is being done by here in Akron. Earthwork is being done by Kenmore Construction Company. In less than a year, people will be occupying this enormous structure, including two and a half floors for the College of Education. There will be academic spaces in the building, which will operate year round.

“The project budget for the stadium itself is $61.6 million. There are 467 thousand square feet of building being built including the field, which is 10.7 acres. When all the steel is in place it will equal 2,500 tons. There’s already 17,000 cubic area of concrete in place. There have been at a peak, 225 workers on this project with a total number of man-hours at 226,000. When the project is completed there will be over 645,000 man-hours. In summing up, Carl Sandburg years ago stated, ‘nothing happens, unless first a dream’ and this did, in fact, start with a dream. I think our dreams here at The University of Akron are coming true and I would like to thank you for attending. Thank you very much. “