Kevin Warren, COO of the Minnesota Vikings, talks to Carla Harris about how building a new stadium revitalized the team organization and the community around it.
The Super Bowl, the NCAA Final Four, concerts by Taylor Swift and by Jay-Z and Beyoncé—the roster of events past and future at the new U.S. Bank Stadium makes it far more than home-field advantage for the Minnesota Vikings.
Fans who flock there probably don’t know that the stadium, which opened in 2016, was the largest public-private construction project in Minnesota’s history, or that Kevin Warren, the Chief Operating Officer of the Minnesota Vikings, led the effort that set a precedent for how major public works can be completed both on time and on budget. For Warren, beyond all the headliners, the stadium has proven transformative for the local community, where offices, hotels, apartment buildings, restaurants and retail have all sprung up around the complex—bringing jobs and widespread economic gains. “I try to create opportunities that are one-plus-one-equals-85,” says Warren, explaining that he views his role in project finance—and in all other aspects of his career—as a “change agent.”
In this episode of Access & Opportunity, Carla Harris talks with Warren about the role that the stadium project has played in bringing an influx of jobs to the Minneapolis/St. Paul area—and how the affiliated Viking's Tech Accelerator is committed to giving young entrepreneurs opportunities to learn and grow.
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