Officials in other cities who have worked with IFG described the company as having significant expertise in stadium construction and management. Teams prefer to have their own consultants because their needs often are different from those of the cities or states that are building the stadiums. IFG handles issues that range from advising teams on what materials to use to build the stadium to what scoreboard and other equipment to buy.
Mike Duckett is executive director of the Miller Park Stadium District, which built the Milwaukee Brewers' stadium in the late 1990s. Duckett said he was initially skeptical of IFG's role as the Brewers' team representative because he feared that the company would take a combative approach toward the city. But Duckett said he grew to appreciate IFG, which was able to persuade the Brewers to soften their stance during several disputes with state officials.
Mark Tuohey, chairman of the D.C. Sports and Entertainment Commission, says IFG is considered "very good in the planning process" for a stadium.
(Katherine Frey -- The Washington Post)
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"They did a good job explaining to the Brewers that something they were asking for was not reasonable or that they were asking for too much," Duckett said.
Duckett, however, said he objected to paying IFG's $2.2 million fee from the $394 million budget for the Milwaukee stadium, a budget that also paid $700,000 for a different consultant to represent the state.
The District has the same arrangement. The new stadium's budget calls for a $6.1 million payment to a project manager that would represent the city. Fenty and David A. Catania (I-At Large) said the city should not pay for the team's consultants, as well.
"It just runs contrary to basic common sense," Fenty said. "Why in the world would we pay for their consultants?"
Although IFG was formed in 1995, some of its members worked in the mid-1980s on the new baseball stadium for the White Sox. They also were involved in the building of Chicago's United Center, home of basketball's Chicago Bulls and hockey's Black Hawks. Jerry Reinsdorf is chairman of the White Sox and the Bulls.
In the past decade, IFG has worked at Miller Park in Milwaukee, Comerica Park in Detroit, Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati and Florida Marlins Baseball Stadium in Miami. The firm has worked on many non-baseball projects as well, including SBC Center in San Antonio, Pepsi Center in Denver and Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
Major League Baseball President Robert DuPuy said that Commissioner Bud Selig, whose family is selling the Brewers, knows IFG's reputation from its work on Miller Park.
"It was a natural fit" for IFG to work with the District, DuPuy said. "This is a good company. We consider them to be experts in the area of stadium and facility management."
