“Engineer, plan, execute” is the mantra that the joint venture of Pioneer Construction and Barton Malow have been living by as they construct the Acrisure Amphitheater in downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan. The complex project is one of a few going on in the area, expected to transform downtown. The team is on track to meet its tight deadline and bring the new facility to Grand Rapids.
The project owners (public-private partnership) invited four local contractors to submit proposals to become the construction manager on the project. Grand Rapids-based Pioneer Construction was one of the contractors that ownership reached out to. One of the stipulations was that the local company had to team with a national stadium builder.
“We don’t typically participate in joint venture projects,” said Scott Veine, Vice President of the PM division at Pioneer, who is serving as the Project Executive for the joint venture.
However, the fourth-generation family-owned Pioneer Construction, which has been providing construction services to west Michigan since 1933, felt compelled to go for this project.
“We felt it was important to propose on this project as it was transformational to our community and to our city,” Veine said.
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So, Pioneer began interviewing national contractors. Eventually, they found Barton Malow. Veine said the two companies have developed synergy and corporate philosophy alignment. The key reason for the partnership was that the companies also have commonalities:
- Both based in Michigan
- Family owned
- Existed for a long time
- Similar philosophy
- Emphasis on trades and craftsmanship
“We’re in synch and operate by the saying, ‘Leave your ego at the threshold,’” Veine said. “You can only tell who is with each company by the hard hats in the field.”
He envisions the two working together again in the future.
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The Acrisure Amphitheater will seat 12,000, with 7,000 fixed seats and 5,000 lawn seats.
The facility will also include food and beverage spaces, a performance platform, talent villa, and facilities for ticketing and refreshments. According to a press release from Pioneer Construction, the owners expect the amphitheater to host over 54 ticketed performances every season and anticipate that the venue will “serve as a hub for community celebrations and events, attracting more than 300,000 visitors annually.”
The venue, which sits on a 10.5-acre plot of land on the banks of the Grand River, is on the south end of the downtown area. The broader riverfront redevelopment spans 31 acres. Among the other projects taking place is the construction of a soccer stadium.
“The amphitheater is in the heart of the metro area, which makes it super unique and will provide a unique experience for the concertgoer,” Veine said.
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Construction on the project began in May 2024, and the amphitheater is hosting concerts in May 2026. The timeline has presented the team with challenges. The first year of preconstruction was focused primarily on preparing the site and planning.
“We had to figure out how we were going to staff the project, looking at/reviewing the components, and more,” Veine said.
Ultimately, management determined that they would need to extend the workday to meet the project’s due date.
Veine said it was essential to stay on top of procurement. The team had to procure huge transformers and gear setups, which they did before hiring an electrical contractor.
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“We couldn’t have done that if we were in the general contractor role,” Veine said. However, as the project manager, they were able to procure critical components earlier in the process.
Simultaneously, the team was preparing the site. Previously, the area had served as the city’s Department of Public Works (DPW) site. There were maintenance facilities that supported the DPW, streets, sanitation, and parks facilities. The team razed the buildings.
At one point, the site was an island. Around the turn of the century, the area was filled in. The team needed to use a couple of ground improvement techniques to ensure the ground would support the facility.
They used a controlled modulus column technique to increase the bearing capacity. They also used micropiles.
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The amphitheater includes a 60,000-square-foot canopy that will cover approximately 40 percent of the concertgoers.
The canopy includes 3.2 million pounds of steel and spans the length and width of a football field. It was a challenge to make the canopy constructable. As the team worked through the process, they determined that they needed a structural engineer for the falsework and temporary support.
The canopy has only three points of bearing, with the stage acting as the anchor. The two columns necessitated unique fabrication components. The 21,000-pound node or base of the columns was cast in Brazil and sent to the construction site.
Behind the stage is a 75-foot-tall cast-in-place stage wall. Granger, which is serving as the structural concrete contractor, constructed the wall. The wall is one of the keys to supporting the canopy.
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Building the 3-foot-thick wall involved a bundle of constructability issues, according to Jerrod Pung, Vice President of Construction Services for Granger.
“The forming system we used to accommodate the build is unique,” Pung said.
The team poured in three separate vertical lifts, as well as multiple horizontal lifts, using the EZ Gang Trailing Waler and BMK 240 Rollback forming system to complete the stage wall.
“The formwork had vertical structural members that hung below with set screws that you tighten/loosen to plumb the wall above,” Pung said. “We’d install scaffold that hangs from the wall formwork to secure our work platform.”
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Accessing the work was also challenging for Pung and his team.
“We had a scaffolding system up the wall, to get people and material to where it needed to go,” he said.
The guaranteed maximum price (GMP) for the project is just over $127.3 million. Delivery via GMP means the contract includes a maximum construction price.
The project has received funding from a variety of sources, including Acrisure, which is contributing $30 million. The state of Michigan also contributed $30 million via a grant. The Next Wave Capital Campaign is striving to raise $70 million in private funding.
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The project is on budget, which Veine attributes to multiple factors.
“We made sure to buy things before various uncertainties arose, including tariffs,” he said. “That required an understanding of the economy and being proactive. It also necessitated us pushing the architects and engineers to go think and design outside the box.”
Another key was the work done during preconstruction.
“We understood the potential pitfalls and developed contingencies and allowances to protect the GMP and the client’s budget,” Veine said.
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Finally, the collaboration between Pioneer and Barton Malow, as well as the subcontractors, has also enabled the team to keep the project on budget.
Veine, a longtime resident of Grand Rapids, believes the amphitheater will greatly enhance the city.
“It will have a great impact on the downtown district,” he said. “This is a transformational project for our city for this generation, and it is an honor to be a part of it.”
As the public awaits the completion of the Acrisure Amphitheater, May 2026 concerts have already been booked. A city noise ordinance means concerts will be over by 10:30. When crowds disperse, concertgoers will have the opportunity to go to restaurants, bars, and hotels in the downtown area.
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“The Acrisure Amphitheater will enhance the entertainment district, help the businesses in the area, and be phenomenal for our city,” Veine said.
- Construction Manager: Pioneer Construction, Grand Rapids, Michigan; Barton Malow, Southfield, Michigan
- Engineer: Progressive Companies, Grand Rapids
- Other Contractors: Granger Construction, Lansing, Michigan; Steel Supply and Engineering, Grand Rapids; Connan Excavating, Zeeland, Michigan; Builders Iron, Sparta, Michigan; Brigade Fire Protection, Belmont, Michigan; Architectural Glass and Metals, Indianapolis, Indiana; Crown Corr, Gary, Indiana; Nicholson Construction, Canonsburg, Pennsylvania; Pioneer Erectors, Grand Rapids; Circuit Electric, Grand Rapids; Riteway Mechanical, Grand Rapids
