Bucks: Fiserv Forum meets all hiring goals in final construction report

Construction is underway on June 6, 2017, on the downtown Milwaukee arena that would eventually take on the name Fiserv Forum. (AP Photo/Carrie Antlfinger, File)

Milwaukee Bucks officials say they have met each of their hiring goals in the construction of the Fiserv Forum, a parking structure and public plaza that make up the new home of the team.

In its final report, the team says it has met or exceeded each of its goals for hiring diverse construction firms and city residents for the trio of projects. Deer District LLC, the developer of the projects, was made subject to the goals by a development agreement with the city of Milwaukee.

Milwaukee’s Zoning, Neighborhoods and Development Committee will be briefed on the report during a meeting next week. The developer was required to hire certified Small Business Enterprise firms — construction companies owned by women, minorities and veterans — for 25% of the construction work on the arena, minority firms for 18% of the professional-service contracts and city residents for 40% of the job hours on the projects.

Work on the $524 million Fiserv Forum, which will be the main venue for the 2020 Democratic National Convention this summer, got underway in 2016 and wrapped up in July 2018. Mortenson Construction served as the general contractor.

Deer District says 36.8% of its spending — or $98.7 million — went to SBE firms for the construction of the Fiserv, the 5th Street Parking Structure and the nearby public plaza.

Of the $230 million spent in total on the Fiserv Forum, $85.9 million went to SBE firms. Both the parking structure and plaza projects also exceeded the city’s 25% hiring goal, bringing more than $12 million in work to minority-owned firms.

Meanwhile, Deer District says 42% of the 1.8 million job hours worked on the three projects went to city residents. The developer was obliged to meet a 40% goal.

The project developer also beat its hiring goal for professional services, securing 21.3% of its contracts from SBE-certified professional-services firms, which benefited from $26.4 million in spending.