Community Benefits Program

As we wind down the final days of the 2024 Regular Season and look forward to what will hopefully be a long postseason run in October for the Guards, the Mortensen/Independence/AKA team is hard at work prepping for a busy offseason as we dive into Phase 2 of ballpark improvements at Progressive Field. The 2025 season starting on April 8 will bring another round of exciting fan-facing renovations as we look to preserve and improve the home of the Guards for many years to come, including:

• For more details, please visit our Progressive Field Reimagined microsite.

• Estimating: How to Manage Project Costs – September 2024

  • Estimating: How to Manage Project Costs

• MBE Symposium - November 19, 2024 -Save the Date!

  • Interactive discussions on challenges and opportunities in the minority business community

STRIVE FOR LONG-LASTING IMPACT

The Cleveland Guardians are dedicated to creating a long-lasting impact in our city and beyond. We are cognizant of the unique position that we hold in our community, and are dedicated to utilizing that position to drive broad economic impact. Building upon the City of Cleveland’s 2013 Community Benefits Agreement with local business, civic, labor and trade organizations, we have set project goals for contracting with diverse businesses, hiring local and minority workers, expanding training programs and studying best practices for improving diversity and inclusion in the construction industry. We know that in order to contribute to long-lasting impact, we must continue to uplift and partner with underserved communities to help everyone in our city thrive.

LIVE OUR MISSION AND PURPOSE

Our organizational Mission is to "Win the World Series while Creating a Compelling Fan Experience." While that Mission is central to all our projects, including the planned Ballpark Improvements, so too is our Purpose: to “Unite and Inspire the City with the Power of Team.” We believe that a Community Benefits Program (CBP) will enable us to achieve our Mission while staying true to our Purpose.

UNIFY COMMUNITY

In the course of the Ballpark Improvements at Progressive Field, we have a clear opportunity to further this commitment to our community through an inclusive and diverse supply chain and workforce that participates in modernizing our Ballpark for the next generation of Guardians fans. These projects are an opportunity for the Guardians to be a gateway to further uniting the City of Cleveland, Cuyahoga County and Northeast Ohio by helping small businesses -- specifically minority, female and veteran owned -- scale and build the foundations that will allow them to be ‘prime’ and ‘go to’ firms on future projects.

DEVELOP MULTIFACETED MODEL

Encouraging the hiring and training of tradespeople with both strong construction skills and diverse backgrounds empowers local contractors to operate differently and brings a more inclusive, multifaceted approach to our project needs. In parallel, these projects are ideal conduits for supporting existing apprenticeship and educational opportunities for young Clevelanders to learn and grow their architect, engineering, and construction-related skillsets ‘in the field.’ The Guardians, along with Project Management, Construction Management, Architecture, Design and Engineering firms will be intentional, prescriptive, and transparent about striving to meet and exceed all of the below-listed goals.

TRANSPARENCY

Through conversations with community leaders and industry experts, the Guardians and Project Management Advisor APB & Associates have aligned on a Community Benefits Program for our upcoming renovations, with a transparent communications plan (see below in Project Reporting Goal) to keep all stakeholders aware of progress.

Striving to meet and exceed the goals of this CBP is the Cleveland Guardians’ responsibility. Support from the community will play an important role in advancing our diversity and inclusion efforts. Therefore, a Community Review Group (CRG) will be established to ensure there is a regular forum for the Guardians’ Ballpark Improvements Project Team to receive feedback and transparently provide progress updates on all project objectives. The CRG will have a focus on racial, ethnic and gender diversity as it relates to contracting and workforce representation; inclusion and belonging; retention; and engagement on project related issues. The CRG concept is intended to build a coalition, share best practices around diversity and inclusion, and learn from peers and experts as the Guardians proceed with their Ballpark Improvements Project.