Convention-prep contract awarded

Pepsi Center's build-out job goes to Alvarado firm

By David Montero, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Alvarado started her company in Denver in 1977.

When Linda Alvarado first started as a general contractor in 1977, it was unusual for a woman to own and operate such a business.

But she had spent years preparing for it, toiling in areas such as landscaping while in college, learning about curbs, gutters and sidewalks, and working for a development company.

Her first big contract under her company's name, Alvarado Construction, was actually pretty small compared with jobs the Denver-based firm would eventually do.

"The first one I did was the little tiny things - the ones that are glass enclosures," she said. "They're all about about 12 feet by 8 feet, and we ended up doing 300 of those here and in California."

Now, a little more than 30 years later, her company will be responsible for the build-out of the Pepsi Center as the Democrats hold their nominating convention here in August.

Alvarado Construction is a privately held company and Alvarado does not discuss its size and won't confirm claims that it's the largest Hispanic-owned construction firm in America - though she allows that it is one of the biggest.

And the successful bid and contract with the Democratic National Convention Committee to do the work on the Pepsi Center is one of the more high-profile jobs the firm has done.

The contract, announced Tuesday afternoon by the DNCC, also emphasizes the desire that convention officials have to attract minority-owned businesses.

Leah Daughtry, CEO of the DNCC, said one of the draws to getting Alvarado Construction on board was the firm's "proven track record of handling large- scale construction projects with a commitment to diversity and inclusion."

Alvarado said, in fact, the company would be looking at "a broad scope" of bidders for work and hopes to include other minority-owned businesses as well as those owned by people with disabilities.

Planning will begin immediately, though Alvarado said actual work at the site won't begin until early July.

In the interim, the company will be hiring subcontractors to handle many of the jobs, including creating media workspace, podium construction, office construction, suite retrofitting, camera staging construction and seat removal.

On Alvarado's end, the company will provide the overall coordination, design, management supervision and scheduling of subcontractors to complete the project.

Alvarado has overseen a number of big jobs.

The company has done commercial and public projects in downtown Denver, including at Invesco Field at Mile High, the Colorado Convention Center, the Denver Aquarium and the 37-story Convention Center Hyatt Hotel.

Alvarado said the convention fits the company's profile of doing work in high-density areas.

Joining the work on the Pepsi Center preparation will be Turner Construction Co. and HOK Sport+Venue+Event.

Both firms have ties to the Rocky Mountain region, with Turner being involved with Dick's Sporting Goods Park, the Real Salt Lake Soccer Stadium and Infinity Park at the Village of Glendale.