FIRST CLASS PROJECTS IN THE 2nd CITY

Iowa Rotocast Plastics has built and installed food service carts at Chicago’s iconic baseball venues.

Chicago, dubbed the "Windy City", is the third largest city in the United States with a population of nearly three million people.

A hub for pro sports, Chicago has been named the Best Sports City by Sporting News three times and has made TSE’s International Ranking of Sport Cities every year since 2012.

With a total of six stadiums and arenas hosting eight Major League and four NCAA teams, the city hosts two Major League Baseball stadiums, Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs and Guaranteed Rate Field (formerly Comiskey Park), home of the Chicago White Sox, presenting opportunity to suppliers such as Iowa Rotocast Plastics (IRP) who designs and fabricates carts and kiosks for professional and collegiate sports venues.

Incorporated in 1986, IRP, a family owned business, is an established manufacturer and supplier of merchandising equipment for the food and beverage industry.

IRP caters to beverage brands and foodservice and hospitality groups, as well as working directly with stadiums and arenas to support major project builds and renovations as well as fulfilling year-over-year needs.

Wrigley Field Restoration

The long-awaited restoration and expansion of Wrigley Field, now known as the 1060 Project, was completed in the spring of 2019.

This multi-year upgrade was designed to ensure the viability of the ballpark for future generations of Cubs fans, while preserving the beauty, charm, and historic features fans have come to know and love.

The 1060 Project, which started at the conclusion of the 2014 baseball season, improved player facilities as well as updating features to optimize the fan experience.

This included structural upgrades for outfield signage including two video boards, new premier clubs, open concourses, expanded concession and dining options and better restroom facilities.

All improvements made will appeal to fans, reduce lines and overall ensure fans can enjoy more baseball from their seats.

IRP partnered with the Cubs and ICON Venue Group to design and fabricate several draft, cocktail, and grill carts for the newly renovated upper concourse.

Construction on the project was still in progress as carts and kiosks were being fabricated and ultimately craned and installed in the stadium. This resulted in a highly fluid collaboration between the IRP team and project contractors. Details like ensuring the outlets were positioned correctly and the correct power/wattage was aligned with the concourse and carts were adjusted mid-production to align with the evolution of the construction.

Installation of the carts on a project this size also posed some barriers to navigate successfully.

The Fabrication Plant Manager from IRP recognized the challenges presented by working on the project while construction was still underway, but also understood that this would pose an even greater trial for installation.

Scouting for the project installation took place the week prior to delivery, where installation points were clearly labeled and marked off with cones. For this specific project, all carts and kiosks had to be craned into the upper concourse.

As carts were packaged for shipping and loaded onto trucks, the trucks were stacked for how to most effectively unload at the job site.

This process of surveying the installation course prior to scheduled delivery, as well as applying best practices in packaging and shipping, streamlined the progression of installation, which resulted in efficiencies that ultimately saved two days of contracted crane time translating to significant cost-savings for the client.

From Idea to Installation

At IRP, the entire process is kept in house and under one roof, from idea to installation. This means dedicated marketing, research and development, engineering and project management teams within IRP partner directly with stadiums, project managers, architects, concessionaires, design firms and all key teams that are involved on these major developments, helping to ensure the best end results of major projects such as the Wrigley upper concourse carts.

Lifestyle experience for fans is important both inside and outside of a stadium. From the time you arrive onsite at Wrigley Field, the connection of fans to the event experience is critical to overall fan engagement.

IRP had the opportunity to team up with InnerWorkings to develop a custom Jim Beam kiosk for outside of Wrigley Field. Headquartered in Chicago, InnerWorkings is a global marketing execution firm serving Fortune 500 brands across a wide range of industries.

Another close collaboration with the InnerWorkings team, they provided three concepts to communicate their vision for the end product.

The IRP team of engineers were able to render concepts that would structurally support their creative vision. Multiple changes and revisions were discussed and implemented prior to production.

The project presented unique challenges around lighting and electrical requirements as well as size. Powder coating a unit this size with unique angles and elevation in the design was difficult. The Jim Beam kiosk measured 19.5’ wide and over 12’ high.

With Chicago experiencing harsh climate conditions during winter months, the IRP team constructed the unit so that it can be assembled and disassembled every year at the beginning or end of each baseball season; extending the life of the unit.

Travelling to the Bridgeport community of Chicago on the city’s south side leads IRP to their next project at Guaranteed Rate Field. A highly custom build to pay homage to the city’s nostalgic CTA ‘L’ train system, the project required intricate detail in the design to very closely mimic a train car. Built close to

scale, this custom draft kiosk featured a brushed stainless exterior and working lights.

Whether you’re constructing a new stadium or renovating a historic ballpark, it is a substantial financial investment involving multiple project stakeholders including architectural firms, contractors, governing bodies and facility operators.

Partnering with the right supplier who integrates their process with the reality of these projects, and all moving pieces, is critical. IRP does just that while keeping a keen eye on design integrity when there are unique, architectural elements in the theme of a venue; or known, historic landmarks that plays into the design of carts and kiosks.

A novelty cart can captivate the customer, increase engagement, grow vendor sales, and enhance the fan experience, which ultimately keeps them coming back for future events.