HPM to Oversee Program Management for Bank Independent Stadium at University of North Alabama

Dec. 15, 2023

Michelle R. Eubanks , UNA, at meubanks@una.edu, 256.765.4392

FLORENCE, Ala.  (December 15, 2023) – Birmingham-based program management firm HPM has been selected to serve as the program manager for University of North Alabama new Bank Independent Stadium. The firm will also provide owner’s representation and preconstruction services for the state-of-the-art, multipurpose facility on UNA’s campus in Florence. Davis Architects has been selected as the architect of record. The project is in the design phase with targeted completion during the 2026-27 academic year.

The multipurpose stadium will be thoughtfully designed for year-round utilization by UNA and the wider Shoals community. The venue will re-develop the campus space that currently houses the UNA turf field, Mike D. Lane Field and a grass practice field, incorporating UNA’s football, baseball and soccer teams into the re-imagined design. In addition to athletic practices and sporting events, Bank Independent Stadium will also enrich the community with concerts and live performances as well as other academic and community events. The new facility will serve as the new home for the North Alabama Lions football team. For over 70 years, the Lions played football at Braly Municipal Stadium, which is an off-campus facility owned by Florence City Schools.  

“The forthcoming Bank Independent Stadium is an exciting addition to our extensive portfolio of sports and recreation projects across the country, and we have seen immense demand for these types of facilities in Alabama as our state’s population continues to grow,” said HPM Vice President of Program Development Ben Henson. “We’re looking forward to working alongside The University of North Alabama to deliver this highly anticipated multipurpose facility, which will serve as a transformative community venue and a catalyst for Florence’s burgeoning growth story.” 

HPM will work closely with UNA to provide specialized services throughout the entirety of the project. Starting with preconstruction, HPM will oversee budgeting, scheduling, design management, risk assessment and contract negotiation. The program management firm, which has worked on over two million square feet of athletic facility projects, will use its more than 25 years of experience and industry connections in the Southeast to understand the university’s needs effectively and to serve as the official owner’s representative until the project’s completion. After the conclusion of the design phase, which is expected to conclude in 2024, a detailed plan for the stadium with more information about the scope, features and cost will be formulated.

“We are excited about this next step in the process of seeing the Bank Independent Stadium come to like at the University of North Alabama,” said Evan Thornton, UNA CFO and Vice President for Business and Financial Affairs. “HPM and Davis Architects will be tremendous assets to us as we embark on this historic project.” 

For more information on Bank Independent Stadium, click here. 

With a presence throughout the U.S. and a total management portfolio value of more than $1 billion annually, HPM has established itself as one of the industry’s leading program managers and owner’s representative companies. The firm’s other notable projects at higher education institutions include Bryant Denny Stadium, Sewell Thomas Stadium, Rhoades Softball Stadium, Hank Crisp Indoor Practice Facility, Coleman Coliseum and Mal M. Moore Athletic Facility at The University of Alabama; Daniel Meyer Coliseum and Lupton Baseball Field at Texas Christian University; The University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Protective Life Stadium; and Texas Tech University’s Jones AT&T East Side Stadium. HPM also provided program management expertise for the construction of Regions Field and the renovation of Legacy Arena, both located in Birmingham, Alabama. 

About The University of North Alabama

The University of North Alabama is an accredited, comprehensive regional state university offering credential, certificate, baccalaureate, master’s, and doctoral programs in the colleges of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering; Business and Technology; Education and Human Sciences; and the Anderson College of Nursing and Health Professions. The first-choice University for more than 10,000 on-campus and online students, UNA is on a bucolic campus in Florence, Alabama, part of the historic and vibrant Shoals region. Lions Athletics, a renowned collegiate athletics program with seven (7) Division II National Championships, is now a proud member of the NCAA Division I’s ASUN Conference. The University of North Alabama is an equal opportunity institution and does not discriminate in the admission policy on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, disability, age, or national origin. For more: www.una.edu and www.una.edu/unaworks/