Ward Bros. awarded contract for Exhibition Park expansion
Expansion will include Agri-food Hub, Trade Centre
Lethbridge & District Exhibition has awarded Ward Bros. Construction Ltd. of Lethbridge the $62million contract to manage construction of the new 268,000square-foot Agri-food Hub and Trade Centre.
Construction is slated to begin in the spring of 2021 and create more than 350 construction jobs over 22 months, the Exhibition said in a news release. Up to 50 new, fulltime permanent positions will be created to operate the facility when it opens in early 2023.
The new facility will double current hosting capacity and will be able to accommodate more and larger national and international events with up to 7,000 people. Once operational, the Agri-food Hub & Trade Centre is expected to contribute more than $90 million every year to the regional economy.
“Throughout the selection process, we were incredibly impressed with Ward Bros. Construction’s commitment to delivering more than a building, but also their dedication to delivering on a shared vision for what a facility like this will mean to this region,” said Mike Warkentin, Exhibition Chief Operating Officer. “Ward Bros. has shown exceptional community leadership throughout the region on all of its projects.”
Founded in 1976, Ward Bros. Construction Ltd. has grown to be one of the largest Construction Management and Design Build companies in southern Alberta, the release continued. It has been responsible for completing numerous marquee projects throughout the region, including West Lethbridge Centre, The Crossings Ice Complex (“ATB Centre Phase One”) and the Enmax Centre renovation. Ward Bros. Construction was named recipient of the 2020 Business Legacy Award by the Lethbridge Chamber of Commerce.
“We are honoured to have been selected by Lethbridge & District Exhibition as their construction partner on the new Agri-food Hub & Trade Centre. We look forward to working with the entire team to successfully deliver this transformational project for all of southern Alberta” said Colin Ward, Chief Operating Officer of Ward Bros., in the release.
The Exhibition Park Agri-food Hub and Trade Centre is funded by the Government of Alberta, through Alberta’s Recovery Plan, the City of Lethbridge, which will maintain ownership of the land and a 30-year loan secured against the future operations of the facility.