Building the Fan Experience at Great American Ball Park

On Opening Day, thousands of fans fill Great American Ball Park, carrying on one of Cincinnati’s most beloved traditions. Long before the first pitch, extensive planning, coordination, and construction work takes place behind the scenes to ensure the stadium is ready to welcome the city once again.

For more than a decade, HGC Construction has completed projects throughout Great American Ball Park that enhance both the fan experience and the operational spaces that keep the ballpark running at the highest level. Through a wide range of projects over the past 13 years, our work has helped shape how fans experience baseball at this Cincinnati stadium while preparing it for the future.

Great American Ball Park continues to evolve, and HGC’s work focuses on creating spaces that are more inclusive, more comfortable, and more memorable for everyone who walks through the gates. These projects highlight some of the ways HGC has helped enhance the fan experience throughout the ballpark.

TriHealth Family Pavilion

Designed with families in mind, the TriHealth Family Pavilion offers a welcoming space where fans of all ages can enjoy the game in a comfortable and engaging environment. The area features expansive views of the field alongside amenities tailored to younger guests and caregivers, including play areas, family seating, and quiet spaces.

Originally constructed by HGC, the pavilion reflects a broader commitment to making the ballpark accessible to all fans, including those who benefit from sensory-friendly environments and dedicated family resources. Spaces like this allow families to experience the excitement of game day without sacrificing comfort or flexibility.

Boone County Bourbon Press Club + Expansion

Building on the success of the Boone County Bourbon Press Club, this past offseason HGC expanded this premium hospitality space to include a new private 12-person suite designed to match the finishes and amenities of the existing club.

The original renovation created a high-end dining and social destination with an open-air environment overlooking the field. The expansion continues that vision, offering an even more exclusive experience while maintaining the craftsmanship, atmosphere, and attention to detail that define the Bourbon Club.

Backstop Enhancements Behind Home Plate

Few areas of the stadium are as visible as the backstop behind home plate. HGC previously completed a major rework of this iconic location, removing massive LED screens and reconfiguring masonry to accommodate new displays and signage.

Current improvements continue that effort with updated stone and refined finishes that enhance both performance and appearance. Working in such a high-profile location requires careful coordination, precise construction, and sensitivity to the visual identity of the ballpark’s most recognizable viewpoint.

A Long-Term Partnership Built on Trust

Since 2013, HGC has served as the construction manager on numerous projects throughout Great American Ball Park. This long-standing partnership reflects a shared commitment to quality, reliability, and delivering improvements that enhance the experience for everyone who enters the stadium.

“Each year feels like getting the band back together,” said Project Manager Nick Harp. “Every offseason brings complex projects and an incredibly tight schedule, but the collaboration between the ownership team, design partners, and field teams is what makes these projects so rewarding.”

Working inside a Major League Baseball venue presents unique challenges, including compressed schedules, limited access, and coordinating around events and daily operations. Most offseason construction begins in December and must be completed before Opening Day, leaving little room for delays or mistakes.

“Every day counts,” Harp said. “You have to move fast from day one and stay ahead on procurement and coordination. There’s no room for mistakes on schedules this aggressive.”

The fast-paced environment also requires flexibility throughout construction as designs continue evolving in real time to meet deadlines and operational needs.

“Our team works closely with ownership and design partners throughout the process to maintain the design intent while also identifying solutions that help keep the schedule on track,” he said.

Ready for the Next Season

As another season begins, Great American Ball Park continues to evolve while honoring the traditions that define baseball in Cincinnati. From families attending their first game to lifelong fans returning season after season, the stadium remains a place where memories are made.

HGC is proud to play a role in shaping that experience and ensuring the ballpark remains a destination in Cincinnati for years to come.

BUILD YOUR CAREER HERE:

A CO-OP JOURNEY AT HGC CONSTRUCTION

At HGC Construction, our co-op program is more than a learning opportunity. It’s a pathway. For many team members, co-oping here becomes the foundation for a long-term career built on ownership, growth, and trust.

For Project Engineer Hank Wainscott, that experience began in January 2024 and continued through six consecutive semesters before transitioning to a full-time role in December 2025.

When Hank Wainscott met the HGC Construction team at the Northern Kentucky University Fall 2023 career fair, he didn’t know much about the company.

That initial connection led to six consecutive semesters working alongside HGC project teams and eventually a full-time offer as a Project Engineer.

During his co-op, Hank supported both the Estimating Department and active jobsites, including 7 W 7th Apartments in Downtown Cincinnati and Kings High School. Staying on long-term projects gave him the opportunity to see how work evolves from early planning through field execution. This is something many people don’t experience until much later in their careers.

The transition from co-op to full-time came with more responsibility.

“I gained more ownership over activities I was already helping with,” Hank explains. “I was able to take on more technical responsibilities.”

Being involved in site logistics and sequencing strengthened his understanding of how construction unfolds in real time. Instead of viewing drawings as static plans, he learned how they translate into coordinated field execution.

Another defining part of his co-op experience was balancing work and school. While working full-time on the 7 W 7th project, Hank attended classes in the evenings, often leaving the jobsite early to make it on time. The flexibility HGC provided allowed him to graduate a semester early while gaining nearly two years of hands-on experience.

One of Hank’s proudest moments came during punch walks at 7 W 7th. While preparing for punch walks, he identified an opportunity to get ahead of potential review items. He conducted a detailed pre-walk focused on a specific scope, documenting conditions in advance so the team could address them proactively. That early coordination allowed the team to stay organized, streamline final walkthroughs, and maintain alignment with owner expectations.

For Hank, experiences like that reinforced an important lesson: attention to detail and initiative can have a meaningful impact on a project.

Looking back, he encourages future co-ops to take full advantage of the opportunity.

“Take a deep dive into the drawings and details,” he says. “Understanding constructability and sequence will give you a better grasp of what’s actually happening on the project.”

Today, he manages submittals, RFIs, subcontractor coordination, and field documentation. Tasks that once supported the team now fall under his direct responsibility, requiring both technical understanding and consistent communication.

Much of his confidence, he says, came from working closely with subcontractors and learning how projects function day-to-day on the jobsite.

What began as a single co-op offer turned into six semesters of growth, field experience, and increasing responsibility. Hank continues building on that foundation as a full-time Project Engineer, contributing to complex projects and developing the skills that will shape his long-term career.

HGC Construction is a trusted construction partner with a century-old legacy. We specialize in construction management, design build, specialty trades, historic preservation, new construction, and restorations. We build at all levels of complexity across diverse market segments. Our capabilities are defined not only by what we do, but by how we do it—through grit, integrity, and an unrelenting commitment to doing it right.