Flintco, an Oklahoma-based contractor, and Mortenson, a contractor from Minneapolis, have teamed up to construct a new $1 billion arena for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Located on the site previously home to Prairie Surf Studios and the old convention center, the arena is slated to open by June 2028.

The project’s funding will come from a 72-month, one-cent sales tax, $70 million in MAPS 4 funding, and $50 million from the Oklahoma City Thunder ownership group. Demolition of the old convention center is set to begin this spring, with construction scheduled to start in February 2026.

The partnership brings together an Oklahoma contractor with a history of building significant landmarks like Oklahoma City's new convention center and Devon Tower, and a Minneapolis contractor experienced in creating some of the country’s newest NBA arenas. Mortenson is known for its work on the Fiserv Forum (home of the Milwaukee Bucks) and Chase Center (home of the Golden State Warriors).

Flintco, founded in 1908 and headquartered in Tulsa, previously constructed Paycom Center, the current arena for the Thunder. Dave Kollmann, president at Flintco, was part of the team that built Paycom Center, which came in at an unexpectedly low cost of $65 million due to a miscalculation in subcontractors’ bids, while other arenas were priced at over double that amount.

“It is a testimony to Oklahoma City and the reinvestment that’s going to come to downtown,” Kollmann said. “It is full circle from us being involved in the first arena 25 years ago and then being involved with this and keeping Oklahoma City big league.”

After a recommendation from a committee including two Thunder executives, two MAPS office employees, and the city engineer, the Oklahoma City Council unanimously voted on Tuesday to hire Flintco-Mortenson, selecting them over two other proposals from Austin Commercial and a joint venture between Turner Construction and Lingo Construction.

Reflecting on the process, Kollmann noted the contrast with the competitive bidding used in 1999 for the Paycom Center. "Back in 1999, at that time, the city went with the competitive bidding act where all the bidders take a set of documents and then have to turn in a bid at two o’clock,” Kollmann said. “And then they are read out loud and the low bidder gets the job.”

Changes in state laws since then have allowed cities to use construction managers, enabling contractors and architects to collaborate on design and cost estimates. "What that means is we are hired on a qualifications basis, not a price base,” Kollmann explained. “We’re going to do bids, but it will not be at the contractor level, it will be at the subcontractor level.”

Earlier in October, the Oklahoma City Council hired MANICA Architecture as the Design Architect and TVS as the Architect of Record for the new arena. Kirk Mammen, vice president at Flintco and project manager, shared that the public can expect to see conceptual designs this summer.

“That's a huge milestone to move forward, so we’re going to be looking at things that make sense and where to invest the dollars,” Mammen said. “We will then be going to our partners (Mortenson). They were selected for a specific reason. They have expertise in this area and they have finished two of the last three NBA facilities.”

Regarding seating, Mammen mentioned that while the new arena will likely have a similar seating count to Paycom Center’s 18,203, the new seats will be more comfortable, and the overall square footage will increase to at least 750,000 square feet, compared to Paycom Center’s 581,000 square feet.

The project could face some challenges due to the recent announcement of a tariff increase on Canadian steel and aluminum, which analysts warn will raise domestic construction costs. “It will have an impact and we are seeing it now with tariffs on other countries like China,” Mammen said. “It depends on where a trade partner sources their materials. They may look at materials locally that they hadn’t looked at in the past. But that takes time.”

However, Flintco’s experience with fluctuating material costs, such as those encountered during the construction of the new convention center amidst the pandemic, has prepared the team for such volatility.

As for the timeline, demolition of the old convention center is scheduled to begin this spring, with construction set to follow in February 2026. The arena is expected to be ready by the summer of 2028 in time for the 2028-29 NBA season. Mammen noted that Oklahoma City is more prepared for this major project than it was 25 years ago, both in terms of labor and infrastructure. The site’s peak employment is expected to exceed 1,000 workers.

Funding for the new arena will come from a 72-month, one-cent sales tax that starts once the MAPS 4 tax concludes. This will not result in an increase in the sales tax rate. In addition to the sales tax, $70 million in MAPS 4 funds and $50 million from the Oklahoma City Thunder ownership group will be used to finance the project.

Originally reported by Steve Lackmeyer in The Oklahoman.