PMFORUM Breaking News

Reported by A. Matt Piazza in north Texas, USA

The construction of the new Dallas Cowboys Stadium will be the topic of a presentation at the PMI Dallas Chapter’s first dinner meeting of the new year on January 10, 2008. The meeting will be held at the Crowne Plaza North Dallas hotel in Addison, Texas. Now that the Dallas Cowboys hold the NFC East Division Championship in the National Football League in the USA, and the best regular season win-loss record in franchise history, the talk around north Texas is about the Cowboys and their new billion $ stadium.

The presentation will be made by Mark Penny, Project Executive for Manhattan Construction Company, the lead contractor on the Dallas Cowboys' new stadium in Arlington, Texas. Mr. Penny will discuss the construction of the Dallas Cowboys' Arlington stadium, give the background of Manhattan Construction Company, and address the top ten risks faced by the project management team on the Dallas Cowboys new stadium.

Born in London, England, Mark grew up in Houston, Texas. After receiving his degree from the University of Texas at Austin in 1993, Mark went to work in the commercial construction industry moving from location to location (including internationally) as the work required. Mark worked on a variety of projects including toll roads, prisons, community colleges, major golf resorts, telecommunications facilities, and most recently the FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tennessee.

Originally estimated to cost $650 million, the stadium's current construction cost is in excess of $1 billion, which will make it one of the most expensive sports venues ever built. A nearly 300-foot (90 m)-tall arch will span the length of the stadium dome, anchored to the ground at each end. The stadium also will have a retractable roof as previously announced, and doors will allow each end zone to be opened.

The general business community is invited to attend the dinner meeting from 6:30-8:30 pm to learn more about the stadium project, the PMI Dallas Chapter, and the project management profession. Prices begin at $20 for Chapter members who pay in advance through $35 for non-members who pay at the door. Full information, including menu, pricing, and directions, are available at www.pmidallas.org.

The PMI Dallas Chapter is a volunteer-based professional association dedicated to supporting the growth and development of project management practitioners, as well as building awareness of the project management discipline and its critical role in business and organization success. With more than 240,000 members in over 160 countries, the Project Management Institute (PMI®) is the leading membership association for the project management profession. To find out more about the PMI Dallas Chapter, visit www.pmidallas.org.

A. Matt Piazza International Correspondent USA based in Texas A Matt Piazza, PMP, is an international correspondent for PMForum based in the Dallas Ft. Worth metropolitan area of north Texas, USA. He is also principal consultant for Delta Solutions, a project management consultancy specializing in project management office (PMO) and enterprise project management (EPM) services. Matt has over 20 years experience in professional project management. He has a B.S. in Industrial Distribution from Texas A&M University and an MBA from Southern Methodist University in the USA. He has been employed in various PM leadership and support positions by ADP, EDS, Rapp Collins, Raytheon, TI and several other major US technology firms. He is a former president of the PMI Dallas Chapter and the DFW chapter of the Microsoft Project Association. He has a PMP® certification from PMI®, and is a Microsoft Project Enterprise Black Belt expert and instructor. More information about Matt Piazza can be found at http://www.pmforum.org/pm%20forum%20team/index.htm#Piazza Matt can be contacted at piazzam@deltasol.net.