b'MinnesotaNorth Dakota Project UpdatesLEE AND PENNY ANDERSON ARENA - UNIVERSITY OF ST. THOMAS - PROJECT BIGFOOT (META)ROSEMOUNT, MN ST. PAUL, MN By Craig EdstromBusiness AgentBy Travis StrozykBusiness Agent Project Bigfoot, also known as META in Rosemount, is a data center campus covering 715,000 square feet and situated on 280 acres of land Ryan Companies has recently turned over the Lee and Penny Anderson Arena to the University of St. Thomas. This 200,000-plus square footpurchased from the University of Minnesota. Construction began in 2024, with an anticipated handover to META in early 2026. Mortenson multi-use arena will host the Tommies mens and womens hockey and basketball teams. One of the first features you will notice when youserves as the general contractor for the project, which has seen contributions from dozens of signatory subcontractors. To date, they have visit the arena is the use of Kasota limestone, which continues the architectural tradition of the University. Gresser Companies spent monthslogged 3.1 million man-hours of work. At peak times, there have been 1,100 construction workers on site daily, and the total projected cost of diligently mounting 48,500 square feet of this limestone.the project is $800 million. On August 25, 2025, General President Brent Booker took the time to speak with our Local 563 union members and tour the META facility.As you enter the arena, youll find that the 5,000-seat arena offers excellent sightlines, ensuring that there isnt a bad seat in the house. Behind the scenes, the arena includes top-of-the-line locker rooms and multiple practice facilities. Completing this project on schedule was no easy feat, as it involved overcoming many obstacles along the way. Our members, along with Ryan Companies and our union subcontractors, can be proud of this achievement.A list of some of the union contractors who contributed to the construction of the arena includes: Ryan CompaniesCarl Bolander & SonsCustom DrywallGresser CompaniesKeller FencePeterson CompaniesWells ConcreteNorth Country Concrete46 local 563 laborers union /563 news /2025-2026 newsletterlocal 563 laborers union /563 news /2025-2026 newsletter 47'