Merritt & Harris - Construction Consulting for Sports Venues

Merritt & Harris, Inc. is a construction consulting firm that represents the interests of the real estate lending and investment industry during new construction, renovations and workouts and provides condition assessments of existing properties. Merritt & Harris, Inc. also provides representation services to owners who are developing or renovating commercial real estate projects and, through its M&H Sports group, sports and recreational facilities.

Merritt & Harris, Inc. was founded in 1937 in New York City and has branch offices in Los Angeles, and South Florida. While the firm's assignments cover a wide variety of project types, it has a long established reputation for its exceptional performance on larger, more complex construction projects.

Merritt & Harris, Inc.'s staff consists of senior level architects, engineers, cost estimators, and construction experts who have considerable hands-on experience in reviewing designs, monitoring construction, evaluating development teams and project budgets, and determining existing building deficiencies. The firm does not accept design assignments and has chosen to focus on its work as an independent third-party construction consultant. The firm limits its construction consulting to representing lending institutions, bondholders, government agencies, sports authorities, institutional purchasers (primarily pension funds and insurance companies), and sport team owners.

SPORTS VENUES CONSTRUCTION

Having served on over twenty major sports facilities, Merritt & Harris Inc.'s M&H Sports group has established itself as the preeminent firm performing arena and stadium construction consulting in the United States. M&H Sports' projects include:

• American Airlines Arena, Miami, Florida
• Fleet Center, Boston, Massachusetts
• HSBC Arena, Buffalo, New York
• The Ice Palace, Tampa, Florida
• FedEx Field, Landover, Maryland
• MCI Arena, Washington, DC
• M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland
• AT&T Ballpark, San Francisco, California
• Comerica Park, Detroit, Michigan
• Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan
• Oakland-Alameda County Arena, Oakland, California
• Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
• Gillette Field, Foxboro, Massachusetts
• Foxboro Stadium, Foxboro, Massachusetts (replaced by Gillette Field)
• Invesco Field at Mile High, Denver, Colorado
• Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• SBC Arena, San Antonio, Texas
• Citizens Bank Ballpark, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• California Speedway, Fontana, California
• College Football Hall of Fame, South Bend, Indiana
• Home Deport National Training Center, Carson, California
• New Busch Stadium, St. Louis, Missouri
• Arizona Cardinals Stadium, Glendale, Arizona
• Colorado Rapids Stadium, City of Commerce, Colorado

GOLF COURSE CONSTRUCTION

In addition to providing construction consulting for stadiums and arenas, Merritt & Harris, Inc. has represented the lenders on the construction of many golf courses in the US and the Caribbean, including El Conquistador, Greg Norman's River Course at the Westin Rio Mar, Palmas Del Mar Resort Course, Coco Beach Resort Courses (2), the Cayo Largo Tournament Course, and the Ponce Hilton Country Club, all in Puerto Rico. US golf course projects include Starr Pass Golf Club in Tucson, Arizona; Marriott's Orlando World Center Course, Florida; and the Plum Creek Country Club in Castle Rock, Colorado, among others.

UK AND EUROPEAN SERVICES

In 2001, M&H Sports-Europe was formed as an alliance between Merritt & Harris, Inc. and the 104-year-old London based building surveyors, Mellersh & Harding (the other M&H in M&H Sports-Europe). M&H Sports-Europe offers American-style consulting and reporting with a local presence and expertise in the UK and continental Europe. Mellersh & Harding is served as the construction consultant for the lender on the Leicester City Football Stadium in the UK. M&H Sports-Europe's 172 years of combined experience is hard to beat.