GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- Insurance broker Acrisure has pledged $30-million dollars for the naming rights to the outdoor amphitheater that is proposed to be built along the downtown riverfront in Grand Rapids.

That announcement was made at a news conference Friday morning in which architectural renderings were displayed. Plans have been moving along swiftly for the venue on Market Avenue between Fulton and Wealthy Streets. The $140M amphitheater would accommodate up to 12,000 spectators for concerts and another events.

Groundbreaking is planned for 2024. The Acrisure Amphitheater would anchor a large-scale riverfront development at the current site of the Grand Rapids Public Works Department.

More from the Grand Action news release:

Grand Rapids, Mich. – Grand Action 2.0 announced today that Acrisure has pledged a lead gift of $30 million for design and construction of the riverfront amphitheater planned for the 201 Market Ave. site in downtown Grand Rapids. With this gift, Acrisure secures naming rights for the 12,000-seat outdoor concert and event venue – the Acrisure Amphitheater – slated for completion in the spring of 2026.

At an event hosted this morning at the Grand Rapids Downtown Market, Grand Action 2.0 Co-chairs Dick DeVos, Tom Welch and Carol Van Andel, along with Grand Rapids Mayor Rosalynn Bliss, outlined the vision for the 31-acre riverfront revitalization project, provided an update on the amphitheater scope, timeline and funding, and lauded Acrisure Co-Founder, Chairman and CEO Greg Williams.

“Today, we celebrate one of West Michigan’s leading companies and its commitment to making a positive impact on the future of our city and our region. In addition, we acknowledge a visionary leader in Acrisure’s CEO, Greg Williams ,” Van Andel said. Addressing Williams directly, she continued, “Greg, the investments you’ve already made in the vibrancy of our downtown, in talent attraction and retention, in Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital and other charitable assets, and now in this vital project have earned you a place in Grand Rapids’ history.”

In 2021, Acrisure consolidated it’s West Michigan footprint and moved its headquarters to the Studio Park development in downtown Grand Rapids. The company now employs 1,100 people in West Michigan, the majority of whom work from its Studio Park office. Commensurate with the company’s decision to locate to downtown Grand Rapids, Acrisure also pledged $15 million to the Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital to create the Acrisure Center for Innovation in Children’s Health.

“We are thrilled to play a role in the development and growth of Grand Rapids,” Williams said. “The Acrisure Amphitheater is poised to be the next great cultural landmark of the city and region. It is a great honor to have our name associated with such a first-class venue in a growing and dynamic city . . . a place we call home. As stated before, our intent was to not just move into Grand Rapids, but to have real impact once here. This contribution, along with others we’ve made, helps fulfill that commitment.”

Acrisure’s $30 million investment, combined with other philanthropic commitments, puts the Next Wave campaign over the halfway mark toward its $70 million goal for private donations. With a total budget of $184 million, Grand Action 2.0 and its partners must also secure $114 million in public dollars to complete the project.

Executive architect, Progressive AE, will finalize schematic designs for the state-of-the art professional performing arts venue by the end of the month. Pioneer Construction, in a joint venture with Barton Malow, will lead construction management and is expected to break ground on the site in the spring of 2024. The Grand Rapids Kent County Convention/Arena Authority, which will own and operate the facility, hopes to welcome its first concert in May 2026 and expects to feature more than 54 ticketed performances, plus community celebrations and events, and attract 300,000 visitors each season.

The amphitheater is part of a planned 31-acre development – the largest active riverfront development in the nation – and will spur economic development, jobs and business opportunities, including new restaurants, bars and retail, plus up to 1,700 much needed housing units for people of all income levels in the heart of downtown Grand Rapids.

Link to Acrisure Amphitheater Renderings, Courtesy of Progressive AE

https://progressiveae.filetransfers.net/guestAccess/GR-Amphitheater-September-2023

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