Miami Lakes, FL (www.orangebowl.org) — Hard Rock Stadium, the home of the Capital One Orange Bowl, has committed to become the first public facility to receive GBAC STAR™ it was announced earlier this week by the Stadium and the Global Biorisk Advisory Council (GBAC) of the ISSA, the worldwide global cleaning association. This initiative will serve as the gold standard for facilities to implement cleaning, disinfection and infectious disease prevention work practices to control risks associated with infectious agents.
“Once again Hard Rock Stadium, the Miami Dolphins, Managing Partner & Chairman of the Board Stephen Ross, and Vice Chairman and CEO Tom Garfinkel are at the forefront of providing a world-class experience in every way for Capital One Orange Bowl patrons, teams and staff,” said Jeff E. Rubin, President and Chair of the Orange Bowl Committee. “In addition to the recently completed $755 million multi-year improvements and upgrades to the Stadium privately funded by Mr. Ross, this commitment will create the safest and healthiest environment possible.”
In order to earn GBAC STAR™ accreditation, Hard Rock Stadium will complete 20 program elements with specific performance and guidance criteria. The program will enable Hard Rock Stadium to:
- Establish and maintain a cleaning, disinfection, and infectious disease prevention program to control and/or minimize risk associated with infectious agents such as SARS-CoV-2 (responsible for COVID-19 disease) for employees, customers, the community, and the environment.
- Provide assurance and establish confidence that proper cleaning, disinfection, and infectious disease prevention work practices are in place and implemented.
- Establish a framework for communication and raising awareness of best practices as they relate to cleaning, disinfection, and infectious disease prevention.
“We didn’t want to create our own standard, we wanted to be accountable to the most credible third-party standard that exists,” said Garfinkel. “Working with GBAC ensures compliance with critical guidelines for the highest standard of cleanliness and it is our hope that other venues will follow suit as we navigate through these unprecedented times.”
“We commend Hard Rock Stadium and the Miami Dolphins organization for their leadership in pursuing GBAC STAR™ accreditation,” said GBAC Executive Director Patty Olinger. “Through the accreditation process, Hard Rock Stadium will illustrate that it has a comprehensive program in place to ensure a clean, safe and healthy environment for numerous constituents. We look forward to supporting the organization and many others as facilities open following the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The GBAC STAR™ accreditation is part of an ongoing commitment by Garfinkel to make Hard Rock Stadium the leader in sustainability efforts with a focus on health and safety. Recently, he led the charge to phase out 99.4% (2.8 million) of fan facing single-use plastics in the food and beverage operation at Hard Rock Stadium starting with Super Bowl LIV.
The 87th Capital One Orange Bowl is scheduled to be played on Jan. 2, 2021 at 8 p.m. at Hard Rock Stadium and will feature the ACC Champion, or next highest ranked team if the champion is in the College Football Playoff (CFP), against the highest ranked available non-champion from the Big Ten, SEC or Notre Dame.
This year, Hard Rock Stadium is also scheduled to be the host venue for the College Football Playoff National Championship game on Jan. 11, 2021. The Orange Bowl led a community-wide effort to bring the CFP National Championship to South Florida. The Orange Bowl has previously hosted 20 National Champions.
About the Orange BowlThe Orange Bowl is a 380-member, primarily-volunteer non-profit sports organization that promotes and serves the South Florida community. With its primary mission since being created in 1935 to bring tourism to South Florida through an annual football game and events, it has also maintained a legacy of charitable contributions and community outreach. Orange Bowl community outreach efforts are comprised of four pillars: youth sports, fundraising and community events, academic programs and scholarships, and legacy gifts. The Orange Bowl features a year-round schedule of events culminating with the Capital One Orange Bowl on Jan. 2, 2021. The Orange Bowl also led a community-wide effort to bring the 2021 College Football Playoff National Championship to South Florida. It will be played on Jan. 11, 2021. For more information on the 2020-2021 Orange Bowl events, including promotional and volunteer opportunities through the Ambassador Program presented by Panera Bread, log on to orangebowl.org or follow the @OrangeBowl on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.
About Hard Rock StadiumHard Rock Stadium is a global entertainment destination that recently completed a $755 million, multi-year renovation privately funded by Managing General Partner & Chairman of the Board Stephen Ross to transform the iconic venue into the best Miami has to offer in world-class fare, art, culture and an elevated guest experience. Home to the Miami Dolphins, University of Miami college football, the Capital One Orange Bowl, Jazz in the Gardens, Rolling Loud and the Miami Open presented by Itau, Hard Rock Stadium features world-class entertainment and demonstrates its versatility in hosting a variety of events. The stadium has hosted six Super Bowls (XXIII, XXIX, XXXIII, XLI, XLIV and LIV), the 2010 NFL Pro Bowl and four BCS National Championship Games (2001, 2005, 2009 and 2013). El Clasico Miami, the first meeting of soccer giants Real Madrid and Barcelona in North America, was hosted at the venue in 2017. Hard Rock Stadium regularly hosts the Brazil Men’s Soccer Team for a series of matches and venue has showcased Drone Racing League since the launce of the franchise. In 2021, the venue will host the College Football Playoff National Championship.
About GBACComposed of international leaders in the field of microbial-pathogenic threat analysis, mitigation, response and recovery, the Global Biorisk Advisory Council (GBAC), a division of ISSA, provides training, guidance accreditation, certification, crisis management assistance, and leadership to government, commercial and private entities looking to mitigate, quickly address and/or recover from biological threats and real-time crises. The organization’s services include biorisk management program assessment and training Forensic Restoration® response and remediation, the GBAC STAR™ facility accreditation program, training and certification of individuals and consulting for building owners and facility managers. For more information, visit www.gbac.org.
