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Since opening its doors 20 years ago, EnergySolutions Arena has gained a reputation of being one of the best arenas in the NBA. In fact, the arena was named the most intimidating for visiting teams in a recent Sports Illustrated players’ survey — a statistic that is borne out by the fact that the Utah Jazz has an extraordinary at-home winning record.
This isn't the only thing that makes EnergySolutions Arena stand out, however. According to Dan Knight, director of facility services for Larry H. Miller Sports and Entertainment, the 20,000-seat arena is known as being the cleanest in the NBA.
“We want the fans to come here and have fun,” said Knight. “Our goal is to create a comfortable place for them to do that.”
It takes a lot of facility maintenance work to keep a world-class sports and events center like EnergySolutions Arena in top condition. In describing the post-game cleanup process, Knight said what really makes a difference in the arena’s level of cleanliness compared to other facilities is the crew’s focus on little things.
It takes 75 people approximately 300 man-hours after a game to clean up the arena in time for the 7 a.m. shift to go through its regular cleaning routine. It’s through this near round-the-clock effort of cleaning before, during and after events that keeps EnergySolutions Arena so orderly.
“The process is pretty focused,” said Knight. “The post-game crew, for instance, divides up into six teams that concentrate on different parts of the arena. It’s not haphazard at all.”
We take pride in our status as the ‘cleanest in the NBA' — it's something we hear from players, beat journalists and fans alike.
–Dan Knight
Working in teams, the first step in the post-event crew’s cleaning method is to locate and remove any trash or other debris in all areas of the arena, from the concourse area to the VIP suites. After this, the different teams sweep, mop and spot-clean seats, glass, counters and tables as needed. By working this method efficiently, the crew is usually finished by 1 or 1:30 a.m.
In an illustration of this divide-and-conquer tactic, three people can clean one restroom in about 15 minutes. This kind of speed is especially important during a game or other event when the facilities are utilized quite heavily.
“We take pride in our status as the ‘cleanest in the NBA’ — it’s something we hear from players, beat journalists and fans alike,” said Knight. “We want fans to know that they can come here and not have to worry about anything; that we’ll take care of it so they can have a good time.”
Holly Cordner is a writer and a KSL.com contributor.
