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Baseball is Back with Help from GBAC® STAR Facility Accreditation

MLB stadiums commit to the gold standard of facility preparedness

NORTHBROOK, Ill.—March 25, 2021— With the MLB regular season returning on April 1, many fans may be wondering what a day at the ballpark will be like this season. The Global Biorisk Advisory Council™ (GBAC), a Division of ISSA, today announced that Ballpark of the Palm Beaches in West Palm Beach, Fla., home to the Houston Astros and Washington Nationals during spring training; American Family Field in Milwaukee, home to the Milwaukee Brewers; Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, home to the Cincinnati Reds; and T-Mobile Park in Seattle, home of the Seattle Mariners have achieved GBAC STAR™ Facility Accreditation.

“GBAC is proud to be working closely with many MLB stadiums so their teams know how to prepare, respond, and recover from infectious disease risks,” said GBAC Executive Director Patricia Olinger. “Spectators, players, and employees can rest assured that accredited facilities prioritize cleanliness at every opportunity to enable safer sports.”

The three MLB stadiums join Oracle Park in San Francisco, home of the San Francisco Giants, in completing the performance-based program, with four other stadiums currently in the process of accreditation. Accredited facilities follow GBAC STAR’s strict 20-step program, which includes the proper cleaning protocols, disinfection techniques, and best practices to combat biohazards and infectious diseases, such as the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes COVID-19.

Target Center in Minneapolis and Phoenix Suns Arena in Phoenix, both with seating capacity for nearly 20,000 attendees, also join the list of newly accredited stadiums and arenas. Additionally, GBAC STAR welcomes another airport to its growing list, Portland International Airport, among other facilities this week.

The latest accredited facilities include:

Airports

  • Portland International Airport in Portland, Ore.

Commercial Offices

  • Buz Expressions in Janesville, Wisc.
  • Colliers International Columbia in Bogota, Columbia

Convention Centers

  • Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford, Conn.
  • Grapevine Convention & Visitors Bureau in Grapevine, Texas
  • Infinite Energy Convention Center in Duluth, Ga.
  • Spokane Convention Center in Spokane, Wash.
  • Utah Valley Convention Center in Provo, Utah

Hotels

  • Baltimore Marriott Inner Harbor at Camden Yards in Baltimore
  • Crowne Plaza Baltimore in Baltimore
  • Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa in Lantana, Fla.
  • Four Seasons Hotel Baltimore in Baltimore
  • Grand Forest Metsovo in Metsovo, Greece
  • Hotel Eclat Beijing in Beijing
  • Hyatt Centric Mountain View in Mountain View, Calif.
  • Hyatt House across from Universal Orlando Resort in Orlando, Fla.
  • Hyatt Place Bakersfield in Bakersfield, Calif.
  • Hyatt Place Chicago/Hoffman Estates in Hoffman Estates, Ill.
  • Hyatt Place Chicago/Lombard/Oak Brook in Lombard, Ill.
  • Hyatt Place Ft Lauderdale Airport-South & Cruise Port in Dania Beach, Fla.
  • Hyatt Place Garden City in Garden City, N.Y.
  • Hyatt Place Grapevine in Grapevine, Texas
  • Hyatt Place National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Md.
  • Hyatt Place Owings Mills in Owings Mills, Md.
  • Hyatt Place Pensacola Airport in Pensacola, Fla.
  • Hyatt Place Pittsburgh North Shore in Pittsburgh
  • Hyatt Regency Ludhiana in Ludhiana, India
  • Katikies Chromata in Santorini, Greece
  • Kimpton Hotel Monaco Salt Lake City in Salt Lake City, Utah
  • Laguna Cliffs Marriott Resort in Dana Point, Calif.
  • Lotte Hotel Moscow in Moscow
  • Mezzatorre Hotel & Thermal Spa/Pellicano Hotels in Naples, Italy
  • Opal Grand Oceanfront Resort & Spa in Boynton Beach, Fla.
  • Radisson Baltimore in Baltimore
  • The Statler Dallas in Dallas
  • The Terrace Club at Busena in Okinawa, Japan
  • The West Hollywood Edition in West Hollywood, Calif.
  • Thorngrove Manor Hotel in Stirling, South Australia
  • Tru by Hilton-Baltimore in Baltimore
  • Vista Palazzo Lago Di Como in Como CO, Italy

K-12 School

  • The Earth School in Kigali, Rwanda

Performing Arts Center

  • Joan W. and Irving B. Harris Theater for Music and Dance in Chicago

Retail Facility

  • Roosevelt Shops Collection in Chicago

Stadiums and Arenas

  • American Family Field/Milwaukee Brewers Baseball Club in Milwaukee, home to the MLB’s Milwaukee Brewers
  • Ballpark of the Palm Beaches in West Palm Beach, Fla., home to the MLB’s Houston Astros and Washington Nationals during spring training
  • ExtraMile Arena at Boise State University in Boise, Idaho
  • Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, home to the MLB’s Cincinnati Reds
  • Infinite Energy Center Arena in Duluth, Ga.
  • Palmer Event Center in Austin, Texas
  • Phoenix Suns Arena in Phoenix
  • Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium in Jupiter, Fla., home of four minor league baseball teams
  • Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena in Spokane, Wash.
  • T-Mobile Park in Seattle, home to the MLB’s Seattle Mariners
  • Target Center in Minneapolis

“GBAC STAR accredited facilities have the proper procedures, training, chemistry, equipment, tools, personal protective equipment, and infection control in place,” said ISSA Executive Director John Barrett. “Organizations around the world, including many professional sports venues, have found value in the program and are making facilities safer for everyone who walks through their doors.”
Learn more and apply for GBAC STAR Facility Accreditation at gbac.org/star.

Find accredited facilities and those pursuing accreditation via the GBAC STAR Facility Directory at gbac.org/directory.

About GBAC, a Division of ISSA

Composed 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 and service accreditation programs, training and certification of individuals and consulting for building owners and facility managers. For more information, visit www.gbac.org.

About ISSA

With more than 10,500 members—including distributors, manufacturers, manufacturer representatives, wholesalers, building service contractors, in-house service providers, residential cleaners and associated service members—ISSA is the world’s leading trade association for the cleaning industry. The association is committed to changing the way the world views cleaning by providing its members with the business tools they need to promote cleaning as an investment in human health, the environment and an improved bottom line. Headquartered in Rosemont, Ill., USA, the association has regional offices in Mainz, Germany; Whitby, Canada; Parramatta, Australia; Seoul, South Korea; and Shanghai, China. For more information about ISSA, visit www.issa.com or call 800-225-4772 (North America) or 847-982-0800.

 

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For more information, contact ISSA Director of Communications Jill Nuppenau at [email protected]; phone, 847-982-0800 Ext. 1367.