Stellar Underway with $7.4M Renovation to Shades of Green Resort to Accommodate 2016 Invictus Games

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (April 20, 2016) — Stellar, a fully integrated firm focused on design, engineering, construction and mechanical services worldwide, is underway with renovations to the Shades of Green Resort on Walt Disney World Resort to accommodate lodging for the 2016 Invictus Games for wounded warriors. Work is expected to be completed the end of April. The resort will serve as the “athlete village” for the international event, held at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex May 8-12. 

The Shades of Green Resort is the only Armed Forces Recreation Center (AFRC) located in the continental U.S. The resort offers discounts and special offers for Military personnel and their families to enjoy the Disney parks.   

This year is the first time the Invictus Games will be in the U.S. In 2014, Prince Harry first launched the Invictus Games in London to give wounded veterans from around the globe a chance to participate in Olympic-style games. First lady Michelle Obama and second lady Jill Biden, Ph.D., will also come to Orlando for the Games as part of their Joining Forces initiative. 

“We’re honored to help Shades of Green upgrade its facilities to accommodate athletes for this international event here in Florida,” said Richard Lovelace, Senior Vice President, Stellar Commercial Group. “This project is about much more than modernizing tourist facilities; we’ve renovated a place for wounded heroes from around the world to stay, united by competition and sport.” 

Stellar’s team began construction in December, renovating four of the resort’s areas with minimal disruption to the resort and its visitors in order to complete construction this week. The four projects consisted of dining service areas and renovations to one of the hotel’s two wings. The hotel’s architecture will fit with Disney’s new Florida cracker style, inspired by Florida’s early pioneers. 

Construction began with renovations to the resort’s Evergreens Club, a 4,000-square-foot sports bar and arcade building. Stellar provided upgrades to the following areas: the kitchen support center, full-service bar system, indoor arcade and seating areas. The renovations included new stamped concrete flooring, electrical, plumbing and mechanical work, along with cracker-style interior finishes. 

Stellar also completed a major overhaul and renovation of Shades of Green’s Garden Gallery Restaurant: the resort’s 6,500-square-foot, centrally located dining amenity. The overhaul included new buffet counters, kitchen equipment and a pizza oven, a remodeled seating area, new flooring, ceilings and cracker-style architectural finishes. 

Stellar also completed a facelift of the resort’s Express Cafe with 40 feet of new counter space, a newly designed kitchen area with updated equipment and a new cold-storage unit. The Express Cafe allows Disney guests to get snacks and drinks on their way to the buses. 

In addition to the three guest dining facilities, Stellar renovated approximately 70 of 309 hotel bathrooms in The Palm wing, complete with new walk-in glass-door showers, vanity furniture pieces, countertops, pocket doors and flooring. The remaining 243 bathrooms will be renovated following the Invictus Games. 

“This was a large-scope, multifaceted project to complete in a tight timeframe, but one that our experts are equipped to handle efficiently,” said Joe Mark, Operations Manager, Commercial Military. “Getting the logistics right was crucial in allowing guests to be undisturbed during the construction and renovation phase, especially with families and children enjoying vacation. Stellar is committed to safety even with a tight deadline, which is why we avoided peak hours, set safeguard zones and hired subcontractors with experience at the Disney parks.” 

Funding for the design and construction of this facility is paid for with U.S. Army Non-appropriated Funds (NAF) provided by Soldiers, Military Families and authorized users of these Family & Morale Welfare Recreation (MWR) facilities. IMCOM's motto is "We Are the Army's Home." They provide installation services for the mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, sons and daughters who serve the Army and other branches of the U.S. military. They are dedicated to the support of a ready and resilient Army by providing Soldiers, Families and Civilians a quality of life commensurate with the quality of their service. Stellar has worked with MWR on more than 30 projects.

About Stellar

Stellar is a fully integrated design, engineering, construction and mechanical services firm that provides the industry’s most comprehensive range of self-performed services, including planning, design, preconstruction, construction, refrigeration, mechanical and utility, building envelope, and total operations and maintenance services. More than 600 Stellar employees worldwide create award-winning food processing plants, refrigerated warehouses, distribution centers, commercial buildings and military facilities. In addition to its Jacksonville, Florida, headquarters and its Western Region office in Modesto, California, Stellar operates nearly 25 support locations worldwide, including the Middle East and North Africa MENA region, China and Puerto Rico. The company also serves Central and South America, Europe and India. For more information, visit www.stellar.net. 

Department of Defense, U.S. Army or federal government endorsement of Stellar is not implied in publication of this article.

About the 2016 Invictus Games

Presented by Jaguar Land Rover, the Invictus Games are the only international adaptive sporting event for injured active duty and veteran service members. The Games use the power of sport to inspire recovery, support rehabilitation and generate a wider understanding and respect of all those who serve their country as well as their families and caregivers. More than 500 competitors from 15 nations will compete in archery, cycling, indoor rowing, powerlifting, sitting volleyball, swimming, track and field, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair rugby and wheelchair tennis. Fans can sign up for ticket information by visiting http://invictusgames2016.org/tickets/ and filling out a brief form.