Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse Becomes First Sports Facility in Ohio to Achieve Global Biorisk Advisory Council® (GBAC) STAR™ Facility Accreditation

Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, home to the NBA Cleveland Cavaliers and AHL Cleveland Monsters, has achieved Global Biorisk Advisory Council (GBAC) STAR™ accreditation, making it the first sports facility in Ohio to reach the gold standard for prepared facilities. Under the guidance of GBAC, a Division of ISSA, the worldwide cleaning industry association, Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse has implemented the most stringent protocols for cleaning, disinfection and infectious disease prevention in its facility.

As the cleaning industry’s only outbreak prevention, response and recovery accreditation, GBAC STAR™ helps organizations establish protocols and procedures, offers expert-led training and assesses a facility’s readiness for biorisk situations. The program verifies Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse’s best practices to prepare for, respond to and recover from outbreaks and pandemics.

To achieve GBAC STAR™ accreditation, Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse was required to demonstrate compliance with the program’s 20 core elements, which range from standard operating procedures and risk assessment strategies to personal protective equipment and emergency preparedness and response measures. Learn more about GBAC STAR accreditation at www.gbac.org.

“The health and well-being of our team members, guests and community has always been our number one priority and now more than ever we are continuously working to not only meet, but exceed safety expectations for our venue.” said Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse Executive Vice President of Venue Operations Antony Bonavita. “As we look to the future, we are excited to welcome guests back to Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, especially knowing that the health and safety protocols and procedures we have in place are being held to the highest standard, as validated by the GBAC STAR Facility Accreditation.”

Since March, Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse has continued to work closely with leading medical experts and local, state and national agencies and authorities  to monitor the latest developments on COVID-19. In relation to this on-going focus, the venue has implemented appropriate new operational health protocols, processes and safety guidelines to help provide the safest environment and experience possible for staff and event attendees and participants.

Additionally, Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse’s air systems are equipped with three technologies shown to be effective in killing or capturing viruses, pathogens and particulates: UV germicidal irradiation (UVGI), highly efficient filtration and bipolar ionization. The bipolar ionization system imparts a static charge to viruses, pathogens and particulates to attack them and reduce their ability to travel through the air.

“GBAC STAR accreditation empowers facility owners and managers to assure workers, customers and key stakeholders that they have proven systems in place to maintain clean and healthy environments,” said GBAC Executive Director Patricia Olinger. “By taking this important step to pursue GBAC STAR, Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse has received third-party validation that it follows strict protocols for biorisk situations, thereby demonstrating its preparedness and commitment to operating safely.”   

About Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse:

The newly transformed Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse is Northeast Ohio’s premier sports and entertainment facility and major attraction for top tier concert tours and family shows, as well as home to the Cleveland Cavaliers, Cleveland Monsters and the annual MAC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournament. Each year, Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse hosts more than 200 diverse ticketed events and 1,400 private events that draw over 2 million patrons to downtown Cleveland. Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse is established as a successful host site for high profile events of international and national scope, including the 2016 Republican National Convention, the 2007, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018 NBA Finals and the upcoming 2022 NBA All-Star Game and 2024 NCAA Division 1 Women’s Basketball Final Four. In Pollstar Magazine’s 2019 Mid-Year Report of Top 200 Arena Venues Worldwide for Entertainment Ticket Sales, Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse ranked No. 11 in the United States and No. 27 worldwide in ticket sales for top touring attractions. Visit RocketMortgageFieldHouse.com.

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 accreditation program, 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 9,300 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 Northbrook, 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.