By Blake Morgan – Project Manager | Des Moines

Commonwealth Electric Company of the Midwest’s team in Des Moines, IA, has been working on an exterior lighting upgrade project at the Wells Fargo Arena in downtown Des Moines.

The Wells Fargo Arena opened in 2005 and hosts hundreds of concerts, sports games, and other special events each year. With its original fixtures still shining, this project was envisioned to be a facelift to the existing arena.

The exterior light upgrade project consists of demolishing the original flood lights shining on the “bowl” of the roof and installing a brand-new Digital Multiplex (DMX) lighting system on the arena’s roof. The DMX lighting system consists of over 550 new light fixtures, including floodlights and linear fixtures. The floodlights are designed to add light underneath the “bowl” of the roof, while the linear fixtures are designed to accent the building.

DMX lighting systems consist of data and power being combined into one, allowing the owner to control each fixture. This system is also programmed to have “scenes” integrated into the controls, providing premade light sequencing at the touch of a button.

The success of this project is thanks to a great collaboration with Oak View Group (Wells Fargo Arena) and Shive-Hattery Engineering. The Commonwealth team consisted of General Foreman Andy Stoll and Project Manager Blake Morgan. We are proud of the example the crew has set with their high standards and hard work. This truly shows their dedication to being “Committed to Excellence.”

Commonwealth’s Des Moines team was excited to work with our customer Oak View Group (Wells Fargo Arena) on this project and looks forward to many more successful projects in the future.