Von Braun Center

Written by Candice Fawcett
Photos by Steve Babin
Rendering by Matheny Goldmon Architects + Interiors

Anyone who has lived in or even visited Huntsville is probably familiar with the Von Braun Center. As the premier civic and cultural performance center in this and surrounding areas, the VBC has made an impact on hundreds of thousands of individuals from across the globe.

Mission, Purpose & Principles

The mission statement: The Von Braun Center is a multi-purpose facility with the primary objective of facilitating and promoting events and activities in addition to generating economic benefit and improving the quality of life for the Huntsville community and surrounding areas.

The Von Braun Center is an organization dedicated to providing the highest quality of service to every patron who enters the facility. The VBC’s business is service and their goal is to provide a friendly, clean and safe environment for patrons in order to maximize the enjoyment of every event they attend. Executive Director and CEO Steve Maples leads the organization by the philosophy “give every guest more than they are expecting.” Marketing and Public Relations Manager Brooke Izzo stated, “As our motto we use one of Wernher von Braun’s famous quotes: ‘I have learned to use the word impossible with the greatest caution.’”

Background & History

In the early 1960’s, members of the community felt that Huntsville could improve upon the arts facilities available at the time. Martha Rambo, affiliated with the Symphony, Elvira Glover of the Art League, Martha Hamm with Community Chorus, Dexter Nilsson of Little Theatre and others began to voice the need for housing and performance space for the arts in Huntsville. Contact was made with the Hanes family of Winston-Salem where a successful Arts Council had been created. As a result, the Huntsville Arts Council was born. The collective desire for a cultural center building gathered momentum. In 1965, the Public Building Authority contracted with Booz-Allen-Hamilton to make plans for the construction of a civic arts center. The original concept was for a theatre, exhibition space and an art museum. Three prominent recommendations of this project were that a civic advisory board be established; the site should be downtown and; most importantly, that a large arena-style auditorium would be essential for the long-term success of the facility. And successful it was!

The doors to the Von Braun Center opened on March 14, 1975 for the Beaux Arts Ball sponsored by the Arts Council. As the building neared completion, famous Huntsville artist Ed Monroe donated a portrait of Wernher Von Braun to the center. Dr. and Mrs. Von Braun were visibly moved at his stunning work. To this day, the portrait still hangs in the Mark C. Smith Concert Hall.

The Von Braun Center is a multi-purpose facility which includes Propst Arena, Mark C. Smith Concert, The Playhouse and over 170,000 flexible meeting spaces all under one roof. The center offers full in-house services such as catering, concession, audio, visual and exhibitor services. The VBC promotes three community events throughout the year: The Von Brewski Beer Festival, Heads-n-Tails Crawfish Boil and the Family Fun Festival & Expo.

Left to right: Mike Vojticek, Johnny Hunkapiller, Ron Grimes,
Shawn McCown, Byron Clanton, Marie Arighi, Steve Maples, Bruce Mitchell

Upcoming 2018 Expansion and Season

Izzo emphasized that the ultimate goal of the upcoming expansion project is to better serve their guests. Highlights of the project include: The addition of a new ballroom/multi-purpose space that will include an outdoor terrace; renovation of the existing North Hall; the addition of 14,000 square feet of meeting space; a new lobby; a new concourse that will seamlessly connect to the existing South Hall concourse and the Embassy Suites hotel; extension of the existing concourse leading from the Concert Hall and Arena to the newly constructed facilities; the addition of a new full-service kitchen; the extension of a South Hall garage under the newly constructed facilities; and the addition of a 1,200-guest-accommodating music hall and food/beverage venue.

The upcoming 2018 season is packed with stellar performances, events and acts that will not disappoint; Huntsville Havoc Hockey, numerous Broadway Theatre League performances (including The Sound of Music, The Book of Mormon,) comedian Jim Gaffigan, Wynonna & The Big Noise, and Celtic Woman, just to name a few!

Company Credentials & Involvement

The Von Braun Center believes in supporting the community by involvement with local organizations. Maples grew up attending the Boys & Girls Club, and continues to serve as-needed in many capacities. He was the recipient of the Leaders & Legends Award and currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Huntsville Sports Commission and on the Lodging Recruitment Committee. The Von Braun Center is a major supporter of the hospitality industry with memberships in local and national organizations.

Longevity in Leadership

The VBC’s senior management team is made up of eight individuals with more than 200 years combined service. In May of 2017, the VBC celebrated 40 Years of Steve Maples. Maples is the first full-time employee to reach 40 years at the facility. He started as a part-time worker at the age of 18 and was working full time for the Von Braun Center in the Engineering Department within 2 years. Over the last 40 years Maples has seen the facility go through many changes while serving as Engineering Manager, Operations Director, Associate Director and now Executive Director and CEO. He attributes VBC’s success to a team effort. Izzo stated, “We are honored to work with and for someone like Steve Maples.”

Impacting the Community & Environment

The VBC generated an estimated $72 million in economic impact in fiscal year 2015-2016. Over 775,000 people attended a variety of events held at the center throughout the year. This reflects an 8.6% increase over the previous fiscal year. Large conventions increase spending which overflows into all sectors of the local economy, bringing new tax dollars and supporting many jobs throughout the community.

In October of 2008, the Von Braun Center kicked off its Recycling and Conservation Initiative Program and it has been going strong ever since. The Von Braun Center diverted 162.12 tons of trash from the local landfill by transporting their trash to the Waste-to-Energy facility via their waste provider, Republic Services.

Taking energy savings seriously, the Von Braun Center commits to achieve at least a 20% reduction in energy consumption within the next 10 years. “The Von Braun Center is serious about tackling wasted energy,” said Johnny Hunkapiller, Certified Energy Manager and the Von Braun Center’s Director of Projects. Hunkapillar continued, “The Von Braun Center campus is poised to grow significantly in the next few years and we want to make sure our energy expenses stay as low as possible.”

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November December 2017Scott McLain