Motor City Electric Co. (MCE) served as the electrical contractor of record for the construction of Detroit’s state-of-the-art Little Caesars Arena (LCA)—home to the NHL’s Detroit Red Wings, NBA’s Detroit Pistons, NCAA basketball, major concerts, and special events. The project originally began in a design-assist role but quickly expanded to full design-build responsibility, reflecting MCE’s engineering and construction expertise.
This newly constructed 800,000 square-foot arena features cutting-edge technology systems to support both sports and entertainment events. Motor City Electric Technologies (MCET), a subsidiary of MCE, was responsible for the installation of the voice/data, broadcast, intercom, LED televisions, and lower bowl audio systems. The team installed more than 2.5 million feet of Category 6A Ethernet cable, 500,000 feet of jacketed fiber optic cable—totaling 8.4 million feet (or 1,590 miles) by strand—and 2 million feet of broadcast audio/video cable. The project also included the installation of over 1,300 high-definition televisions and 900 wireless access points, ensuring unmatched connectivity and media capabilities throughout the arena.
Spanning 360 feet east to west and 460 feet north to south, LCA offers 755,000 square feet of usable space. MCE and its family of subsidiaries—including Motor City Electric Technologies, Motor City Electric Utilities, Huron Valley Electric, Rotor Electric of Michigan, and Williams Electrical and Telecommunications—completed more than 99% of the project’s total electrical and electronic scope, including over 1,000,000 electrical terminations.
Olympia Development of Michigan
2017
$160 Million
Key Installations:
Substations, distribution boards, and panelboards
LED sports and theatrical lighting systems
Miles of medium voltage, feeder, branch, network, and broadcast cable
HVAC and power monitoring control systems
Smoke control and air handler unit power/controls
State-of-the-art LED grid lighting systems
High-definition televisions and integrated broadcast systems
Engineering & Innovation:
Initially awarded as a $74 million design-assist contract, the project expanded into a $160 million full design-build endeavor. Over the final 15 months, MCE engineers completed the conduit design, layout, lighting control systems, sports lighting design, power system engineering (including ARC flash studies), and more to meet the dual-sport, multi-event demands of the arena.
MCE’s Utility division also constructed DTE Energy’s engineer-procure-construct (EPC) Temple Substation—supplying power not only to the arena but to the entire District Detroit. This 13.2kV to 120kV Type S substation includes three main power transformers, two power distribution centers (PDCs), four capacitor banks, nine reactors, five high-voltage breakers, and multiple switch systems.
Fabrication & Value-Added Services:
MCE’s in-house Fabrication Department (Fab Shop) designed and produced thousands of feet of conduit, brackets, and supports—including custom mounting brackets for Sky Tracker fixtures installed via helicopter drop. Additional services included temporary power, traffic signal relocation, streetlight adjustments, and electrical testing across all power and low-voltage systems, plus infrastructure for 20 surrounding surface parking lots.
Project Impact:
The $450 million initial budget expanded to nearly $1 billion, with 61% ($475 million) of work awarded to Detroit-based businesses. The project created 12,000 jobs, peaking at 1,200 daily on-site workers running two shifts, seven days a week in the final months.
Safety Commitment:
MCE and its subsidiaries completed over 1,000,000 man-hours with only a few minor lost-day cases—demonstrating an unwavering commitment to safety and quality.
Proven Stadium & Arena Expertise:
With the completion of Little Caesars Arena, Motor City Electric Co. has now contributed to the success of all four professional Detroit sports franchises—having also delivered major electrical work for Comerica Park (MLB Tigers) and Ford Field (NFL Lions). LCA stands as MCE’s largest sports facility—and the most significant project—in company history.
