The owners of the Sporting Kansas City professional soccer team want to locate their new interactive software venture in the historic Hanna Rubber Co. building in the Crossroads Arts District of downtown Kansas City.

The fledgling technology company, called Sporting Innovations, has been formed to market and continue developing software that allows fans to use smartphones to get more from their stadium experience. It also has applications in other cultural and entertainment venues.

Robb Heineman, chief executive of Sporting Club, the parent company to all the Sporting ventures, said the software developed to enhance the patron experience at new Livestrong Sporting Park in western Wyandotte County had caught the interest of other sports franchises.

“Since Livestrong has opened and our capacity to develop technology has improved, we’ve been approached by different teams for future software development,” Heineman said Tuesday.

If all goes according to plan, the future home of Sporting Innovations would be the Hanna Rubber building, a fixture at 1511 Baltimore St. since 1925. The $16 million project depends on obtaining property tax abatements and historic tax credits to assist the project.

Heineman said up to 100 employees could be at the six-story building, with 20 to 30 from Sporting Innovations, the remainder from other ventures established by Sporting Club. If further growth occurs, a three-story office building could be built just west of the old structure.

“The Crossroads is a great location to attract and retain associates for that type of company,” he said.

Sporting KC has aggressively used interactive technology to boost the fan experience at Livestrong.

For example, some stadium seats have QR codes on their backs that link users to the team’s website. Fans can click on the icon using their smartphones, get information and earn affinity points. Eventually they may be able to order food from their seats.

Sporting Club said the new software venture was being positioned to use technologies that included the planned Google Fiber network, Sprint’s mobile platform, Cisco StadiumVision and a stadium Wi-Fi system developed by Cisco.

“We’ve seen firsthand that technology can greatly enhance the fan experience for sports and entertainment,” Heineman said in a statement announcing the launch of Sporting Innovations.

The proposed development is the first project to be announced since the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts opened nearby. The arts center at 16th and Central streets is one block from Hanna Rubber, and Heineman said it influenced their decision.

Sporting KC already is familiar with the Crossroads area. The soccer club has its administrative offices at 210 W. 19th Terrace, but those employees are to relocate to Livestrong Sporting Park by next year.

The Hanna Rubber proposal received an initial hearing Tuesday by the Planned Industrial Expansion Authority, a development agency with the ability to authorize property tax abatements for up to 25 years.

The project also is seeking state and federal historic tax credits to assist with the redevelopment cost.

Complicating that request will be Sporting Club’s desire to cut windows into the mostly blank north wall of the Hanna Rubber building which at one time abutted another building.

Generally, people receiving historic tax credits must restore the exterior of the building to its original appearance. There have been exemptions for special cases.

“We’re hopeful the historical board would work with us to open the north side,” Heineman said. “There are beautiful views of downtown, and there also are great views from the building of the performing arts center.”

Development of a potential three-story office addition to the west depends on the market.

“If downtown continues to develop, that corner of Truman and Main would be great,” Heineman said. “We could move some operations or find other tenants.”

The Sporting Innovations development plan would require the demolition of the old building at 1520 Main St. where Lane Blueprint is now located. Simmons told the PIEA board the building was too structurally weakened to be renovated.

In the meantime, Hanna Rubber, which has been at 1511 Baltimore since 1992, is searching for a new location in the Crossroads area. Connie Wodlinger, the chairwoman of the firm, confirmed there was a sale pending for the Hanna property.

Although most of the building is used for storage and manufacturing, the first floor has a retail outlet.

“We have very heavy counter sales,” Wodlinger said. “We want to continue to serve our customers, and we’ve identified some good potential locations.”

Source:http://www.kansascity.com/2011/09/27/3170299/plan-to-renovate-historic-hanna.html