The Big Event

His Brief and His Portfolio

“My faith has always been the biggest part of my life and my business,” Ridgeway says, and to ask a blessing for the business has nothing to do with financial gain. “It means that we have to be obedient to Him, that we’re responsible to do the best job that we can, to be honest, and to work hard.”

The results are memorable. If you haven’t taken part in a Ridgeway event, chances are you’ve seen one on television.

When affordable housing advocates wanted to publicize to their issue, Ridgeway designed a life-size, 28-foot-by-28-foot Monopoly board that fair goers could play at the 2001 and 2002 Minnesota State Fair.

When Coca-Cola wanted to stand out 15 years ago as a sponsor of the NCAA basketball tournament held in the Twin Cities, Ridgeway designed Coca-Cola Hoop City, a 34,000-square-foot tent fully carpeted in red, where 64,000 people played games and competed for prizes.

And when the Minnesota Orchestra wanted to commemorate its 100th anniversary in 2002, Ridgeway recruited 4,000 volunteers, roped off a portion of 11th Street in downtown Minneapolis, and laid them out in the form of a gigantic musical note. Photos taken from a helicopter overhead made national news.

For Governor Jesse Ventura, with just four days’ notice, Ridgeway pulled off a memorial event at the state capitol following the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Minnesota Remembers was attended by 40,000 people.

Ever since he oversaw the transportation and security needs of the Super Bowl at the Metrodome in 1992, Ridgeway’s company has developed a national reputation for managing events with complex logistical components. The National Football League has retained his services for each of the past 16 Super Bowls, and the past eight Pro Bowls as well.

For the Super Bowls, Ridgeway has recruited and managed a team of 70 professionals who coordinate an intricate system of buses, limousines, taxis, and private cars that circulate among hotels and other venues all through Super Bowl week. Ridgeway’s group coordinates traffic plans with local law enforcement officials and oversees the logistics of parking and transportation for the NFL Experience, a football “theme park” that travels to each event.

“He is a great communicator. He brings in a diverse group of professionals and experts to make the Super Bowl roll,” says Frank Supovitz, senior vice president at the National Football League. “Paul is very service oriented.”