.svg)
Transcript
What does it look like when you help an MLB team improve cleaning operations while pioneering sustainability initiatives? Since 2024, ABM has supported the Arizona Diamondbacks in doing just that.
As the team's event-based cleaning partner across 200+ annual events, ABM has helped implement water conservation programs that saved nearly 200,000 gallons in one month, reusable and recyclable cup initiatives that diverted 42,000+ single-use cups from landfills, and smart restroom technology that reduced paper waste to 8%. To get an inside look at how these programs work, we sat down with members of ABM’s team who are leading the effort: Chris Braden, Account Manager, Edwin Guevara, Night Supervisor, and Brian Grant, National Director of Sports & Entertainment.
Q: The reusable and recyclable cup program is a major initiative. How has it evolved?
Guevara: We started in 2024 in the All-You-Can-Eat Suite. Since then, we’ve expanded it to the Cantina Suite. The Diamondbacks’ goal is to use reusable cups throughout the whole suite level. During and after the events, our team members ensure that no reuseable cups are placed in the correct bins so they can be washed and now thrown away.
On the concourses, we’ve changed from portable bar keg taps to grab-and-go style service using aluminum cups. We're going to see a lot more aluminum on the bowl on both main and upper levels. Because of that, we recommended using a dedicated recycle pick in the seating bowl and back-of-house sorting. This diversion strategy can help the team secure rebates for returns on recyclables.
Q: How are we tracking the initiative?
Guevara: The team is using software that allows them to pull all the numbers related to sustainability, from diverting plastics and recyclables to water conservation.
Q: Let’s talk about the smart restroom technology program. How does that work?
Braden: We partnered with the team to invest in a COLO system in 2025. It’s a smart restroom technology that tracks paper usage. The cleaning team gets an alert every time something's running low, so it helps with paper supply waste.
Guevara: The new system is coreless, so there’s no cardboard core and each roll is used until the paper is completely out. We're not throwing old or small amounts of toilet paper away into the trash. We can also pull reports, and our wastage was 8% when the system was initially activated. Normally when sites go online, it's usually anywhere between 15 to 20%.
Q: How are we helping the team with water conservation?
Guevara: We implemented a water conservation program in 2025. We have a heat map of where people are expected to be in the building, and we can take a video of the bowl to see where people are actually sitting during the third inning. We provide that data to the post-event team so they can focus pressure washing on the areas of the bowl used the most. Then we spot clean the rest.
It allows us to save water without affecting the fan experience. The first month we saved 198,000 gallons of water, which was about $2,500 cost savings.
Q: What makes these programs stand out?
Grant: What we’re doing is fairly next level for Major League Baseball. Most teams aren’t into water initiatives yet, but since Arizona is in a desert, water is important for the team.
Q: Can you talk about how the basic cleaning program helped make these initiatives possible?
Braden: We couldn’t put these initiatives in place without establishing a strong operational foundation first. We needed the cleaning program to be really strong so that we could pick up these programs and run with them. ABM took the reins of oversight for cleaning so the Diamondbacks could focus on their strategic objectives.
Q: Staffing is often a major challenge for these venues. How has ABM addressed that?
Guevara: We maintain a staff of about 30-40 people during the season and bring on and additional 100-120 for each event. We’ve never had a staffing issue here.
Braden: We have two other venue clients that we can share staff with in Phoenix. Plus, we have our labor provider partners who are familiar with the work we do at all three venues and know how to help us scale.
As this partnership continues to grow beyond event-based services, it’s clear that operational excellence creates capacity for innovation. The Diamondbacks now have both the reliable service execution and the environmental leadership they need, proving that an experienced, dedicated partner can help you achieve measurable results in both performance and sustainability.
Learn more about how ABM improved cleaning operations and drove sustainability for the Diamondbacks by reading the full case study here: Turning the Arizona Diamondbacks into Sustainability Leaders
Talk to an ABM expert about achieving your operational goals for your venue.
