New Chargers, Rams stadium helping create jobs in Inglewood

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- The opening of a new football stadium in Inglewood is still a couple years away. But the building project is bringing in lots of new jobs.

One Inglewood trucking company is thrilled to be expanding its business thanks to the multibillion-dollar construction project.

Melvin Whittington started out with one truck and himself as the only employee in his Hammer Down Transportation business. Now he's at five trucks and five employees - and continuing to add more.

"I'm doing something I didn't know I would ever do. I didn't think I would be a part of anything like this. It's just exciting to be a part of it," Whittington said.

The football stadium is scheduled to open in 2020 and was originally priced at $2.6 billion, but that number is now closer to $3 billion. On Tuesday, NFL owners raised the debt waiver for the project.

The project will also include an entertainment district, housing, and offices for the NFL Network. Officials have set a 30 percent goal of offering subcontracting opportunities for minority and disadvantaged businesses like Whittington's.

"We're thrilled by the stadium experience we know is coming there," NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said. "We think it's going to be the greatest stadium in the world and in the entertainment capital of the world, we think it's going to be a win there with our two franchises in Los Angeles."

"Local Businesses are becoming involved in the construction project through job fairs held in Inglewood. The next one is scheduled for April 26.