Broadneck high school has received first-class service for its turf field.
By Michael Hainsey
Sunday, November 11, 2007 was not your average quiet day for Broadneck High School in Annapolis, Maryland. Individuals were caught on camera pouring gas on part of the school’s turf field and lighting it on fire. Unfortunately for the school and all the athletes involved, this could not have come at a worse time as the state field hockey championships were slated to begin the next day at 5 p.m. With the field in an unplayable condition due to the massive amount of damage done by the fire, the school’s athletic director believed that this would more or less make it impossible for the state championships to go on as planned at Broadneck. Luckily, FieldTurf was the company that Broadneck High School selected to renovate its field with state-of-the-art turf in 2006.
Regrettably, because the field had been severely damaged, the game on Monday, November 12, had to be cancelled as FieldTurf crews were working tirelessly all day Monday to get the field back to its original state. But the state’s best field hockey players only had to endure playing on a grass field for one night as the preferred FieldTurf surface was ready for Tuesday’s games — much to the delight of everyone participating in the highly anticipated tourney — and something thought to be highly unlikely due to the extent of the damage.
“We appreciate everything that FieldTurf has done for us since the beginning of our relationship,” said Broadneck High School Athletic Director Ken Kazmarek. “The FieldTurf Project Manager, Stu Brown, is greatly appreciated here at Broadneck because of his commitment and care towards our situation. I can say that without a doubt, if we had selected any other turf company to install our field, we would have never received this kind of first-class service we are receiving from FieldTurf. Often, the difference between great companies and mediocre ones is service, and FieldTurf has shown that they are a great company.”
In addition to having the ability to perform emergency repairs, FieldTurf Tarkett prides itself on servicing the customer throughout the entire process of selecting, installing, and owning a FieldTurf field.
Another example of the teamwork and motivation entrenched into FieldTurf’s network of trained professionals was on display at Episcopal High School in Virginia. On October 16 at 9:40 a.m., Jess Evans, the school’s Facilities Ground Superintendent, called FieldTurf to let it know about a small opening on the carpet fibers on Greenway field. Three hours after the initial call, the field area was repaired, and the field was completely inspected for other potential needed repairs.
“When we noticed the small opening on the carpet, we called our FieldTurf representative who happened to be out of town at that time,” Evans said. “He let us know that there was a crew nearby that would come and do the work for us. Within 15 minutes of that call, a member of that nearby crew was scheduled to make the repair on our field on the same day. In fact, they also inspected the field for other potential areas that might need repair.”
Episcopal High School’s entire athletic department was tickled pink with the service they received from FieldTurf. “We have had no problems whatsoever with FieldTurf from the time the field was completed,”
Kazmarek said. “Their availability towards us has been great and our contacts at FieldTurf have always taken the time to stay in touch with us.”
FieldTurf maintains the only fully functioning and self-sufficient team in the business. The head office houses more than 100 highly skilled professionals who design, engineer, manage, and service each project. The research and development team includes a staff of 10, and project managers work in integrated teams with engineers and technicians to design, engineer, and manage each job as an individual entity. FieldTurf experts carefully ensure that the product meets the design specifications from beginning to end, get it to where it is supposed to be on time and install it exactly as it should be. Nothing is left to third parties, and nothing is left to chance.
