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Houston, TX - In February of this year, COVERMASTER® was contacted by Alley Theatre in Houston, Texas - the oldest professional theater company in Texas and the third oldest resident theater in the United States. They needed two new sections of seat covers for their 774-seat Hubbard Theatre by early March for a premiere of “Cowboy Bob”, a new musical loosely based on the real-life story of Peggy Jo Tallas who disguised herself as bearded cowboy to rob Texas banks. Learn more at www.alleytheatre.org
Lakewood, OH - Beck Center for the Arts in Lakewood, Ohio is a not-for-profit, community arts and education hub for a variety of disciplines, including dance, music, theater, and visual arts. Having more than one type of activity in the same space posed an ongoing issue for their Harlequin dance floor. Specially designed to reduce the risk of injury and help dancers perform to the best of their abilities, the dance floor had to be regularly removed and re-installed to prevent damage from non-dance activities.
Ross Kurcab is a Certified Sports Field Manager (CSFM) and a professional sports field consultant with 30 years’ experience as a head turf manager in professional football. He graduated from Colorado State University’s Turfgrass Management program and now operates and owns Championship Sports Turf Systems.
Amsterdam, Netherlands - AFC Ajax NV Football Club, in the Eredivisie, (the highest tier of Dutch football) needed a new turf cover for their grass surface at their training facility.
San Antonio, TX - When a call from Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church in San Antonio, Texas came to COVERMASTER®, it was to order a Gymnasium Floor Cover. They had done their homework and noted that while the COVERMASTER® cost of materials for gym floor protection was less than other quotes, it was not the deciding factor.
Lexington, KY - Tates Creek High School is part of Fayette County Public Schools, in Lexington, Kentucky. It was first established in 1965 and then renovated in 1993, to accommodate a growing student base. Just last year, an entirely new school was completed and opened with much fanfare. By the end of the year, it was decided that a new baseball field cover was required for their infield.
Vancouver, British Columbia - COVERMASTER® has been providing world class sports field protection for the Vancouver Canadians baseball team for many, many years. As a minor league, High-A affiliate to MLB’s Toronto Blue Jays, the Canadians must maintain high standards in all aspects of their facility and development program. So when it was time to replace their baseball wall padding at Nat Bailey Stadium, COVERMASTER® got the call.
Bob Quigley is a recognized facility management professional, with over 40 years of progressive experience specifically in the management of multipurpose athletic facilities. This includes 18 years as General Manager of a very busy 125,000sq ft. facility with upwards of 1,000,000 entrances per year. Bob graduated from university with a Degree in Sport Science and Administration and is considered among his colleagues, a specialist in revenue generation and facility cost recovery. He has presented at numerous conferences, including the Athletic Business Conference and Tradeshow in Orlando and San Antonio, many regional conferences and even the Bingo World Conference and Tradeshow in Las Vegas. COVERMASTER® has asked Bob to provide our readers with some valuable tools and personal examples of unique situations relating to his management experience and consulting on multipurpose facilities.
Budapest, Hungary - In 2019, Hungary’s new national football stadium, Puskás Aréna, was completed in Budapest. With over 67 thousand seats, the stadium was the site of the 2022 UEFA Europa League Final. In addition to league and national football matches of the Hungarian Football Federation, Puskás Aréna is also a multi-purpose stadium that plays host to concerts and conferences.
Kansas City, MO - For over 20 years, COVERMASTER® has been providing the current NFL Super Bowl champions, the Kansas City Chiefs, with football field turf covers for both GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium and their practice fields. Located outside of Kansas City, Missouri, both their stadium and practice fields are part of the Truman Sports Complex, which also features Kauffman Stadium, aka “The K”, home of Major League Baseball's Kansas City Royals, another COVERMASTER® long-time customer.
DeLand, FL - Stetson University in DeLand, Florida was named after the inventor of the cowboy hat, John B. Stetson, who was a major benefactor of the institution. COVERMASTER® has been providing the university with sports surface protection for over 30 years. Back in 1990, the university ordered gym floor protection for their Edmonds Gymnasium, but that’s not the rest of the story.
Storm Lake, IA - Buena Vista University is a ranked a “Best Value School” among regional universities in the Midwest by U.S. News and World Report 2022. It’s located in Storm Lake City, in the northwestern part of Iowa, along the northern shore of the Storm Lake reservoir. BVU’s Athletics includes J. Leslie Rollins Stadium, a three thousand seat venue that’s utilized for football, soccer, and track/field.
Bill Squires served 12 years in the United States Navy. In 1987, he entered the sports facilities and event management business and has held top-level positions with Yankee Stadium, Giants Stadium, First Energy Stadium and ESPN Wide World of Sports. Bill has his own consulting business featuring clients such as the New York Football Giants. He is a member of the Sports League Sports Council which works with the Department of Homeland Security on security issues involving the safety and security of sports and entertainment venues. Bill is an adjunct professor at Columbia University and has been teaching the Sports Facility and Event Management course in the School of Professional Studies (graduate program) since 2007.
Salt Lake City, UT - Turf managers from across North America gathered in Salt Lake, Utah for the 2023 Sports Field Management Association’s Conference & Exhibition. Along with exhibitors like COVERMASTER®, there were also seminars on everything from effective turf protection and management to the latest in equipment and turf products.
Lawrence, KS - Situated in Chalk Rock Park, the Arrocha Softball 11 hundred seat stadium is home to the University of Kansas Jayhawks, an NCAA Division 1 softball team in the Big 12 Conference. While their outfield is artificial turf, their infield is a clay mixture – a groundkeeper’s nightmare when it rains!
Indianapolis, IN - The gymnasium of St. Therese of the Infant Jesus Christ Catholic Church in Indianapolis, Indiana was originally a church that was renovated into a gym back in 1964. They recently raised funds through various sources to install a new gym floor and with that, needed a gym floor protection system for non-athletic events.
Boston, MA - When Harvard University Athletics wanted to use the infield on their outdoor track facility for a new parking initiative, they came to COVERMASTER® for MASTERSHIELD TRAX™. This heavy-duty, temporary roadway system is designed to avoid tracks of any kind and protect outdoor athletic surfaces from pedestrian, vehicle, and even, heavy equipment damage. Harvard ordered 90 panels of MASTERSHIELD TRAX™ to install a temporary roadway for spectator vehicles accessing the parking area.
Ross Kurcab is a Certified Sports Field Manager (CSFM) and a professional sports field consultant with 30 years’ experience
Stanford, CA - Stanford University in California has been a long-time customer of COVERMASTER®, so when they wanted to get more out of their soccer pitch, they came to COVERMASTER® for a solution. Certainly, they could continue to play on the field in late fall and early winter, but the risk of turf damage was a major concern. With that in mind, they chose EVERGREEN® Original Turf Covers for proven turf protection.
Lakeland, FL - Back in 1996, Florida Southern College in Lakeland, Florida, purchased gym floor protection from COVERMASTER® that was 14-ounce vinyl and more importantly, red. One glance at the college’s logo and for that matter, their website, and you’ll see red.