Hellas Sports Construction: Growing Turf with Sustainable Roots

In 2003, Reed J. Seaton and Bob Allison engineered a bold concept: create a seamless process of consultation, construction and ultimately the installation of technologically advanced synthetic turf and track systems. Their brainchild, Hellas Sports Construction, saw its first-year revenue of $6 million burgeon to nearly $90 million in 2010.

“My partner and I are notoriously intrepid, so we are consistently expanding operations and focusing on rapid but sustainable growth,” explains Seaton, Hellas’ president and CEO.

This take-charge approach resulted in a company that now fluidly controls all aspects of the process. The Hellas workforce has its own manufacturing plant for turf, track and tennis products, plus its own installation equipment and teams as well. Hellas also controls the manufacturing of carpet, polyurethane and carpet coating.

“So, when it comes time to build a $1.5 million football stadium and we’re contracted to create the floor, the only things we have to procure to get the job done are rock, asphalt, rebar and concrete,” says Seaton.

Only Playing at the Top of the Game

Hellas is concurrently servicing projects nationwide, with 350 on its payroll. Maintaining and reinforcing a workforce that can coordinate and deliver on even the most ambitious plan is a constant objective at Hellas. “It’s always about getting the best people to join our firm,” explains Seaton.

Hellas prides itself on its staff of knowledgeable and respectful people who have been in the business for decades. “We’ve orchestrated a group of incredibly talented individuals that work together to innovate, manufacture and install the highest quality products in the industry. Our team is what sets us apart,” Emphasizes Seaton.

Sports construction is a specialty, requiring a keen understanding of not only the durability of its product, but also its capabilities under the feet of today’s athletes. The company aims for nothing short of its motto: “We only play at the top of our game. Together, your business and our supporting expertise can build incredible things.”

No One but Hellas

“We tend to attract clients who have multi-faceted projects that require rapid, precise and simultaneous assembly,” asserts Seaton. The company’s best-known turf and construction masterpiece is the Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, where Hellas installed Matrix SoftTop Removable System with the first-ever three-field conversion turf system.

Although the company’s earthy formula for success may be tenacious, it also bares a softer surface. Hellas recently partnered with the Rivers of Hope Foundation to construct a new field For San Pasqual Academy, where many of its students have chosen to opt out of troubled lifestyles and start fresh. San Pasqual High School Freshman Academy provides a structured environment for students to assume the additional responsibilities and rigor necessary for academic success. “It was great to be a part of such a worthy cause. We really enjoy giving back,” says Seaton.

Hellas also recently completed a five-school combination project in Texas. “Hellas is tearing it up and it’s looking beautiful,” says Mark Ball, athletic director for Lubbock Independent School District. With an extraordinary total reconstruction of five synthetic turf fields and five running tracks in less than 60 days, Hellas left quite an impression. The project included the reconstruction of Lowery Field, Lubbock’s main game field, with Matrix 46 synthetic turf with an elastic layer underneath, along with a Sport Tracks 1000 running track. Coronado, Estacado, Lubbock and Monterey High Schools also received Matrix 46 synthetic turf, but opted for Sport Tracks 300 running tracks.

Hellas is now expanding its field of clientele, offering surfaces for commercial turf, highway medians and airfields in the USA.

The Future Looks Bright

Even with a reputation for a streamlined, comprehensive design and installation process and an in-house product line, Hellas has not been immune to the U.S. economy’s present state. Seaton recognizes that school funding has taken a hit, resulting in less money for new or renovated athletic facilities, but he sees only room for improvement at Hellas.

“We are getting ready to acquire an interest in a company in the Northeast, opening more offices and expanding our business development,” reveals Seaton. “We are a debt-adverse organization, operating with a simple, sound business practice: expand, make money and avoid debt.”

Seaton monitors productivity and offers each project a percentage of completion in order to stay ahead of the game. He jokes, “I get alerts sent to my phone every day.” The company checks in twice a month, both mid-month and at the closing of the month, just for good measure.

Seaton also remarks that customer satisfaction is a key factor in the company’s success, and that the company’s impressive rate of growth is the result of dedication, honesty, hard work and pride in its process and product. Hellas Sports Construction is celebrating almost a decade of stellar performance, proving it can take on any new project and deliver impeccable results.