R.A.D. Sports: Leading Experience in Turf

Rob and Derek Delmonico, owners of R.A.D. Sports (R.A.D.) have spent their entire lives within the construction industry. “Our father and uncles completed a number of parks and recreation projects for the city of Boston, and through our experience working with them we sort of evolved on our own,” says Rob. “Our first project as R.A.D. was the construction of four ball fields for the City of Boston, and it was really successful.” The brothers officially founded R.A.D. in 1994 and the company has grown steadily since.

R.A.D. is a full-service athletic and recreation facility contractor. “We build natural and synthetic turf athletic facilities,” explains Rob. “We work with various types of surfacing products. We also install tracks, tennis courts, bleachers, athletic and site lighting and more.” The company builds a wide variety of athletic surfaces, including football fields, baseball fields and running tracks. R.A.D. operates all over the Northeast out of a single location in Rockland, Mass. “We’ve built athletic and recreation facilities from Maine to Virginia,” elaborates Rob.

Every project is built to best serve the end users: athletes. R.A.D. works closely with clients to determine the best athletic surfaces to suit the needs of organizations, schools and private sports clubs based on the client’s budget and intended users. R.A.D. maintains the latest technology in turf, track and equipment to provide safe, durable and attractive sport surfaces that meet the strictest NCAA and professional requirements.

Specialty Services

R.A.D. works closely with designers and clients from start to finish. The team reviews all plans before bid submission. The company’s workforce, which numbers up to 80, performs demolition and site preparation in-house. “We do all of our own earthwork and utilities,” says Rob. “We build facilities from the ground up and get the entire site ready for the specialty athletic surface installers that we work with.” R.A.D. always acts as the general contractor. Some synthetic surfaces are installed through specialty subcontractors, but their work is held to the same exacting standards as R.A.D.’s own work. “We work with the same subs on essentially every project,” explains Rob. “We know each other, we know each other’s work, and there’s no learning curve.” For instance, one of the company’s longtime partners for track and tennis court construction and maintenance is Cape and Island Tennis & Track, a contractor based in Pocasset, Mass., on Cape Cod.

With the help of these project partners, R.A.D. has established a reputation for quality construction and efficient scheduling. “Our attention to detail is what really separates us,” says Rob. “We don’t have to advertise, because our reputation gets us work.” Many of R.A.D.’s customers are on a repeat basis or are the result of word-of-mouth recommendation. The team has been recognized several times by the American Sports Builders Association (ASBA), of which it is a longtime member, and by the City of Boston for complex projects that exceeded client expectations and industry standards.

Happy Home Turf

The company has established a broad portfolio of projects all over New England, the Mid-Atlantic states and beyond. “The artificial turf at Gillette Stadium was a big deal for us,” says Rob. “Typically it takes 10 to 12 weeks to turn natural turf into a synthetic surface. We did it in seven days.” The NFL stadium, located in Foxborough, Mass., was a high-priority job with such a narrow time frame that R.A.D. shut down work on all other projects to crank it out during a bye week in the middle of the season.

R.A.D. completed several projects at the MIT campus in 2011. The company prepped and installed soccer and field hockey fields, as well as synthetic turf for the football stadium. R.A.D. has constructed 16 fields for Massachusetts Youth Soccer over the span of a few years. Other projects include several sports fields for colleges, high schools, recreational facilities and military bases, such as Brown University, Boston College and the Pomfret School.

The brothers have safely navigated the recession and remain on track for sustainable growth, but Rob says there have been some challenges. “Eighty percent of our work is private,” he explains. “So when the economy hits a bump, it affects the capabilities and willingness of our clients to spend money.”

The year 2012 looks promising for R.A.D. “It’ll be our best year yet,” says Rob. The company’s footprint is expanding and the team is picking up more opportunities to the south. “We’re looking to expand in the Virginia and D.C. area,” explains Rob. “In Virginia we’re building a new track and synthetic turf field at Bishop O’Connell High School in Arlington.” Other ongoing projects include fields and tracks all over the region. R.A.D. is constructing five fields at Ethel Walker School in Connecticut, a few surfaces at Mount Ida College in Massachusetts, and several track projects along the seaboard states.

Communication, efficiency, safety and quality are the key components to the success of all of R.A.D.’s projects. With an expanding portfolio and a growing network, the company is on track for steady growth as the economy is making a turnaround. R.A.D. Sports has built lasting relationships, ensuring years of quality installations to come.