Some words from Tom Durbin, New Richmond Superintendent

While preparing a press release for the new baseball and softball fields at New Richmond High School I asked Mr. Tom Durbin, the superintendent of New Richmond School District, for a quote. I just had to take this moment to share with you his thoughts of The Motz Group:
Here's what he had to say about The Motz Group:

"It was truly a pleasure to work with the Motz Group. Everybody I came into contact with was professional. I (felt) that each one was trying their best to meet our needs and to make sure that we knew they were doing their best work for us! The guys on the job made me feel welcome and answered every question I had with a thorough explanation even if I interrupted their process.
Because I had never seen how turf was installed I made it a practice to stop everyday to watch the process. During my experience of learning and watching the crew prepare the base for the turf, install the turf, and then do the finishing touches to finalize the product I was amazed at the sincere and genuine concern from the workers about making sure that every detail was absolutely perfect! I am very comfortable in our choice of the Motz Group for our baseball and softball turf infields."

Thomas D. Durbin, Superintendent
New Richmond Exempted Village School District

Here's a sneak peak of what the fields look like. More photos and that press release I mentioned is soon to follow...

Church Street ~ Newtown, Ohio

Did you know that the building that The Motz Group calls home is a historical landmark in Newtown, Ohio? Once the center of town life, the familiar red brick building on Newtown's Church Street sat vacant until The Motz Group decided to make it their home.

Mid 1800's - The building, constructed in 1853, originally housed the Universalist Church and the Flag Spring Lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. The Odd Fellows group, recognized as the first international fraternal organization, was formed in England in 1819. Its primary purpse was to aid those in need.

Late 1800's - While the building's top floor originally served as a lodge hall and the church occupied the second floor, the ground floor filled a variety of needs. It held high school classes in the late 1800's, served as town hall for a time and briefly housed the town jail.

December of 2001 Upon completing major renovations, The Motz Group relocated its operations to the building's third floor and opened the lower floors as office space.

Today The Motz Group has grown and now occupies all floors of the beautiful building on Church Street.

Currently we are doing some exciting interior renovations - wallpaper, paint, lighting, furniture - stay tuned for more exciting changes both inside and outside!

Thank you Mark Heinlein!

Today, our Senior Vice President, Mark Heinlein celebrates 18 years of hard work and dedication to The Motz Group!

Thank you Zach Burns!

Today, our Sales & Marketing Director, Zach Burns celebrates two years of hard work and dedication to The Motz Group!

Big kickoff for NKU soccer complex - Event features some of nation's best teams, honors one of game's local legends

By Richard Skinner • Enquirer contributor • April 19, 2010

This weekend, the result of that meeting will be unveiled.
The meeting Basalyga attended that day two years ago was to advise him that NKU and Highland Heights had come to an agreement that the school would annex property for a state-of-the-art on-campus soccer facility.

This weekend, the first major event will be held in the $6.5 million complex when NKU hosts the John Toebben College Showcase on Friday and Saturday. The event will feature 10 teams, including NCAA Division I national powers Indiana, which has won six national championships, and Akron, which was last year's runner-up. There will be three games on Friday and two on Saturday.

Also participating are 2008 NCAA Division I runner-up Ohio State, 2009 Division I NCAA Tournament participant Butler, Cincinnat, Kentucky, Xavier, Wright State and NAIA power Rio Grande. Soccer is a fall sport, but teams can practice 24 days in the spring and play five competitive matches. Basalyga said he's been working on bringing a high caliber of teams to NKU since he learned the facility would be built and that the schools jumped at the opportunity.

"The best time to get big schools to play is in the spring, and when they found out how nice the facility was supposed to be and how big it is they wanted to play," said Basalyga, who has built NKU into an NCAA Division II national power. "We had already been playing UK, UC, Wright State and Ohio State in the spring and it wasn't hard getting Indiana and Akron when they found out about the facility and the event."

The new field is located adjacent to the Bank of Kentucky Center and has seating for 1,000 - with backs on all the chairs. There also are locker rooms and a fully equipped athletic training facility. The field has artificial turf, but Basalyga said it closely resembles grass and plays like grass.

"Notre Dame and Michigan are the only ones to have a facility like this, from what I understand," Basalyga said.

NKU athletic director Scott Eaton said the move to build the facility was made easy by to the parcel of land and the school's mission to do things first class.

"Internally, the decision was made to use the land and money that was gained, and it turned out perfect for us," Eaton said. "It's really a community collaboration, trying to bring the community onto campus.

"It just takes us to a whole another level. Our student union and even our housing and out athletic facilities, it's done first class."

The event is being used as a fund raiser for the NKU men's soccer team, and proceeds will go toward travel and scholarship expenses.

The official opening of the facility will take place during the soccer season, on Sept. 12.

Basalyga said he's hopeful that several high school boys' soccer players participating in the adidas Blue Chip Showcase that will be held in Oxford Friday through Sunday will be able to attend.

"It gives them a chance to see soccer on a variety of levels: Division I, Division II and NAIA," he said.

Basalyga said it was important to name the event after Toebben, a leading advocate for soccer in Northern Kentucky who died in 2003. Toebben coached at various high schools and at Thomas More and NKU, where he led the Norse from 1990-2003, and also built the Town & Country Sports Complex in Wilder. Toebben also has an event named after him in the fall season.

"Moving it from the fall to the spring and making this as blown up as we can is a real tribute to John," Basalyga said. "He is soccer in this part of the state. He had a vision where soccer could be in this area and what he did at Town & Country and this facility we just built, I know he would look at this as a great event. What's going on here this weekend, he would be very, very happy and his family will be too."

It's not a bad result for that meeting Basalyga walked into two years ago, not knowing what it was about.

"We all flipped out when we were told what was going on," Basalyga said. "This is big time".

DEADLINE EXTENDED! Search for the Real Field of Dreams

You now have some additional time to submit your entry for the 2010 Search for the Real Field of Dreams National Contest.

Click HERE for an overview and background of the contest from the Synthetic Turf Council
For complete rules and to enter online, click HERE.
To download the rules & entry form in PDF format, click HERE.

NOMINATIONS MUST BE RECEIVED NO LATER THAN 5:00PM EASTERN ON JUNE 30, 2010.

Mt. Healthy to play on artificial turf ~ Community Press Article

Clinton-Massie awards construction contract

As seen on wnewsj.com

JOHN CROPPER Contributing Writer

The Clinton-Massie school board voted unanimously Monday evening to award a $442,000 construction contract to Cincinnati-based Motz Group, for construction of a new athletic turf field at the school.

The decision follows a year and a half long bidding process which began in October 2008. The Motz Group submitted the lowest bid for the project at $442,900. Construction is slated to begin on May 24 and is expected to be completed by Aug. 15.

In April 2009, the Cincinnati Bengals, the National Football League and the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) awarded the school district a $200,000 grant to be used toward construction of the new field. The Clinton-Massie Athletic Booster Association (Boosters) pledged to donate $250,000 in matching funds to complete the project.

“This has been a long process, and we’re excited to be moving forward,” said board member Jeff Borton.

The Boosters secured a $250,000 loan from National Bank & Trust to finance the project, and more than $150,000 of private donations have been collected since 2008. In addition to those donations, the board voted Monday to approve in-kind donations totalling $25,000 in supplies and services from local businesses, including $7,500 from Melvin Stone Company.

“We have worked diligently for the last two years in order to secure this loan for the district, and to find individual donors to the project,” said Boosters President John Curtsinger.

Curtsinger said private donations should increase substantially now that the contract for construction has been awarded.

Zach Burns, sales and marketing director for The Motz Group, said afterward: “We’re extremely excited to be teaming up with Clinton-Massie. We’ve been impressed by how dedicated the people in this district are.”

Earlier in the meeting the school board heard from Rob Sum, a senior project manager for Turner Construction. Sum said the demolition of the old elementary school was almost complete, however $45,000 in salaries were still owed by Dem-X, a demolition company, to local sub-contractors.

“We’ve spoken with them recently, and told them they need to have the money paid by March 31st,” Sum said.

“My one concern,” said Borton, “is that we take care of our local contractors. A lot of these workers are local, and we want to make sure they get paid.”

In other news at the meeting, four Clinton-Massie High School athletes were honored for their achievements during the 2009-10 seasons. Wrestlers Corby Running, Wyatt Running and Michael Stenger, and swimmer Margo Khalili were recognized with All Ohio Awards for competition at the state championship level.

The school board approved the hiring of five substitute teachers and four support staff members. They also approved the retirement of two teachers and the resignation of another.

A Visit from Doug Gallant, Cincinnati Reds Head Groundskeeper

Doug Gallant, head groundskeeper for the Cincinnati Reds, paid a friendly visit to Joe Motz and The Motz Group on Tuesday March 30th. He presented us with a bag of Great American Ball Park Grass Seed Mix by Scotts personalized with his endorsement to be sold in all the regional "big box" stores and hardware stores around town. Maybe you've heard him on the local radio stations as well?

"For me it's very gratifying to be fortunate enough to be in a position to have a positive impact on people's lives and careers" says Joe Motz, president of The Motz Group. "Doug interned with us in the summers while attending The Ohio State University. Upon graduation he worked with us for six years before teaming up with The Cincinnati Reds as their head groundskeeper."

Doug was named to his current position as Head Groundskeeper for the Reds in January 2001. He oversees all aspects of the daily playing field maintenance. He attended Wilmington College, where he played baseball for two seasons for former Reds star Brooks Lawrence. He later transferred to Ohio State and graduated in 1994 with a degree in turfgrass management.

"We had many herculean efforts together through that period building major league ball parks around the country from Land Shark Stadium (then Pro Player Stadium) to Great American Ballpark. Now that his mug shot is promoted all over town we'll be able to say we know him when... Congratulations Doug!"