Business Writing Samples
by Lisa R. Hooker

Trio creates business helping parents learn to coach soccer
Appeared in the May 12, 2006 edition of Business First of Columbus
View article here – Courtesy of bizjournals.com/Columbus

Extreme makeover
Appeared in the May 27, 2005 edition of Business First of Columbus
View article here – Courtesy of bizjournals.com/Columbus

Retirees examine nest egg portfolios
Appeared in the April 22, 2005 edition of Business First of Columbus
View article here.-- Courtesy of bizjournals.com/columbus

Sustainable architecture inspires designers’ devotion
Appeared in the April 1, 2005 edition of Business First of Columbus
View article here.-- Courtesy of bizjournals.com/columbus

Design firm helps Asian companies do business in U.S.
Appeared in the March 4, 2005 edition of Business First of Columbus
View article here.-- Courtesy of bizjournals.com/columbus

Increasing market share is prompting Central Ohio’s credit unions to add new locations
Appeared in the January 14, 2005 edition of Business First of Columbus
View article here.-- Courtesy of bizjournals.com/columbus


Columbus C.E.O magazine does not allow links to its online stories. To view the latest edition, visit www.columbusceo.com. . However, some of the topics Lisa R. Hooker has written about for Columbus C.E.O. include:

Loosening the Reins: The Pension Protection Act of 2006 makes it less costly to leave 401(k) accounts to your children or give a $100,000 IRA to charity.
E-Risks: More companies are monitoring employee email and Internet use. And they aren’t afraid to hand out pink slips to violators.
The Insurance Subrogation Debate
Corporate Recaps
Cyber Smearing
Follow the Money: Forensic Accounting
Fighting Check Fraud
New Bankruptcy Rules: A Windfall for Creditors
Section 529 Tuition Plans: Uncle Sam's Graduation Present
Senior Support: Geriatic Care Managers
Get Well, Stay Well, Be Well: Corporate Wellness Programs

In a Field of Their Own

Appeared in the April 2001 edition of Buckeye Farm News published by Ohio Farm Bureau Federation, Columbus, Ohio.

Sports fans often know all about the people and plays that make their team a winner.

Usually, though, The Motz Group, Inc. is not on that list.

"We're a behind-the-scenes team member. Fans see our work all the time, but take for granted the field will be playable," said Joseph E. Motz, president and chief executive officer of The Motz Group. The Cincinnati-based company designs and installs high performance sports turf for amateur and professional sports teams around the world.

A recognized innovator in natural turf grass products, The Motz Group has more than 25 collegiate and professional football, baseball, soccer and Olympic fields in its project portfolio. Through its family of companies, Turf Stabilization Technologies, Inc., Turf Systems International, Inc., and Technology Licensing Corp., it provides routine field maintenance, full-scale renovations and multi-million dollar installations.

"Our first major installation was in 1994 at Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami, Florida (now Pro Player Stadium.) That's when we started installing fields outside of our region, doing more of them across the country," said Motz. "Our first international installation came in 1996 at Amsterdam Arena in Holland."

Today, Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida and site of Super Bowl XXXV; Atlanta Braves' Turner Field; Oriole Park at Camden Yard, Baltimore, Maryland; and Ohio Stadium at The Ohio State University, Columbus are among its clients.

Motz did not envision this career path when he was growing up in Hamilton County.

"My Dad and uncle had a 450-acre vegetable and grain farm in Hamilton County. Between them, they had 16 children. They looked for additional income, because more vegetable producers got into the market, pushing down our product's value, and there were so many mouths to feed. That's how we got into sod," he recalled.

Today, Motz's younger brothers, Dan and David operate the family farm, which specializes in conventional turf operations for homes and businesses.

In high school when his family first laid sod, Motz preferred it to traditional farming. After graduating from The Ohio State University in 1977 with a Bachelor of Science degree in horticulture, he founded Motz Maintenance, Inc. His lawn fertilization and mowing company was so successful, that in 1981 the Cincinnati Bengals football team approached him about maintaining its practice facilities.

"We worked with them to build a new training field complex using a patented system from Purdue University called Prescription Athletic Turf® (PAT). Then we managed the field for them," he explained.

The Bengals project was a critical turning point, because it opened the doors to additional stadium projects. Field construction and management requests continued throughout the '80s, so the Sports Turf Division was added in 1989. In 1991, the company became The Motz Group, Inc. With continuing growth in the sports turf business, Motz sold the lawn care and maintenance companies in 1998.

In 1994, the firm purchased the Prescription Athletic Turf process, the industry leader for natural turf fields. Combining intensive research and its decade of experience in installing and managing PAT fields, The Motz Group re-engineered many of the system's components for greater performance and reliability.

PAT's computerized moisture management system provides consistently superior field performance, whether the climate is arid, temperate, or tropical. Once the field is bulldozed, a watertight geomembrane barrier and a drainage pipe matrix are installed beneath the natural turf. Moisture gauges monitor the underground water level to keep within predetermined levels. The drainage matrix is connected to a vacuum chamber, so excess water can be removed and air drawn through the root system. The vacuum removes moisture about five times faster than natural gravity drainage. Or, if the field is drying out, additional water can be released to the root zone. All the while, continuous and accurate field condition data are sent to a computerized control panel. As conditions require, stadium crews can initiate automatic or manual irrigation, conservation, gravity drainage or vacuum-assisted drainage.

The Motz Group has purchased a number of other proprietary products and developed patents of its own. In addition to PAT, it owns rights to SportGrass® and other industry products. Custom designed High Performance GravityTM (HPG) field designs and related systems address the needs of more common gravity drained, sand-based athletic fields.

Some sports facilities require more durability and versatility than traditional sod can offer. For those stadiums, TS-II - Stabilized Athletic TurfTM is used. Natural grass roots grow through a matrix of synthetic tufts, biodegradable fibers, and sand-filled plastic and jute backing. The grass blades grow above the synthetic tufts, creating a natural top surface. If the grass wears away, the synthetic matrix still provides a sure-footed playing surface.

In 2000, The Motz Group installed a combination PAT and stabilized turf at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, home of The Ohio State University Buckeyes.

"Our schedule was really tight. The entire stadium was under construction and we didn't have time to grow the field here. The grass was actually planted in October 1999 at an Indiana farm, grown there, harvested and installed here last July," said J. Michael Dolan, director of OSU's athletic facilities.

The hybrid Kentucky bluegrass field came in two-inch thick, 40-foot strips. Motz's crew, together with OSU's maintenance team, groomed the field for the September 2 opening game. Exacting maintenance techniques give it a distinctive contrast every five yards, as the equipment tilts the grass blades in opposite directions, much like when carpet is vacuumed.

"We're very pleased with our new field. Joe and his company met our timeline and were great to work with," Dolan said. "We had so many comments from fans who told us it was the perfect looking carpet, and, of course, our people loved hearing that."

Amazingly, The Motz Group was in Australia working on venues for the 2000 summer Olympic games at about the same time. It reconditioned the Melbourne Cricket Club, Sydney's Stadium Australia (called Olympic Stadium during the games,) and GABBA in Brisbane. Bruce Stadium in Canberra received an emergency rebuild.

"Stadium Australia was the main Olympic venue. We had 36 hours after the opening ceremony to the first track and field event. We stripped two inches off the field, hauled it away and laid our stabilized turf. It's thick enough to be played on immediately, so we made the deadline," said Motz.

Quick turnarounds like that are rare. A typical field installation takes about eight weeks. The Motz team builds the field, but coordinates with the stadium's maintenance crew. That collaboration continues through the "grow in" time.

The cost of a Motz Group field varies depending on budget, geographic location, weather conditions and field uses. On average, a football field costs between $650,000 and $850,000, while a baseball field runs $750,000 to $1 million. The figures include construction, materials and drainage system. Heating systems are available, too. Each prepared surface is laser-graded to within a quarter-inch tolerance, and the grass type is determined by climate and field uses.

Motz credits the company's success to quality, technological innovation and service. The Motz Group employs 11 full time people, combining the disciplines of horticulture, field design, construction and project management. Motz relies on senior management team members Senior Vice President Mark A. Heinlein, a turf grass specialist, and James P. Minutolo, general counsel and vice president of business operations. International and Domestic Project Superintendent Paul Schinner and Domestic Project Manager Douglas Gallant over see independent construction workers for each project. Consulting alliances are in place with experts in drainage, engineering and research agronomy.

"It takes all of us to do what we do, and to do it as successfully as we have," said Motz.

Because Motz focuses his business on athletic fields, people assume he's a die-hard sports fan.

"I'm really not a sports nut. I enjoy the process of creating a field like no other. It's just a great feeling seeing events played on one of our fields. Each one is a different challenge for our team."