Our Expert Sports Field Construction Staff

In only a few years, FIELDS has earned substantial success. Why? First and foremost, it’s because of our people. The high-profile nature of our sports construction, renovation and maintenance projects attracts the best of seasoned construction veterans, new college graduates and skilled workers seeking to team up for success. Our search for new talent is nationwide and involves a combination of college and university recruiting, internships, Internet advertising, involvement in industry trade organizations and word of mouth.

Our nationwide network brings together a staff of key project management and field superintendents sharing common training and common procedures. The ability to quickly mobilize resources from a wide, geographically dispersed staff into a functioning project team gives us the unique ability to take total management control of a project immediately.

A common sense approach and experienced staff have a way of accomplishing great things on a major sports field or athletic complex building, renovation or maintenance project. Complete faith, responsibility and accountability are placed in these individuals and, coupled with the right combination of resources, guarantee that a project will be successfully orchestrated.

As we see it, the measure of a successful project is tied to better project leadership, which is accomplished by the following key desirables:

• Focusing on people, including everyone involved on the project
• Providing everyone on the project with a clear understanding of the requested deliverables
• Standing in the shoes of the project stakeholders and seeing it through their eyes
• Earning the trust and respect of all stakeholders
• Ensuring that continual project progress is being made
• Assuming full ownership and responsibility for all team actions
• Maintaining total flexibility and adaptability to every matter relating to the project
• Operating as a teacher and mentor with the project teams under our control
• Above all, striving for personal and team excellence in every aspect of the project

It is because we practice these ideals, and because of our outstanding people, that we have managed to build a national reputation for quality and service in a very short period of time. These people have a fierce desire to be the best athletic complex and sports field construction professionals in the business. Our goal is to be the standard by which others are judged. It is our intent to quite literally become the quality benchmark for the industry. This is why we know that FIELDS builds only sports fields of distinction.

Brian F. Storm, President & CEO

Brian founded FIELDS in 2005 along with Mark Stalnaker and Pete Fox, after having served in a variety of capacities with ValleyCrest Landscape Maintenance from 1995 to 2005 (including VP of its Landscape Maintenance Division, Regional VP and Atlanta Branch Manager). Storm has managed projects ranging in size from $500K to $15 million and is nationally recognized as an expert in the industry. His extensive experience has established FIELDS as one of the premiere athletic field builders in the country performing work for NFL, MLB and other professional sports organizations, as well as college teams. Brian has a degree in landscape and nursery management from Michigan State University.

Mark Stalnaker, Vice President

Mark Stalnaker, one of FIELDS’ co-founders, is responsible for pre-construction services, procurement, contract administration and information technology. Prior to his association with FIELDS, ValleyCrest Landscape Development employed Mark from 1994 to 2005. He served in a variety of positions including Regional Pre-Construction Services Manager for the Southeast United States and Chief Estimator for the Atlanta branch office. Mark has a bachelor of science degree in agriculture (with emphasis on ornamental horticulture) from the University of Georgia.

Pete Fox, Jr., Senior Director of Operations

Pete Fox, one of FIELDS’ co-founders, oversees operations of all FIELDS projects. Prior to his association with FIELDS, he served as a Project Manager for ValleyCrest Landscape Development from 1995 to 2005 in the Atlanta branch office. Pete oversaw athletic field construction projects throughout the east coast region and has over 10 years’ heavy equipment operating experience in the construction industry.

Steve Peeler, Director of Sports Field Project Management

Steve joined FIELDS in 2007, after serving as President of his own sports construction consulting firm. He is a well-known expert in natural turf design and synthetic turf design, and has had extensive hands-on training and field management experience with the MLB, the NFL and the NCAA. His MLB experience includes Busch Stadium, PNC Park, Safeco Field, LP Frans Stadium and Roger Dean Stadium. In addition, he has served as the playing field manager for the St. Louis Cardinals, Seattle Mariners, Houston Astros and the Pittsburgh Pirates. Prior to starting his own firm, Steve was also associated with the nationally renowned sports field design firm D.A. Hogan & Associates as a Project Manager.

Kipp Sturdivant, Project Manager

Kipp joined the FIELDS team in 2010 when he decided to focus his career on Hydronic heating. He has been instrumental in designing and installing field heating systems at Nitschke Field, one of the Green Bay Packers' two outdoor practice facilities; and Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota, home of the Minnesota Twins. Before joining the FIELDS team Kipp worked at Tweet/Garot Mechanical, Inc. and was awarded the $295 million renovation of Lambeau Field for which he served as the project superintendent for the Hydronic piping systems. Kipp's work at FIELDS brought him back to the Green Bay Packers' Lambeau Field where he installed a new field heating system and took on a complete renovation of the field.

FIELDSforce

Each FIELDS staff member is part of the FIELDSforce, a professional work force with more than 100 years of experience. The FIELDSforce uses only the latest equipment, including computers for more accurate measurements, and maintains strict safety procedures. Adhering to the production schedule is imperative to the FIELDSforce and they will work hand in glove with construction managers and various subcontractors to ensure the best final product imaginable. FIELDSforce believes in doing the job right the first time – making them a true force to be reckoned with in the sports field construction industry.