About Hellas

Hermiston’s Big Investment Paying Off

To view the video testimonial click on the following link: Hermiston High School

HERMISTON, Oregon (November 7, 2014) — The Hermiston High School Bulldogs (8-1) will host their first playoff game this season against the streaking Sandy Pioneers (6-4) on Friday, November 7th at their modernized $4.5 million dollar Kennison Field and athletic facilities. The Bulldogs remain undefeated at home since Hellas Construction revamped the stadium in August. The Hermiston Schools Sports Booster Club raised over $1.5 million dollars in local donations and $3 million dollars in grants, and selected Hellas’ Matrix® Turf and CUSHDRAIN® E-Layer to give the Bulldogs one of the highest quality, safest, and most durable synthetic turf surfaces in the state of Oregon.

“We are very excited about this game,” said Hermiston’s Athletic Director Blaine Ganvoa. “This is a great opportunity to showcase our facility. Our community is excited to see the first playoff game on our new turf.”

The Bulldogs dominated the Pioneers 56-17 earlier in the season at Sandy, and are expected to use their home field advantage to move forward into the second round of Oregon’s Class 5A playoffs.

“We are focused on getting better one day at a time. As the Athletic Director, I think that’s what our players and coaches do. Many people say that, but it’s really our testament to our coaches and kids to stay humble and take it one day at a time.”

Besides game victories, Oregonlive recently voted Kennison Field as the “Best Preparatory Stadium in Oregon” due to the quality of their athletic facility. It received almost half of the 127 entries submitted for the contest.

“As a non-bonded project done with grants and community funding, we took some time to look at what we wanted,” commented Mike Kay, Director of Operations for Hermiston Schools. “We built a committee and set some criteria for what we were looking for. Durability, safety for student athletes and the turf of the field were the most important. As you can tell, Hellas was far and above our best selection.”

Hellas’ Matrix® Turf offers temperature reduction, traction-enhancing characteristics, superior durability, and is currently installed at venues such as the AT&T Stadium, Baylor University’s McLane Stadium, the Ron Tonkin Field, the University of California at Berkeley, and many more. The CUSHDRAIN® elastic layer improves g-max, shock absorption, and overall system safety and durability.

“What was most important for us was the quality of the product,” continued Kay. “From the elastic layer, to the carpet, to the support of the company, Hellas was first class with the way they dealt with us and the way they supported us.”

Jeff Bergevin, Hellas’ Vice-President of the Northwest Region also expressed his high regards for the Kennison Field and the school district. “We are proud to be a part of this outstanding project,” he said. “We worked hard to provide the Hermiston School District with the best possible products for their stadium. We look forward to working closely with the staff for years to come and continue to maintain the high standards of customer service that Hellas is known for.”

About Hellas Construction
Headquartered in Austin, Texas, Hellas Construction is a nationwide contractor with a strong reputation for delivering premium-quality sports construction projects across the United States. Hellas has the ability to custom-manufacture and install proprietary brands of synthetic surfaces for field sports, running tracks, and tennis courts, by controlling all related operations. For more information, visit hellasconstruction.com and matrix-turf.com or follow them on twitter and facebook.

About Hermiston School District
The Hermiston School District is the largest district in Eastern Oregon, exceeding 5,300 students, and continues to experience steady enrollment growth. It serves students in grades kindergarten through 12 with a broad range of programs from foundational learning skills to comprehensive vocational programs to an exhaustive array of post-secondary college credit bearing opportunities. The school district includes a 9-12 senior high school, two 6-8 middle schools, five K-5 elementary schools, an alternative school, and a robust online learning program option for students and families. For more information, please visit http://hermiston.k12.or.us.

About Oregonlive
Oregonian Media Group publishes The Oregonian and OREGONLIVE, their online hub for breaking news, information and community engagement. Their family of print publications also provides hyper-local news to Portland Metro and Southwest Washington. For more information, visit their site at www.oregonlive.com.

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