BUFFALO GROVE, Ill. (January 26, 2009) -- For the 11th consecutive year, Turface Athletics was a part of industry resources to give back to the host community of the Annual MLB Groundskeepers Conference, held this year in San Jose, Calif. Corporate sponsors and approximately 45Major League Baseball (MLB) groundskeepers donated time, money and resources to transform the Sequoia High School baseball field into a first class baseball field.

"We received an e-mail from Larry DiVito, head groundskeeper for the Washington Nationals, that we were selected for the field rebuild," said Tink Reynoso, SequoiaHigh School baseball coach. "In addition to the MLB groundskeepers, about 100 people from the community came out to help, including our alumni association. The improvements to our baseball field are unbelievable. We now have a baseball field above the level of most colleges. It's a dream come true."

PROFILE Products LLC donated several pallets of Turface® Pro League® Red for the infield, and Turface MoundMaster®Blocks and TurfaceProfessional Mound Clay® to rebuild the pitching mounds and batter's boxes.The Baseball Tomorrow Fund, a joint initiative between Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association, gave a $40,000 grant to support the project.Additional sponsors included Toro, Covermaster Inc., West Coast Turf, Colony Landscaping and Barkshire Laser Leveling.

A dedication ceremony took place at the school on Monday, January 19, 2009. DiVito, also an alumnus of SequoiaHigh School, threw out the ceremonial first pitch followed by a one-inning exhibition by Sequoia's varsity team.

Reynoso mentioned that DiVito presented information to his entire baseball team on how to maintain the field. Representatives from the Seattle Mariners also held on-field classes on how to take care of the pitcher's mound. Luke Yoder, the San Diego Padres' head groundskeeper, spearheaded the entire endeavor that began back in August of 2008.

"This has become somewhat of a tradition at the MLB Groundskeepers Conference," explained Joe Betulius, vice president of sales for Profile Products. "We had an incredible amount of support this year from groundskeepers, corporate sponsors and a large financial contribution from the Baseball Tomorrow Fund. Without a doubt, the Major League groundskeepers are remarkable in their skills and they left an enduring legacy for the San Jose community and SequoiaHigh School baseball.

Turface Athletics has a long-standing commitment to improving the safety and playability of athletic fields across the nation. They are the presenting sponsor of the Keep America Playing^TM Tour--an educational initiative designed to bring instruction to parents, coaches, groundskeepers and parent volunteers on best practices in constructing and maintaining sports fields.