While surveying the Internet for possible stories to share, I tripped across an item in the Buffalo News regarding the new artificial surface to be installed at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park, New York.
Hooked by the fact that the company that won the contract is owned by a lifelong Bills fans, I was shocked by the price of the job: $178,000. Though A-Turf may simply be hoping to crack the NFL market, the price falls far short of similar projects. For example, the Metrodome spent $495,000 last year on a new artificial surface. In St. Louis, the Edward Jones Dome plunked down $2.5 million for a system that allows the turf to be moved when the facility isn’t being used for football, an alternative to the prior approach that cost $300,000 per year.
According to its website, FieldTurf costs well over $700,000 to install.
If A-Turf establishes any traction (pun not intended but nevertheless acknowledged), its competitors’ prices could be dropping quickly.
Assuming that A-Turf can charge a rate that low and still make a profit.
