Our Beginning:
After 21 years in public education Jerry Vickerson was ready for a change. He enjoyed gold, and made the decision to work in the industry. With that in mind he decided to attend the Winter School for Turf Mangers at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Three months later in March of 1980 he began work at the Naples Golf & Country Club in Naples, Maine as a turf manager.
Early in his tenure at Naples G&CC Jerry met Dave Huff, a technical representative for the O.M. Scott Company. Dave explained during their initial meeting that he not only sold Scott’s products but also provided turf management advice to his clients. Jerry asked Dave if he called on the schools in the area. Dave explained that because of the large size of his service area, Maine, New Hampshire and the Canadian Maritime Provinces, he was unable to do so. Dave suggested that if Jerry were so concerned about the condition of the school facilities, he should do something about it.
That thought stuck with him, and later that fall Jerry contacted a few acquaintances in education administrations around Maine. He talked with them about the the condition of their outdoor athletic facilities. He quickly realized that others involved with school athletics agreed, there was a need to improve these facilities and a strong interest in doing so.
In January of 1981 Sports Fields was founded. Jerry recruited his sons Jim and Bill to startup the business. In 1982 Eugene Duplessis was hired as the demand for services began to increase. A few years later Bill left Sports Fields to pursue his interest in stone masonry.
Building a Business:
In the early 1980’s the Vickerson family purchased a property on High Street in Winthrop, Maine. The property, an old farm house, had two apartments, which were rented to tenants, and a big barn that was used to house Sports Fields’ supplies and equipment. The office was located at a separate Winthrop site until the mid 80’s when it was moved to the same High Street location.
During the first five years the client list grew steadily and the work force grew in proportion. In late 1985 the decision was made to incorporate the business. Sports Fields Inc. was born early in 1986. Through the late 1980’s business continued to grow.
Over the first fifteen years Sports Fields concentrated almost exclusively on providing turf maintenance services to their clients. In the subsequent years, product sales steadily became a larger and more vital component of the business. Many clients that perform in house maintenance, especially golf courses, found Sports Fields’ product mix was very specific to their needs.
1994 was a year of change for the business. Jerry decided to retire. He sold his interest in the company to his son, Jim Vickerson and Eugene Duplessis. Jim and Eugene became partners in a growing business that would flourish in the coming years under their leadership. The first change the new ownership team made was moving the business. Land was purchased in Monmouth, Maine and a new building able to house the whole operation was constructed on site.
After a decision to stock more golf course product lines, the business quickly outgrew the new space and in 1998 a second building was constructed to warehouse the increasing number of turf products. In 2002, a third building was erected to accommodate a still growing inventory of turf supplies. The most recent expansion came in 2006. A local, off site building, was leased in order to increase storage capacity yet again.
Things have changed over our almost 40 year history, but Sports Fields Inc. continues working toward the original goal that got things started in 1981. We want to make Maine’s outdoor athletic facilities better, for everyone to enjoy.
Our Team:
James Vickerson – President
Robert Vickerson – Vice President
Debra Vickerson Millet – Office Manager
John Worthley – Sales Rep
Kevin Smith – Service Director
David Hewett – Maintenance Director
David Lorette – Service Team
Matt Dostie-Hewett – Service Team
Nathan Colby – Service Team
Jerry Dostie – Service Team
Jim Dostie – Service Team
Tyler Rowe – Service Team
Dennis McHugh – Delivery Driver
