Regular Post
Written by ICP Group

California Sports Surfaces’ CoolTop® Named Preferred Surface of the Pickleball Australia Association

The new partnership between California Sports Surfaces and Pickleball Australia will support pickleball growth throughout the country with fit-for-purpose courts using the latest in sports surface technology.

ANDOVER, Mass. – June 20, 2024 – California Sports Surfaces (CSS) has announced a new partnership with the Pickleball Australia Association (PAA), with CSS’ revolutionary CoolTop® Cool Pigment Technology being named the association’s preferred playing surface for new courts throughout the country.

CoolTop was designed to reduce acrylic sports court surface temperatures via solar reflectance, enabling athletes to stay cooler and play longer. Additionally, degradation of a sports surface and its base can occur via excessive heating and cooling, resulting in advanced weathering and degradation. CoolTop® supports the longevity of the facilities by preventing the pavement from warming up, reducing full life cycle costs and the need to continually replace assets. CoolTop is the most sustainable choice in acrylic coatings, reducing the impact of heat islands on the environment. Pickleball continues to skyrocket in popularity across Australia and around the world, it’s the perfect surface solution for newly built, fit-for-purpose pickleball courts everywhere.

“New, dedicated pickleball courts are a necessity as a wide variety of athletes continue to take up the game. It has become one of the world’s fastest-growing sports,” said Caroline Field, Vice President and General Manager, Australia and Asia Pacific, ICP Group, CSS’ parent company. “Together with PAA, we’re looking forward to helping grow pickleball with the right surface technologies.”

As part of the partnership, CSS will support Pickleball Australia when local pickleball clubs or recreation facilities are looking for assistance with new pickleball courts. Support includes access to CSS’ network of accredited applicators /contractors to assist local clubs in the painting of new and existing facilities. ICP Group will also support Pickleball Australia with technical advice and support when developing new or recoating court facilities.

Additionally, CSS will have a demonstration pickleball court at the 2024 National Sports Convention in Melbourne, Australia’s leading knowledge sharing and networking event for the play, recreation and sports industry. Here, eventgoers can see CoolTop® in action. As part of the activation, there will be demonstration matches from professional pickleball players and opportunities for visitors to learn pickleball rules, play on the demonstration court, and discuss court surfacing with the PAA and California Sports Surfaces team of experts.

“We’re excited about this partnership’s potential,” said Field. “Together, we’re looking forward to growing the sport with high-performance surfaces that players everywhere can enjoy for the long term.”

For more information about Pickleball Australia, visit www.PickleballAUS.org. To learn more about California Sports Surfaces, visit www.CaliforniaSportsSurfaces.com. To learn more about ICP Group, visit www.ICPGroup.com.

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About ICP

Innovative Chemical Products (ICP) Group is a leading specialty chemical manufacturer in North America and provides coatings, adhesives and sealants globally. With operations headquartered in Andover, Massachusetts, and multiple manufacturing facilities around the world, ICP serves multiple end markets, including building materials, specialty construction and sports surfaces. ICP is privately held and manufactures products under several recognized specialty groups. For more information, visit www.ICPGroup.com.

ICP is a portfolio company of Audax Private Equity.

California Sports Surfaces, Uncategorized
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Regular Post
Written by ICP Group

California Sports Surfaces Named Official Supplier for ATP China Open, Rolex Shanghai Masters

Asia’s most prestigious professional tournaments will be played on DecoTurf®, offering safe and comfortable gameplay with an attractive color scheme.

ANDOVER, Mass. – October 16, 2023 – California Sports Surfaces (CSS) was recently named the official surface for two major tennis tournaments: The ATP China Open and the Rolex Shanghai Masters men’s tournament.

Both tournaments are played on DecoTurf®, a reliable, state-of-the-art surface trusted around the world for safe and comfortable gameplay. DecoTurf can withstand extreme temperatures without compromising quality and offers vibrant, durable finishes that are highly resistant to degradation. The selection is another demonstration of California Sports Surfaces as the premier surface supplier for the professional tennis world.

The China Open is the largest ATP and WTA combined event in Asia, and this year’s event marks the first since 2019 after subsequent events were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Shanghai Masters has been lauded as one of the finest events on the ATP Tour. In its first five years, 2009-2013, the tournament was awarded ATP Masters 1000 Tournament of the Year, as voted by ATP players. California Sports Surfaces has partnered with the ATP Tour for numerous tournaments since 1998.

“These are world-class events, so it only makes sense that organizers chose the best surface in the world,” said Tom Magner, Director of Product Management, California Sports Surfaces. “DecoTurf has a long history of providing a reliable playing surface for some of the world’s most prestigious tennis tournaments, and we couldn’t be happier to add the China Open and the Shanghai Masters to our numerous partnerships.”

Along with a quality product, California Sports Surfaces’ robust service and support continue to be a reason why the brand is trusted by top-tier tournaments everywhere.

“We provide the technical support tournaments need to be confident in such high-stakes events,” said Caroline Field, Vice President, Australia and Asia Pacific, California Sports Surfaces. “It’s more than just the product—it’s helping to ensure proper installation as well as proper maintenance throughout the court’s life.”

2023 marks the 70th anniversary for California Sports Surfaces, an ICP Group Brand, which has built its name on delivering continuous innovation to the marketplace. From the groundbreaking Plexipave®, the industry leader of athletic surfacing systems since 1953, to new innovations like CoolTop® Color Pigment Technology, which helps to reduce on-court temperatures, California Sports Surfaces has remained at the forefront of innovation from day one.

To learn more about California Sports Surfaces, visit www.CaliforniaSportsSurfaces.com. To learn more about ICP Group, visit www.ICPGroup.com.

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About ICP

Innovative Chemical Products (ICP) Group is a leading specialty chemical manufacturer in North America and provides coatings, adhesives and sealants globally. With operations headquartered in Andover, Massachusetts, and multiple manufacturing facilities around the world, ICP serves multiple end markets, including building materials, specialty construction and sports surfaces. ICP is privately held and manufactures products under several recognized specialty groups. For more information, visit www.ICPGroup.com.

ICP is a portfolio company of Audax Private Equity.

California Sports Surfaces, News
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Regular Post
Written by ICP Group

Celebrating 70 Years of Setting the Standard for High-Performance Sports Surfaces

Discover why the most well-known and highest-stakes sports venues around the world have trusted California Sports Surfaces, an ICP Group brand, for reliable, high-performance surface solutions for 70 years.

ANDOVER, Mass. – September 26, 2023 – From the Olympics to the most prestigious global tournaments in tennis, track and field, and pickleball, California Sports Surfaces has spent 70 years delivering innovative, high-performance sports surfaces that all players—from everyday amateurs to the world-class professionals—can count on.

2023 marks the 70th anniversary for California Sports Surfaces, an ICP Group Brand, which has built its name on delivering continuous innovation to the marketplace. From the groundbreaking Plexipave®, the industry leader of athletic surfacing systems since 1953; to Plexitrac®, an advanced track surface providing runners with the highest levels of safety and performance for 40 years; to brand-new innovations like CoolTop® Color Pigment Technology, which helps to reduce on-court temperatures, California Sports Surfaces has remained at the forefront of innovation from day one.

“This is a special anniversary for our company and our brand,” said Tom Magner, Director of Product Management, California Sports Surfaces. “None of it would be possible without our customers. Along with bringing continuous innovation to the marketplace, we have always been driven by relationships—and those have enabled us to grow and continue delivering high-performance sports surfaces around the world.”

A History of Excellence

The company’s roots extend from 1926, when the California Stucco Company, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, was formed. Into the 1940s, the company began to split into different market segments, and in 1953, California Sports Surfaces and its first product—Plexipave—were born.

“Plexipave was developed because the company founders identified a need in the shifting tennis market,” Magner said. “Grass and clay had widely been used for tennis courts prior to 1946, but there was a gradual shift toward asphalt and concrete surfaces that needed to be coated.”

Thus, California Sports Surfaces became the first company to develop surface solutions specifically tailored to the needs of tennis—where coatings application grew increasingly important—and grew exponentially from there. California Sports Surfaces’ portfolio grew to include solutions for basketball, roller sports, track, cricket, netball, pickleball and more.

“I first began applying Plexipave in 1982, and in my career as an applicator, I have tried nearly every available surfacing solution and nothing has ever been comparable,” said Jim Bittner, Manager of Sports Division, Arrow Concrete & Asphalt Specialties, based in Washington. “My 40 years of experience has always led me to Plexipave—exclusively.”

In  1997, California Sports Surfaces acquired Decoturf®, an innovative, multilayered system suitable for use in indoor and outdoor applications. It can be formulated to meet the requirements of players at any level, creating a state-of-the-art surface that can be trusted for safe and comfortable gameplay. The acquisition made California Sports Surfaces the largest manufacturer of sports surfaces in the world, exporting to more than 50 countries.

“My experience with California Sports Surfaces goes back to 1994, when my company was approached by the Lawn Tennis Association of Thailand for a quality tennis surface for their National Training Center in Bangkok,” said Patrick Dean, Executive Director, SEARA Sports Systems. “We have grown our company business with Plexipave products in Thailand, Myanmar, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Laos and the Maldives. We would not have been able to achieve that kind of growth without the professional expertise and quality of California Sports Surfaces’ products. They’ve always had a solution for solving almost any surface problem that we have come up against.”

California Sports Surfaces’ total dedication to the industry is further evidenced by its involvement in the founding of what is now the American Sports Builders Association (ASBA), a nonprofit trade association comprising builders, designers and suppliers for sports facilities, that exists to promote the highest standards of design, construction and maintenance.

Trusted by Top Tournaments and Professionals
The world’s best athletes may change from year to year, but there is one thing consistent about the top sports events in the world: California Sports Surfaces.

Every U.S. Open between 1978 and 2019 was played on DecoTurf®, and every Australian Open has had Rebound Ace® courts since 1988 and Plexipave® between 2008 and 2018. Plexipave has been the choice for the BNP Paribas Open’s surface—at the iconic Indian Wells Tennis Garden—for nearly 25 years and counting. DecoTurf was selected as the tennis court surface for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, marking the sixth time a brand from California Sports Surfaces’ portfolio has been chosen for use in the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

“These are some of the highest-stakes competitions in the world, with the fate of the world’s top athletes on the line,” said Magner. “That is something we do not take lightly. We have long been committed to quality, to reliability, and to delivering the world’s best playing surfaces—and these top-level tournaments and events continue to seek us out as partners again and again.”

Ongoing Innovation
California Sports Surfaces was founded upon groundbreaking innovation—and that continues today.

“We’re always looking forward in order to anticipate the needs of tomorrow’s athletes,” Magner said. “And because California Sports Surfaces is part of the ICP Group, we’re backed by an extremely strong pedigree of chemicals and coatings expertise. Drawing from that expertise, we’re excited to continue bringing new and exciting solutions to the marketplace.”

CoolTop® is a direct result of the brand’s innovative mindset. Compared to standard outdoor court surfaces, the product offers a new range of vibrant topcoat colors that reduce acrylic surface court temperatures via solar reflectance. This helps to keep players engaged in sports and social activity longer, while minimizing heat-related impact.

“We’re excited about what we’re bringing to the market with CoolTop, and so are our customers,” said Magner. “Maintaining comfortable temperatures for athletes is increasingly important. CoolTop is a great example of how we’ve never stopped pushing the envelope—and we’re going to keep doing it for years to come.”

To learn more about California Sports Surfaces, visit www.CaliforniaSportsSurfaces.com. To learn more about ICP Group, visit www.ICPGroup.com.

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About ICP

Innovative Chemical Products (ICP) Group is a leading specialty chemical manufacturer in North America and provides coatings, adhesives and sealants globally. With operations headquartered in Andover, Massachusetts, and multiple manufacturing facilities around the world, ICP serves multiple end markets, including building materials, specialty construction and sports surfaces. ICP is privately held and manufactures products under several recognized specialty groups. For more information, visit www.ICPGroup.com.

ICP is a portfolio company of Audax Private Equity.

California Sports Surfaces
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