Growing Beyond the Playground
Flexground Covers New Ground with Innovative Surfacing Solutions
In 2014 and 2015, Inc. Magazine listed Flexground, a surfacing company headquartered in Tempe, Ariz., as one of the fastest-growing companies in the United States. Flexgound boasted a three-year growth rate of 1,322% the first year it was featured on Inc.’s list and a 545% growth rate the second year. Given the strength of its numbers, how does the business keep its momentum going?
Flexground’s formula is to emphasize diversification, champion innovation, maintain high-level customer service, and continue to invest in employees and materials. Offering a diverse portfolio of products is one of the keys to keeping the business thriving. Although Flexground, incorporated in 2010, has gained recognition primarily for playground surfacing products, it has not limited itself to the squishy play area material. The company’s Specialty Surfacing Division was created to explore new ways to improve the surfacing industry and thus broaden its customer base.
This division’s catalog contains a variety of surfacing options such as SportFlex, Koolflex, FlexStone, and premium synthetic turf. SportFlex is a sports court renovation and resurfacing product that solves the problems that cause court surfaces to crack, chip and peel. Koolflex addresses similar issues for pool decks, splash pads and aquatic surfaces. Another option for various decks and walkways is FlexStone, a relatively new product that incorporates Flexground’s rubber and standard or decorative stones.
“The primary differentiator between our Koolflex and SportFlex products and typical pool decking and sports court products is that ours is highly durable and flexible. Most surfaces are cement-based or acrylic-based. In environments of high foot-traffic and where the concrete subbase will heave or sink due to temperature fluctuations, a flexible product will move to meet this ‘abuse’ whereas a cement or acrylic-based product will crack, sink or heave as the subbase does,” explains Corey Hauge, one of Flexground’s owners.
Division Project Manager Mike Gutman’s expertise in this field was the biggest contributing factor to Flexground’s entrance into the specialty market. When Mike joined the company in 2012, he brought more than 20 years of pool deck and sports court install knowledge and experience to the organization. Since then, Mike has worked with Corey and co-Owner, Bill Stafford, to formulate new types of surfacing options. “Our combined expertise in the playground surfacing world exposes us to many highly flexible and weather-resistant ingredients, like UV stable urethanes and strengthening agents, which enables us to formulate end products better able to sustain longevity in high-wear environments,” Corey says.
Pioneering a New Frontier
For Flexground, innovation is not merely a way to grow the business—it’s a method of empowering employees. Bill explains further, “We have a weekly meeting for employees to discuss their ideas. If we think someone has a viable idea, we’ll let them roll with it. The individual responsible for the innovation takes the lead on the project. This approach has served us well in keeping people motivated about the company and where it’s going.” Bill believes when employees are in an environment that fosters inventive thought, they will be excited about the products and the work being done.
For the past seven years, research and development has been a top priority for the organization. “Although we are in an incredibly small industry, we are pretty well known in that little niche industry because of the research and development that we do. We’ve come up with 4-5 new products since we started the Specialty Surfacing Division. And the industry has taken notice of that,” states Corey.
Clients have approached Flexground with unique challenges, hoping for a solution. Whether it’s trying to find a way to make cement flexible or to protect salt-covered asphalt and concrete from erosion, the Flexground team welcomes opportunities to expand the boundaries of their knowledge and explore new ways to apply it.
Investing in Quality Relationships, Materials, People
The staff at Flexground values the relationships they have with their customers. Furthermore, they understand that the company’s reputation is directly impacted by a customer’s experience. Corey says they recognize their customers often have difficult jobs managing multiple projects, so Flexground’s goal is to ease their burdens by making the process as easy as possible. “Since the beginning, our philosophy is to focus on excellent customer service and high-quality work and materials and let the profits fall where they may. We believe that if we just do good-quality work, the rest will work itself out,” he shares.
The company only uses high-quality materials on its projects, and for good reason. Bill says, “We don’t use cheaper materials because we don’t want to be embarrassed about the product we put in the ground. It’s not worth it to me. We deliver great-quality products using high-quality materials, and take great pride in this fact. Also, our customer service is second-to-none.”
Kenda Daria, the former owner of a general contracting business, describes the service she experienced as one of Flexground’s customers. “They are the contractor that cares. They are there to get the job done and get it done right. They genuinely care about the details, like where the seam is going to be placed so it is right for the setting,” she says. She further explains that, in her experience, Flexground doesn’t take a cookie-cutter approach to business. Instead, they uniquely address each project’s specific needs and challenges.
Kenda was so impressed with Flexground that when she closed her contracting business she accepted an opportunity to work for the company’s Specialty Surfacing Division. “Every employee at Flexground has a reason they were brought to the table. Each of us brings a background of experience that is an added benefit. I’m surrounded by other like-minded people who work hard whether somebody is looking or not—that’s the environment at Flexground,” she shares.
Having a former customer become an employee has served as confirmation for the Flexground leadership that they are doing something right. Flexground’s personnel is made up of many previously established relationships, including former suppliers, previous customers, past interns and family members, all of which excel in their areas of expertise.
Corey and Bill know their employees are their greatest assets, and recognize that the company could not have achieved its growth and accomplishments without them. To stay on top of the industry, Flexground invests in things necessary to retain the best people on its team. The owners understand that employees need to be well compensated, and work in a fun work environment where they feel valued. “Without them, Corey and I would probably be working out of a garage someplace right now. We wouldn’t have nearly the success we’ve gotten,” Bill acknowledges.
Bill explains the Flexground team’s plan is to stay on top of their craft for years to come. “We invest in our internal infrastructure—our people and the quality of our products—and because of this we are able to handle continued growth,” he says, and jokingly adds, “without too many gray hairs.”