For nearly a century, Foley Co. has been manufacturing grinding equipment to help superintendents maintain turf above ground. After a recent acquisition, the Wisconsin-based company will help them tend to problems beneath the surface, as well.
Foley announced that it recently acquired the assets of GT Airinject, maker of the Air2G2 air-injection/soil-decompaction system. Founded 10 years ago by Glen Black, Air2G2 is the manufacturer of the Air2G2 336, Air2HP, Air2GO and Air2G2 436R. The transaction has been nearly two years in the making, and the wholly owned subsidiary of Foley, known as Foley Air, and the bulk of its operations will remain in Jacksonville, Florida.
Foley has been manufacturing grinders since 1926. The addition of a subsurface soil-decompaction system is the start of a well-rounded portfolio that provides superintendents with solutions above and below ground.
"It lines up with our strategy to expand into the turf and rec market more than we are today and gives us a whole new addition to the portfolio," said Paul Rauker, Foley's president and chief executive officer. "The way the product is produced here in the U.S., and our capabilities matched up really well.
"Our philosophy is going to be Foley is all about above and below the ground."
The Air2G2-336 uses an air-injection process that relieves soil compaction and increases porosity and respiration by fracturing the soil to enable airflow and promote better drainage, all while creating minimal disruption to the surface and without damaging roots below the surface.
The Air2G2-336 was the winner of the 2015 Innovation Award from the Sports Turf Managers Association.
Our philosophy is going to be Foley is all about above and below the ground.
Air2G2's staff of nine will remain on after the acquisition. Black, who first drew up plans for a soil air-injection system in 2010 on the back of a napkin at an Outback Steakhouse, also will stay on for about a year or so to train Foley's sales staff.
Selling his invention to a company with a similar corporate philosophy toward employees was important to Black.
"That is a very important part of our lives, the people who work here, their families," Black said. "We have been so blessed to watch employees buy new homes, new cars and improve their lives."
Although the operation will remain in Florida, the transaction coincides with construction of new headquarters in Prescott, Wisconsin, about 10 miles south of Foley's original headquarters in River Falls. Located on 12 acres, the 67,000-square-foot facility includes 55,000 square feet of manufacturing space and 12,000 square feet of offices. The city donated the land along with some funding for the construction of the building.
The new building replaces an 85,000-square-foot structure in River Falls. Foley utilized 60,000 square feet and rented the remaining 25,000 square feet to a tenant that has since bought the complex. Although the building is large enough, it now longer met Foley's needs.
"Even though it was going to be more space, we wanted it to be set up in an easier fashion," Rauker said.
"We had adopted lean manufacturing a few years ago, so as we move forward, we wanted to ensure that the overall design was compatible with that effort."
