One of the most iconic brands in American sports, AstroTurf, filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy and announced its acquisition by Munich, Germany-based company SportGroup Holdings this week, marking a significant moment in the athletic brand’s history.
SportGroup Holdings is a multi-national athletic playing surface firm with more than 1,000 employees and will acquire the manufacturing and assembly facilities associated with AstroTurf and SYNlawn in Dalton – along with some other brands and facilities. AstroTurf is receiving around a $16 million share of the deal which is valued, according to court documents, at $92.5 million.
Sydney Stahlbaum shows the texture of the stitched turf after it comes out of the tufting machine, which stitches threads of fiber into the turf backing, at the AstroTurf factory on Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2015, in Dalton, Ga.AstroTurf filed for bankruptcy reorganization after a court granted a $30 million judgment against the company stemming from a patent infringement lawsuit brought against AstroTurf by its rival company FieldTurf USA.
FieldTurf USA, which has a plant 40 miles south of Dalton in Calhoun, Ga., filed suit against AstroTurf in 2010. In October of last year, a judge ruled FieldTurf entitled to seek damages, though AstroTurf officials say they will continue to dispute the judgement and that FieldTurf brought the suit just to hinder AstroTurf or even put it out of business.
Sydney Stahlbaum, an AstroTurf spokeswoman, said Thursday the Dalton AstroTurf plant will remain in continuous operation, and “the transition will not affect our ability to meet deadlines in construction, manufacturing, or shipments.”