Today we’d like to introduce you to Doug Steeves.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
18 years ago I was not happy with what I was doing for a living and wanted to make a change. I followed some “fatherly advice” and decided to find and pursue my passion. I started to look for a golf related business. I went to the local bookstores (pre-internet days) and bought every golf magazine on the shelves and took them home. In the back of one of them, I found a small boxed add for a national synthetic putting green company that was advertising their product as well as looking for distributors.
I had grown up on a golf course as a kid with a real green in my backyard and thought to myself, “what golfer wouldn’t want their own green, that they didn’t have to maintain?” I spent more time researching the industry and after visiting a few companies and seeing their products, I signed-up, and I have been building greens ever since.
Fortunately, in 2005, turf technology really exploded and we started to install artificial grass at homes and businesses where real grass could not grow. New applications and products continued to be launched; bocce ball turf, baseball turf, pet turf, playground turf, driving range turf. and we do them all. Golf continues to be our main focus and our passion, but we have become very well known for our bocce ball courts, rooftop installations and numerous other “specialty” type turf installations.
Has it been a smooth road?
The beginning was a very tough road. The internet barely existed, compared to how we use it today, the industry was, and still is, a relatively new product (comparably speaking) and the projects we do are not inexpensive. We fought, clawed, scratched and powered-thru despite many of these obstacles and more.
We initially did not want to get into the installation side of the business. We thought a landscaper would be the perfect person to contract with. After 1-2 years of trying landscape company after landscape company, I realized that if we were going to maintain the quality we needed to as well as for scheduling, we had to have our own installers.
I was on every project from start to finish for the first 7-8 years until we finally found the team we have in place today. Installing artificial putting greens is a mix of different trades and something that has to be taught; It takes years to master all of the intricacies of this specialty installation. I continue to be involved in every green we build, some just a little more than others.
When the economy crashed in ’08-’09, our business fell-off over 50% and we were not sure if we could make it through. We of course did make it through and came out the other side that much stronger and determined. We had our best sales year in 2016 and this year we appear to be on pace to shatter last years’ numbers.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Synthetic Turf of Illinois – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
We are a design/build artificial turf company that specializes in synthetic golf greens (for the home/school or business), lawns, bocce ball courts and playgrounds. We are best known for some of our signature putting greens Indoor / Outdoor / Rooftop Putting greens, custom designed and built by our installers.
Our attention to detail, our quality turf products as well as our 17 years’ in business sets us apart from our competitor’s. When it comes to specialty installations, such as golf greens, bocce ball courts, combination courts and rooftop projects, we have more experience than anyone in the Midwest. Our artificial grass stands-up better and longer than our competitor’s turf and looks the most realistic. Our turf is 100% permeable, our competitor’s turf is not. All of our products are Made in the USA and I am a US Marine Corps Veteran.
Synthetic Turf of Illinois is the only synthetic putting green company in Chicago that employs a 27 year PGA Teaching Pro as our Sales Director. Who better to educate our consumers about our golf products than a 27-year member of the PGA? We do more “types” of installations than any of our competitors, between myself, our installers and our PGA Pro, we have over 75 years of combined golf knowledge which we know how to translate into the personal putting green.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
Chicago is an amazing city to work in and is great for our products. Lots of trees and buildings produce a lot of shade, that makes growing real grass a challenge, and often leaves people frustrated and their kids and dogs a muddy mess. Artificial grass solves the mud problem and is perfect for rooftop living spaces as well.
The only thing we do not like about Chicago is the challenging weather conditions and our abbreviated outdoor installation season. Even though we do many indoor projects / putting greens for the home, business and teaching facility, outdoor putting greens and artificial grass makes up most of our business.
Chicago is so diverse, populations of all types, everywhere. There are a lot of Italians in the Greater Chicagoland Area, which means, a large demand for bocce ball courts. We build more and more synthetic bocce ball courts every year for senior centers, park districts and of course residential homes.
Pricing:
- Artificial Lawns typically sell for between $9 – $14 p/sq-ft installed
- Artificial putting greens typically sell for between $14 – $24 p/sq-ft installed
- Bocce Ball Courts can range in price from $14 – $24 p/sq-ft installed
- Rooftop Lawns $10 – $15 p/sq-ft installed
- Rooftop Putting Greens – $18 – $25 p/sq-ft installed
Contact Info:
- Website: www.synturfil.com
- Phone: 773-457-3301
- Email: info@synturfil.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/synthetic_turf_il/
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/Synturf/
- Twitter: twitter.com/SynTurfIL
Getting in touch: VoyageChicago is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
