Fieldturf Tarkett Acquires Defargo

Montreal, Quebec, May 23, 2007–FieldTurf Tarkett has acquired Defargo in an important strategic acquisition, it was announced today by FieldTurf Tarkett CEO John Gilman and Defargo President Sylvain Leclair. With the acquisition of Defargo’s turf and track business, the revenue of FieldTurf Tarkett’s sports flooring business will now exceed US $350 million.

Defargo is made up of two main entities; the Defargo America track division in Texas which is run by Rick Ediger, and Defargo Sports Surfacing, the playground and sports surfacing division in Montreal. Defargo owns a patent on a multi-layer security mat for playground surfaces and is recognized as being one of the premier high quality track installation companies in North America. The Defargo company, established in 1984, currently employs more than 125 people throughout North America. Both FieldTurf and Defargo are in the process of installing new surfacing systems at Ohio State‘s legendary ‘Horseshoe’ stadium. The FieldTurf installation is near completion and will be ready well in advance of the Buckeye football team’s home opener on September 1st against Youngstown State. Defargo is currently installing the warning track surface that surrounds the football field.

“The combination of these two companies will enable sports facilities to be able to obtain the highest quality surfacing products from the industry’s largest one-stop-shop,” stated John Gilman.

“Being part of the FieldTurf Tarkett family will allow us to expand our track and playground business. The reality is that FieldTurf Tarkett has unmatched manufacturing capabilities, an impressive focus on quality control and customer service, along with the industry’s best financials,” said Sylvain Leclair.