By Emma Peterson. 

A special CoatingsTalk® recorded in the field explores how changing recreation trends are reshaping the athletic surfaces market. 

In a special live from the jobsite CoatingsTalk®, Heidi J. Ellsworth got the chance to meet up with Weston Ready, the president of Texas-based CourTex Construction, on one of his company’s coating projects. As Weston’s team finished up installing a California Sports Surfaces’ coating (Plexipave®), Heidi got to pick his brain about the growing sports surfaces niche and the unique demands of athletic facilities.  

The conversation started with Weston sharing his history in the sports surfaces market, saying, “I’ve been in the business for 16 years. At this point, our team is surfacing and resurfacing a little over 700 courts a year across the country — about 80% commercial, 20% residential.” Recently, he has noticed the market has grown more popular with new companies entering the scene. 

When we asked what has driven this growth, he pointed to the rise of popularity of padel (a racquet sport that combines elements of tennis and squash) and pickleball (a racket sport that resembles tennis played on a doubles badminton court). He elaborated:  

Every year there are trends and there are shifts. Right now, padel is up and coming and pickleball, as we all know, is super popular. We’re even seeing pickleball become an organized sport in colleges. In response, a lot of parks and recreation buildings are converting spaces into courts for these games, and some people are even building play areas in their backyards.  

Weston’s best advice for people coming into this market? Learn the proper ways to install sports surfaces. He explained, “It looks easy on paper and it's a very tough business. We have seen an uptick in maintenance work specifically related to correcting deficiencies in other people's installs.” 

Where can you learn about the best practices for sports surface installations? Industry associations, like the American Sports Builders Association (ASBA), and veterans like Weston. He shared, “Getting involved is so valuable. I love hanging out with the suppliers, getting to know the vendors and even working with friendly competitors. I would always find a way to work with a competitor versus against one.”  

Want to learn more? Listen to the whole conversation with Weston or Watch the recording of our live stream from the job site!

By Jesse Sanchez. 

ICP’s Jay Doubman shares how coatings help protect, restore and extend the life of surfaces across roofing, sports and building materials. 

From rooftops to courts, coatings play a powerful role in helping surfaces last longer and perform better. At the American Sports Builders Association (ASBA) show in San Antonio, Texas, Jay Doubman, CEO of ICP Building Solutions Group, joined Heidi J. Ellsworth to talk about the many ways coatings support the built environment; including rooftops, building envelopes, sports surfaces, parking garages and flooring systems. 

ICP has grown through acquisition into what Jay described as “a rollup of coatings, adhesives and sealants companies” serving the building materials industry. Today, that includes product lines connected to architectural coatings, sports surfaces, polyurethane products and roof coatings, which Jay noted is one of the company’s larger segments.  

Across all of those markets, one thing remains consistent: coatings are at the center of the work. “We are really all about coatings,” Jay said, explaining that ICP’s research and development teams often collaborate across categories. That shared technical knowledge allows expertise from one market to help support innovation in another, strengthening the company’s broader coatings portfolio. 

One of the biggest opportunities Jay sees across the coatings industry is restoration. Whether it is a low-slope commercial roof, a playing court or another surface that still has a sound structure beneath it, coatings can offer a practical way to protect existing materials and extend their service life. “If you think about a commercial roof, a flat roof or low slope roof on a factory that’s reached an end of life or started to leak, you can take a very expensive option of taking the whole roof off or oftentimes you can coat it,” Jay said. “If it’s in good structural condition, you can coat it and extend the life.” 

That same protection mindset applies beyond roofing. In sports surfaces, ICP has seen strong international activity, including a notable presence in Australia. Jay highlighted Cool Top, a pigment system developed in Australia to help reduce playing surface temperatures and support better performance for athletes and facilities. 

But even the best coating depends on the people putting it down. Jay emphasized that proper installation, contractor training and strong installer relationships are essential across ICP’s markets. He noted, “No coating is going to really perform if it’s not installed correctly.” 

ICP also continues to stay active in industry associations, including ASBA, the Roof Coatings Manufacturers Association (RCMA) and the American Coatings Association (ACA). For Jay, these organizations give the industry a shared voice on challenges, opportunities and issues that no single company can solve alone. 

From restoration to surface protection, ICP’s work shows how coatings can help contractors, building owners and facility managers get more life and value out of the surfaces they already have. 

Watch the full interview to learn more about ICP’s coatings, restoration and surface protection solutions!

By Jesse Sanchez. 

This trade association is committed to advancing standards in sports facility design, construction and maintenance. 

The Coffee Shops™, the award-winning online communities where the industries meet for technologies, safety, information and education for the construction trades of roofing, metal, coatings and outdoor living, are pleased to welcome the American Sports Builders Association (ASBA) into their community. 

ASBA continues to shape the direction of sports facility design and construction by implementing standards and strengthening connections across a highly specialized industry. Established in 1965 as the U.S. Tennis Court & Track Builders Association, the organization was created to help contractors address shared challenges, establish consistent benchmarks and stay informed on evolving industry conditions. Its 2004 name change reflects an expanded scope that now encompasses the full range of sports facility construction. 

From this association, you can expect: 

• A structured network of professionals across Courts, Fields, Tracks and Indoor Sports Surfaces divisions. 
• Access to technical resources including construction manuals, guidelines and position papers 
• Ongoing industry insights through Newsline and members-only content 
• Professional development through the Certified Builder Program with six specialized designations 
• A commitment to advancing standards and improving project outcomes across facility types 
• Innovative tools like BIRT, an AI-powered assistant trained on ASBA materials 

The Coffee Shops are proud to welcome the American Sports Builders Association!

About the American Sports Builders Association (ASBA) 

The ASBA is a non-profit association comprised of designers, builders and suppliers in sports facility construction. The ASBA sponsors informative meetings, publishes a quarterly magazine, books and technical construction guidelines for athletic facilities, produces a mobile app containing diagrams of sports facilities and keeps its members aware of the latest developments in the industry. Additionally, ASBA offers voluntary certification programs in tennis court, running track and sports field construction, as well as a certificate program in pickleball court construction. It also has a philanthropic initiative, the American Sports Builders Foundation (ASBF).