Red Claws Unveil New Parquet Floor
May 28, 2009 - NBA G League (G League)
Maine Celtics News Release
PORTLAND, ME - The venerable Portland Exposition Building is undergoing a revitalization as the Maine Red Claws, presented by Quirk Chevrolet, today unveiled their new parquet floor. The new floor, built by Robbins Inc. of Cincinnati, OH, will be the home court of the Maine Red Claws and Portland High School basketball. The new parquet was revealed to the media today by Red Claws President and General Manager Jon Jennings, as well as Chris Pepin, Robbins Portables Project Manager, and Greg Pierce, Robbins Portables Sales Manager.
Set up in a parquet, or Boston Square®, pattern, the new floor is made of a layer of 2" x 3" manufactured underlayment rails with a layer of full ½" plywood with the flooring nailed to the plywood. The floor has metal to metal connectors and uses what is called a zip drop pin setup. Although the initial installation and training took approximately 3 hours to complete, during the season, the Expo staff will be able to complete the process in approximately 1 ½ hours. The Red Claws logo surrounded by the outline of the state of Maine dominates center court, while two Portland High School Bulldogs logos will adorn opposite corners. The lanes will be painted Portland High School blue.
"The new floor is absolutely stunning, and Robbins Sports Surfaces did an outstanding job of bringing our vision to reality," said Jon Jennings, Maine Red Claws President and General Manager. "I am looking forward to seeing not only our players but players at every level enjoying the court. Hopefully it will see many, many championships for many years to come."
The new parquet floor represents the second step in the Expo's major facelift. In April, the Red Claws installed a new sign and video board outside the building; later this summer, a brand new Daktronics video scoreboard will be installed inside the building, which will also see new signage and floor level seating. Bordered by the Portland Ice Arena on the right and Hadlock Field on its left, the Portland Exposition Building is the original centerpiece of the modern sports complex on Park Avenue. Its grand opening - a major agricultural show on June 7, 1915 - was considered such big news that the local daily newspaper dedicated the entire front page to covering the event. Home to more than 185 events annually, the Expo has played host to such dignitaries as Babe Ruth, Rudolph Valentino, Rocky Marciano, President John F. Kennedy, and President George Bush and sees more the 600,000 visitors each year. The Red Claws will play 24 regular season home games at the arena, beginning in late November.
ROBBINS INC.: Robbins Inc. is the premier supplier of high performance maple and synthetic flooring systems to the arena, education, religious and fitness markets. From the NBA to more than 60 nations around the world, athletes compete and practice on millions of square meters of Robbins' Sports Surfaces. Professional and amateur alike know that when they play on a high performance Robbins' system they'll be able to play at peak levels, safely and comfortably. Currently, 90% of all NBA franchises have competed or practiced on Robbins' floors, and more NBA and WNBA teams currently practice and compete on Robbins' floors than all other suppliers combined. 18 of the past 22 NBA champions competed on a Robbins floor at the time of their championship. Robbins has also created surfaces for numerous NCAA Division I schools and six Olympics, including the upcoming Vancouver Olympics in 2010.
MAINE RED CLAWS: 2009-10 will mark the inaugural season for the Maine Red Claws. The NBA D-League team will begin play in November at the Portland Expo Building. The franchise is owned and operated by Maine Basketball, LLC, which is principally owned by Bill Ryan Sr., the chairman of TD Banknorth Group, and Bill Ryan Jr., owner and operator of Oxford Plains Speedway. Jon Jennings, a partner in Maine Basketball, LLC and former Boston Celtics assistant coach, serves as the team's president and general manager.
NBA Development League: The NBA Development League, founded in 2001, is the NBA's official minor league and featured 16 teams with direct affiliations to NBA teams during the 2008-09 season. This Fall, two new NBA D-League teams will begin play in Portland, ME and Springfield, MA - the birthplace of basketball. Eighty-four former NBA Development League players were on 2008-09 NBA end-of-season rosters, amounting to almost 20 percent of NBA players, and the league continues to develop coaches, referees, and front office staff for the NBA and its teams. In fostering the league's connection to the community, its teams, players and staff promote health and wellness, support local needs and interests, and assist in educational development through NBA D-League Cares programs. The NBA D-League also advances the game of basketball as the research and development arm of the NBA. Throughout the season fans can watch all NBA D-League games on NBA Futurecast, the free live Web-streaming initiative found at nba.com/futurecast.
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NBA G League Stories from May 28, 2009
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- Red Claws Unveil New Parquet Floor - Maine Celtics
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