From Farmland
to Premier
Sports Facility The Grand
Customer
in Focus
22 September/October 2019 The Conveyor | www.martinmarietta.com
THE Customer Corner
There are common themes that bond
Martin Marietta sales teams with
their customers. Hard work, pride
and excellent customer service are just
a few that come to mind. While these
themes have strengthened the customer
relationship between Indiana District
leadership and Steve Crider, owner of
Crider & Crider, Inc., it was something
else that strengthened their friendships.
“Steve, (Indiana District Vice President
General Manager) Ed Gehr and I
have always shared a passion for baseball
and so we’ve always enjoyed working
together,” says Area Manager Kris Luce.
“That’s why working with Crider & Crider
on Grand Park really was so special.
Together, we witnessed 400 acres of
farmland develop into one of the premier
sports facilities in the country.”
A massive complex about 20 miles
north of Indianapolis, Grand Park – The
Sports Campus at Westfield offers 26
baseball/softball fields; 31 multiple-use
fields for football, lacrosse, rugby and
soccer; 300,000 square-feet of indoor turf
space; 10 miles of multi-use paths; and, as
of last year, is the home of the Indianapolis
Colts training camp.
Another number to note: While building
the park, Crider & Crider utilized nearly
600,000 tons of aggregates from Martin
Marietta’s Noblesville Stone operation.
Crider, whose family-owned company
has worked with Martin Marietta for
decades, says he appreciates the many
positive results that have come from his
dealings with Gehr and Luce.
“We’ve developed a very good working
relationship over the years,” he says.
“We’ve always received good service and a
high-quality product, and the prices have
always been fair.”
Since opening in 1954, Crider & Crider
has built scores of commercial and
highway projects and has completed work
on a number of popular sports facilities,
including those at Indiana University and
Purdue University, and Lucas Oil Stadium.
Like Gehr, Luce and many other Martin
Marietta employees, Crider says he often
reflects upon his company’s work and the
impact it has on the community. The
Sports Campus, for example, has been
credited with creating $700 million of
economic activity in and around the city
of Westfield. The influx of money has
meant better business for local merchants
as well as greater opportunities for
companies like Crider & Crider and
Martin Marietta to bid on commercial
and infrastructure projects. For Crider,
though, the financial element of the
Grand Park takes a back seat when he sees
how the men, women and children of the
community use the space.
“When I think about Grand Park, I
think it’s just a great project to have been
a part of,” he says. “The complex receives
2 million visitors each year, and so when
I’m there and I see 10,000 people enjoying
different sporting events, I’m proud. I
don’t know of many sports facilities like
that in the country.” ▼
Crider & Crider, Inc.
■ Based in Bloomington,
Indiana, with a strong
presence in Indianapolis
■ Family-owned and operated
since its founding in 1954
■ Performs projects in heavy/
highway and commercial
building construction markets
as well as utility construction,
sewer/water, site
development, subdivisions,
golf courses and athletic
fields
Park – Sports
Campus at
Westfield was
built with
600,000 tons
of Martin
Marietta
aggregates.
Photo by Kris Luce.
/www.martinmarietta.com