The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
RIDDELL PLANT TOURED
5,000-plus tour plant, test equipment
“I want them to experience what we brought to the community.” — Production Manager Mark Daley
Thousands of visitors tried on football helmets and toured an almost 350,000-square-foot Riddell manufacturing and reconditioning plant in North Ridgeville.
Long lines formed in a warm drizzle to tour the new facility May 21 at 38889 Center Ridge Road.
The company makes football helmets for all of the National Football League teams, as well as for colleges, high schools and youth leagues, said Leigh Cullen, director of human resources for Riddell.
The public response pleased company officials.
“This is an exciting time for us,” Cullen said. “It’s an amazing experience. I’ve been with the company for about four months,
the building in Elyria.”
The construction required 12,500 cubic yards of concrete, or enough to fill about 400,000 football helmets, according to information provided by Justin Kenny, communications manager for Riddell.
“It’s quite an accomplishment,” Cullen said. “It’s something I’m quite proud of.
“We were planning for 2,000 to 4,000 people. It was hard to tell,” Cullen said. “This morning we hosted RSVP-only tours for employees and their families. We opened it up at noon to North Ridgeville and the larger community to come down and be part of the day.”
Production Manager Mark Daley is in his 23rd season with Riddell.
“I want them to experience what we brought to the community,” said Daley, who is originally from Lorain, “obviously a beautiful facility. It’s a state-of-the-art facility, and hopefully we can gain some employment from the community.”
The company employees 300 people, with about 30 temporary and full-time positions open currently, Cullen said.
“And an industry like football isn’t going to go away,” Cullen said. “It will be here for years. We have a business that can provide employment for folks for a long time.”
Daley said his first job was pressing out old Max Pro name plates, which lasted about six months before he transferred to the paint room and then into management.
“You have to enjoy what you’re doing to maintain that longevity,” Daley said. “I love doing what I do, being with the people on the floor. We retain a very high portion of our employees. There are some employees who have been here for 50 years or 30 years.”
Construction on the new building began in July of 2016. The move from the Elyria location started in April. The facility was fully operational by the first week of May, according to Kenny.
And this is Riddell’s busy season, Cullen said.
“We do a lot of work to get ready for football season to get underway,” Cullen said. “Whether it’s the NFL, colleges, or high schools, we have to be ready for that.”
The plant handles consumer products for the NFL and colleges, reconditioning from the youth market to the NFL, and shoulder pads and cloth items sold new or reconditioned, Daley said.
“We carry a 10-year life cycle on the helmets,” Daley said. “You can recondition that helmet up to 10 years.”
The office areas display larger than life football player graphics prepared in house through special photography shoots, Kenny said.
One graphic features North Ridgeville football players, he said. Another in a hallway presents a North Ridgeville football stadium.
Conference rooms are named “Huddle” or “Touchdown,” Kenny said, adding company meetings also are called huddles.
A helmet wall features designs of all 32 NFL teams, he said.
The North Ridgeville High School Marching Band performed and football players attended the event.
In the cafeteria, guests chose a gift to commemorate the day.
Brothers Talii Steidl, 14, and Doug Steidl, 12, from Put-In-Bay, tried on Ohio State University Buckeyes helmets and posed for family photographs.
“It’s cool,” said Talii, and eighth grade student. “We don’t have a football team on the island. It was cool to put on a helmet because I have never worn one.”
Doug also tried on an Oregon helmet. He said they felt weird because of the new experience, yet comfortable.
“It wasn’t hot,” Doug said. “They had a lot of air vents to get air in.”
Both boys want to attend Ohio State, they said.
Their father, Mike Steidl, 48, said he enjoyed the tour.
“I grew up in North Ridgeville, and I’m back in North Ridgeville,” Steidl said. “I always knew Riddell was in Elyria. This came here, and it’s pretty impressive. The painting process was the coolest. They’re doing everything by hand. They don’t do it by automation, with machines, which is surprising.”
Ann Williams, 48, lives in Indiana.
“I thought it was really, really interesting,” Williams said. “Very well organized. The thing I was most impressed with was they take in and recondition everything. I thought that was really interesting. And I thought it was good they don’t just waste it and throw it away. And how they make sure it’s safe for the players in the next season.”
Guests left the building with team gear such as hats and mini helmets, and food such as hot dogs.
Information about Riddell is on a website at www.riddell.com
At the end of the day, Kenny estimated more than 5,000 visitors toured the facility.
“We’re really excited and pleased with how everything went,” Kenny said.