Joel Braun

5 years ago today, I sat on my living room couch around 11:30pm, filing the articles of incorporation with the Ohio Secretary of State for this idea I had called Field Source. The idea was simple: take all the parts I loved about my job, from design, construction, and maintenance, then turn them into a company helping others develop and maintain the best sports fields possible. In the year preceding my night on the couch, two people made me believe this was possible. They both said the same thing about taking a huge idea for sports fields and making it into a reality. "I want to do this with the end in mind and do it right from the start. I trust you." Those words fueled me in ways I had not experienced in my career. Shane Adkins and his wife were building a park in Hanover, Ohio, to honor their late son, Wyatt. Shane called me on a referral from a vendor to ask a few questions about building sports fields. Those few questions turned into a 2-hour conversation with many more in the months to follow. The result was a facility that now serves thousands of kids in Licking County and as a beacon for a kid whose light will always shine. Shane ensured Legacy Park would be built well and maintained properly for the safety and enjoyment of all those who played there by taking a chance on me. @ganobleberries and I had been friends for a while by the time his field renovation project at Huntington Park came up in 2017. He did an incredible amount of work to prepare and talked with groundskeepers all over the country. With this huge knowledge base, we worked together on a variety of big and small-picture details to make it one of the best fields in professional baseball. As I sit on a different couch, in a different place, at a different time on this day, and in my life, I'm incredibly grateful for these two people. The fire inside me was burning and still is today. Shane and Wes fueled that fire with opportunities I've never looked back from except in gratitude.

Sunrise blowout with @makturf #40psi. Great weather in Cincy today!!!