By John Kmitta
Rising Star Award Winner Andy Hebrard called me from outer space. Well, at least it appeared that way as he showed off his galaxy background during a late-August Zoom call to discuss his career journey. For Hebrard – a man who likes metaphors, analogies and symbolism – it was rather fitting.
After all, Hebrard doesn’t see himself as a supergiant in the night sky, but merely one of many bright lights in the sports field management galaxy.
“I’m just a little comet,” he said. “I lean on so many professionals and so many vendors who actually know what they’re doing. There are so many people just crushing it.”
Some industry peers (and crews) that Hebrard would like to credit for his success include, “Lupes, Denny Jr., Big Juan, Yogi, Rene, Cito, Jordan, Coach, Pretty Nicky, PB2, J Spray, Hansen, Bobby Love, B Love, Big Puma, Bullseye, Glen, Kev, The Golden Goose, Sammy, Brad, Dougie P., Derrski, Big Smooth and Big Time Timmy Jim.”
And although he is only in his mid-30s himself, Hebrard’s star has been on a slow and steady rise for a long time. That’s because he began his journey in the orbit of another star in the sport field management universe – his father Mike (a.k.a., “Hebby” or the recently coined “Spaceman”).
“My dad’s been in the profession a long time,” said Hebrard. “That was my daycare – getting in the truck and going with him. As you do with your kids, you try to show them the way, and perhaps how you found success. It’s up to them to create their own opportunity out of that. But he did a great job as a mentor from when I was a boy, all the way through high school, through college and then into adulthood.”
According to Hebrard, his father taught him about work ethic, resiliency and how to be a grinder. “He has a lot of ‘Mike-isms’ that are top notch, but one is that ‘You got to know the bus route home.’”
Hebrard didn’t have the sports turf bug coming out of high school, because it was something he had already been working on for six years. At that time, his heart and soul were focused on playing baseball, and he was following his father’s advice to “play as long as you can.”
And for Hebrard, college was all about baseball – first at Feather River College in Quincy, California, where he played for CP & T-Baum. Then on to Missouri Western State University as a utility player (pitcher and corner infielder) for the Griffons under head coach Charles “Buzz” Verduzco. Along the way, Hebrard was first-team all-league at every level of baseball he ever played.
But after college – and after baseball – he returned home and went to work with Mike; adding that, most of the time, he and Mike work best from opposite ends of the field.
Through his baseball and work experiences, he learned about communicating to a team, handling different management styles, how to coexist with others and the importance of team chemistry.
Taking what he learned from his father, coaches, mentors and other professionals, Hebrard took a job working in the NFL at FedEx Field in Washington, D.C., and from there a stint with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Having seen the freedom and success his father had in running his own business, Hebrard decided to branch out on his own and build a new company – Athletic Applications (AA). He initially focused on painting synthetic turf and developed a niche in the market.
“I reached out to my supplier and let him know that I was in California and to let me know if any leads that come through,” said Hebrard. “That was the start of AA.”
Hebrard’s father routed some projects his way; he built his relationships and connections through SFMA; and with the help of his wife, Lindsay, jobs began to trickle in. They moved to Phoenix and grew the business.
“Sports are huge in that city,” Hebrard said of the decision to be based in Phoenix. “It’s year round. There’s a lot of turf management, a lot of natural grass. It’s exciting times.”
Hebrard now has five trusted employees who he calls “The starting five” – stating that he is just the sixth man. The starting five is comprised of “The Barber, Iceman, Smitty, Wardog and The Company Man.”
“They are the lifeblood guys that I can trust,” said Hebrard; adding that the company also relies on subcontractors for certain projects that require specialized equipment. “I’m not going to try to do it all myself. Sharing is very important to me. Tying guys in on projects where you know they could have success and work with different people; that’s why I do it.”
According to Hebrard, business is split fairly evenly between local projects in the Phoenix area and projects throughout other parts of the country – usually dependent upon inventory and supplies in other states or regions. Athletic Applications specializes in line and logo painting on synthetic and natural surfaces, field layout/ renovations, baseball specialty projects, turf management programs, and athletic facility branding. Hebrard enjoys the artistic side of the industry and finds inspiration from many places.
“Scrolling through Twitter, I saw a post from Ryan Nagy – the Tamp Champ,” he said. “I’ve never met him in person, but I saw he had posted this very simple photo of a clean edge. It was conditioner on top of packed infield clay alongside beautifully manicured turf. That is art. We love the logos, but then you realize having that clean edge with the transition you can’t feel with your foot is as artistic as anything.”
When it comes to running a business, Hebrard says that the biggest challenge is the sheer physical demands of the job – not only the demands of working in the Phoenix heat, but mobilization, getting to and from out-of-state jobs, and meeting demanding event schedules and deadlines.
And although launching and running a business has had its challenges, Hebrard and Lindsay faced a greater challenge when their daughter Mackenzie was born prematurely, weighing only 15 ounces. Mackenzie spent nearly a year in the hospital, more than two years on a ventilator, and dealt with a feeding tube, surgeries, transfusions and more.
“She just survived it,” said Hebrard. “It really put things into perspective and lit our path. God gives you trials, and you just live in the moment. You don’t know why they’re presented to you in the way that they are, but then you come out so much stronger.”
Mackenzie inspired the formation of the Kenzie Kares Foundation (https://kenziekaresfoundation.com/), a 501(c)(3) that celebrates her story and supports families who are “enduring the journey of the neonatal intensive care unit.” Now five years old, Mackenzie is the true star in Hebrard’ life. “She is just the light,” he said.
Hebrard credits his mom, Kim, and wife, Lindsay, for helping him keep calm through an extremely difficult time. And amid Mackenzie’s birth and through the challenge of the COVID pandemic, Hebrard successfully launched Athletic Applications, and has grown the company to the point that he now handles major projects on a national level.
“Everything’s growing right now,” he said. “I’m just trying to treat people right. At the end of the day, relationships matter. Your relationship with Christ matters, your relationships with your wife and your daughter or your kids matter. How you treat your parents and your grandparents matters. How you treat people you work alongside matters. The goal for me is to impact people and have a good time together.”
Bringing it full circle, when asked about being named a SportsField Management Rising Star, Hebrard said that it’s not about trophies on the mantle or features in a magazine, even though that’s definitely a perk!
“It’s about connecting with people,” he said. “It’s an exciting time to be in the industry, and I’m just floating among the stars.”
What their nominator had to say:
Andy is a great resource, helping others with knowledge and equipment. He gets facilities and grounds personnel to better maintain their facilities, and he supports organizations with sponsorship and training.
Editor’s Note: SportsFieldManagementOnline.com will share the individual profiles of this year’s Rising Star Award winners during the coming weeks so that each winner is highlighted in our featured spot on the site. But you can also read about all of this year’s winners in the October issue of SportsField Management, and you can listen to interviews with the winners on the SportsField Management Podcast.
To nominate an industry professional for next year’s Rising Star Awards, please visit the Rising Star main page.
Special thanks to STEC Equipment for sponsoring the Rising Star Awards.
