For the last six years, the men's and women's NCAA Final Four's have been played on floors made in Amasa
AMASA -- The tiny town of Amasa holds the keys to the NCAA Basketball Tournament. For the sixth year in a row, the floors that will be played on during the men's and women's Final Four are being built at Connor Sports Flooring in Amasa.
But the plant is focusing on more than just two floors.
"This year we have 19 floors in the tournament," said Connor Sports Flooring Plant Manager, Conrad Stromberg. "Not just the final and semi-finals but the quarterfinals and the regionals. We have a lot of floors out there in the NCAA Tournament this year."
The company has become known for more than just the Final Four. Connor also provides surfaces for a dozen NBA teams as well as countless colleges and high schools throughout the country.
The portable floors are designed, built, and bundled by the plant's 120 workers before being shipped off to their new home. Even for plant veterans, seeing the floors in action still comes as a pleasant surprise.
"It's extremely impressive that I can turn on the TV and watch a basketball game and know that I was a big part of what they're doing," said Connor employee Mike Coonrod, an eight year veteran. "That floor they're playing on, I helped make."
The floors keep turning out better and better every year which Stromberg attributes to one thing.
"We've got a great team, and people take pride in their work. I wouldn't trade the team that we have here for any workforce in the country," he said. "I guess the easiest way to explain it is we're proud of what we're doing."
Connor's contract with the NCAA runs for another five years, and Stromberg expects the relationship to continue well into the future.
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