Background

 

Mr. Gentile began working in the sports surface industry in 2003. Since that time he has become one of the most frequent speakers in the industry with over 25 speaking engagements for every major turf and sports building association. He is also the inventor of a leading g-max impact device and the first person to conduct performance testing at a Super Bowl. 

 

Firefly Sports Testing is North America's largest and most trusted recreational surface testing / inspection firm dedicated to quality and service. We maintain an ISO 17025 laboratory accreditation and hold sports surface testing accreditations that include FIFA (soccer), ITF (tennis), FIH (field hockey), & WR (rugby). Annually we provide testing services for nearly 1,000 surfaces annually and more than 6,000 tested since our inception. We have provided testing for clients and events such as the Super Bowl, NFL stadiums, Major League Soccer teams, 2015 FIFA Women's World, and many major Universities.

 

Experience

 

Co-Founder / Executive Director, Firefly Athletics LLC 

July 2013 - Present

Developed this company into the largest and most trusted sports surface testing firm in North America.

 

Sports Surface Testing Technician, Independent Contractor

July 2011 – July 2013

Surface testing technician for projects such as Super Bowl XLVII, NFL stadiums / practice facilities, Major League Soccer venues and many major universities.

 

Civil Engineer, Coughlin Porter Lundeen

January 2008 – July 2011

Civil Engineer focusing on stormwater, urban design and low impact development in Seattle, Washington.

 

Sports Surface Designer, Bellinger Foster Steinmetz 

May 2005 – January 2007

CAD Technician specializing in sports surface design working in a Landscape Architecture Firm in Monterey California.

 

Sports Surface CAD Technician, Independent Contractor

August 2002 – January 2008

CAD Technician specializing in sports surface design working with designers, manufactures, installers, and end users.

 

Education

 

Fairfield University – Fairfield, CT – Bachelors of Arts

Engineering Liberal Arts

 

University of Connecticut – Storrs, ct – Bachelors of Science

Civil Engineering 

 

Papers

 

Contributor to Position Paper on Infill Reclamation for the American Sports Builders Association, 2017

 

Notable Achievements

 

2010 - Appointed to the Seattle Public Utilities (SPU)  Creeks, Drainage and Wastewater Advisory Committee (CDWAC)

2011 - Installed  synthetic turf  and rubberized surfaces at White House adjacent to the pool and Oval Office. This work also included resurfacing the Truman balcony located off of the private residence.

2012 - Invented the "Easy Drop" g-max testing device now used / owned by organizations like FieldTurf, AstroTurf, Brock International, Hellas Construction, Penn State NFL testing team and many more with well over 150,000 drops and counting.

2013 - Performed “performance testing” at Super Bowl XLVII. This was the first time this high level testing was ever performed on a Super Bowl field. Our firm has continued to provide testing for the synthetic turf Super Bowl fields.

2017 - Chosen to represent the American Sports Builders Association (ASBA) as a co-speaker at the 2018 Sports Turf Managers Association (STMA) Annual Conference.

2018 - Key Speaker at the Climbing Wall Association Annual Summit

 

Associations / Conferences

 

Synthetic Turf Council (12+ conferences  attended)

2014 - Education Committee member.

Current member of the Shock Pad Task Force.

2018 - Appointed by the Board to be a judge for the first annual STC Project Awards.

American Sports Builders Association (9+ conferences  attended)

2018 - Strategic Planning Committee 

Sports Turf Managers Association (7 conferences  attended)

American Society of Testing Materials (6 meetings attended)

Current member of the following committees:

F08 - Sports Equipment, Playing Surfaces, and facilities

F08.12 - Gymnastics and wrestling equipment

F08.17 - Trampolines and related equipment

F08.28 - Equestrian surfaces

F08.29 - Martial Arts

F08.52 - Miscellaneous Playing Surfaces

F08.63 - Playground Surfacing systems

F08.64 - Natural Playing Surfaces 

F08.65 - Artificial turf services and systems

F08.65.16- Task Group on Environmental Factors of Synthetic Turf

F08.66 - Sports Facilities

F08.67 - Pole Vault

National Recreation and Parks Association (3 conferences  attended)

Climbing Wall Association (3 conferences  attended)

Lead the 2018 fall surfacing impact attenuation study.