Artificial Turf Company Has Deep Roots

Symmetry Sports Construction is proud to call Mount Pleasant home

Story by Andrea Agardy

aerial view of football field with sunset over town in back

Symmetry Sports Construction specializes in artificial turf playing fields. But there’s nothing artificial about the company’s commitment to the school districts, communities and teams it serves. “I feel like we’re a breath of fresh air for a lot of our customers,” says CEO Jason Bell.

Running an honest business isn’t just lip service for Symmetry — it’s a core principle of the entire operation. For example, when a client hires the company to design a project, Symmetry urges customers to also retain an independent consultant, usually an engineer or architect, to review the plans and hold Symmetry accountable. “That consultant is advocating for the owner to make sure we are fulfilling our obligations,” Jason says. “It’s just good business, I think, to make sure everything is on the up and up.”

That insistence on transparency has earned the company a devoted customer base. “I think everybody in this business realizes that Symmetry has a great following by our customers,” Jason says. “That’s the result of treating people fairly and honestly.”

Building a Business

Jason came to a crossroads in 2008. When the Great Recession took hold, he lost his commercial real estate job. He went to work as a construction manager for an artificial turf company, but that company sold shortly thereafter, and the new owner announced plans to relocate all employees to Georgia. With a wife in law school, a new baby and deep roots in the Lone Star State, Jason had no desire to leave Texas. In 2010, he and his former business partner decided to strike out on their own instead, and Symmetry Sports Construction was born.

Symmetry CEO Jason Bell brought his daughter, Chaney, to check out one of the company’s ongoing projects.

Symmetry began as a subcontractor, sending crews across the country to install turf on other companies’ projects. Right out of the gate, the team tackled some very high-profile jobs. “We were very fortunate early on,” Jason says. “That very first year, we did the Metrodome for the Minnesota Vikings and the brand-new football stadium at my alma mater, the University of North Texas.”

The company went on to work on the home fields of the Baltimore Ravens and New Orleans Saints, as well as many NCAA fields. “We jumped in headfirst and really took on some big work,” he says. “It really put us on the map and catapulted us. People took notice.”

In addition to working on sports fields seen nationwide on Saturdays and Sundays, Symmetry crews also put in time at dozens of high school stadiums. “Our bread and butter has always been high schools,” Jason says. “I would say 90% of what we did and continue to do is high school-level projects.”

Those projects have grown beyond the gridiron to include soccer, baseball and softball fields, running tracks, tennis courts, natural grass fields and field and track maintenance work.

Jason hired Symmetry’s first salesperson in 2014, and the company began pursuing its own projects closer to home, rather than subcontracting on out-of-state jobs. “We were doing very, very little work here in Texas, our own back- yard,” Jason recalls. “There’s always been a lot of work here, but it was just hard to break into that market. A lot of folks laughed at us. They didn’t take us seriously because we were a no-name. But slowly, we started picking up work, and I think everyone was kind of impressed by us.”

AstroTurf was one of the industry giants paying attention. In 2018, Symmetry Sports Construction became the exclusive AstroTurf distributor in Texas. “It’s been a really, really good business move for our company. It gave us a lot of marketing horsepower and recognition,” Jason says. “AstroTurf is kind of like Band-Aids and Tupperware — it’s a cult brand. It’s been a really good, mutually beneficial relationship.”

Hometown Home Base

Symmetry continues to thrive, with a staff of approximately 80 employees who think of one another as family. “I feel like we’re all in some way, as Christians, ministering to others,” Jason says. “This is my ministry. So it’s important to me to have like-minded folks working for Symmetry who will continue that ministry well beyond my personal reach.”

The company’s headquarters is in Mount Pleasant, Jason’s hometown. He spent years away from Titus County attending college and working in Dallas, but coming back to where he and his wife grew up was always on his mind. “It’s a very unique place to have a company like this. But it’s home to me,” he says. “All I ever really wanted to do was move back to our hometown.”

But he isn’t content to just raise his family and run his business in Mount Pleasant. Jason wants Symmetry to be an active and engaged member of the community. The company proudly supports high school football teams and local nonprofit organizations. “I’m very proud to be from there, so I’ve got to be part of boosting not only the local economy, but folks who are in need,” he says. “It’s a very intentional effort.