Ripken Baseball Inc., the business arm of HOFer CAL RIPKEN JR. and his brother BILL, has struck a corporate alliance with Georgia-based sports general contractor Fields Inc. to create a new sports field development entity, Ripken Sports. The newly formed Ripken Sports will replace Ripken Design, which had aided operators at all levels of sports in the planning and development of athletic complexes, particularly scholastic and collegiate clients. Financial terms were not disclosed, but Fields Inc. President & CEO BRIAN STORM will lead Ripken Sports. Fields Inc. has held a long relationship with Ripken Baseball, primarily through consulting on youth field construction efforts carried out by the Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation. Ripken Jr. said, "We're trying to figure out how we can get better together, and this is an opportunity to move this business forward. This really adds to what we have and expands our capabilities." Among the areas of field development Ripken Sports will work in are feasibility studies, design, project management and construction. Storm: "The Ripken brand carries a tremendous amount of weight, even outside of baseball. We think our combined capabilities, the ability to offer a one-stop shop to clients, and the Ripken name will open a lot of doors for us."
