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Sports facilities provide the sizzle for a company selling air

Gifted salespeople are supposed to be able to sell sand to Bedouins and ice to Eskimos. We recently sat down with a man who sells air for a living, and he’s using sports to market his product.

Eleven-year-old AtmosAir sells an air purifier that sits within a ventilation system and promises a better-quality environment through bipolar ionization. The benefits include reduction of odors, particulates, allergens, bacteria, mold, viruses and germs. For an industry increasingly concerned with threats like MRSA and staph infection and their impact on high-priced athletes, that gets noticed.

“Team protocols about washing hands and wiping surfaces around locker rooms and training areas are better than ever,” said AtmosAir President and CEO Steve Levine, who brought the technology over from Europe more than a decade ago, “but what’s floating in the air has to be dealt with. And that’s where we come in.”

In addition to making a healthier and more odor-free environment, AtmosAir has a significant green claim. Since less air has to be recirculated in buildings where it’s installed, energy savings can be as much as 20 percent. HVAC systems typically account for 70 percent to 80 percent of a building’s total energy usage, so that’s a promise of substantial savings at a time when every building operator is focused on energy costs and sustainability.

The Atlanta Braves have committed to installing AtmosAir at their new home, SunTrust Park.
Photo by: ATLANTA BRAVES
“People say it to me all the time,” Levine said. “You’re selling air. My comeback is easy: We’re really selling health, wellness, energy saving, and a healthier workplace.”

The cost ranges from 90 cents to a dollar per square foot, with an additional 10 cents or so per square foot to replace tubes every few years.

Levine says the privately held company based in Fairfield, Conn., has doubled in size the past few years. While sports facilities are only 30 percent of the business, they are the sizzle selling the steak. So while AtmosAir has a deal with Hilton to create an “allergy-free room” that the hotelier would sell at a premium, and has installations at casinos and airports, he’d much rather talk about his sports installations.

AtmosAir has installed systems at Staples Center, TD Garden, a few MLB clubs and has worked with NFL clubs.

In 2006, the Dallas Cowboys were the first team to sign a deal with the company. Head trainer Jim Maurer said he was skeptical at first, but agreed to test the system in his home since his dog suffered from chronic allergies. The dog stopped hacking in days, and the system was eventually installed throughout the Cowboys’ Valley Ranch office and training facility.

“The air quality was just transformed,” said Maurer, a Cowboys trainer for 26 years. “Being in Dallas, there’s always been a problem with musty pads and smelly clothes, and it’s helped there also.”

Cowboys COO Stephen Jones, another chronic allergy sufferer, eventually installed the system in his home. The Cowboys will put the system in their Frisco, Texas, training center scheduled to open in 2016.

“We have less cleanup and lower electric bills, so I can tell you other teams call me about this every week,” Maurer added. “We’re all into green and health protection. This is not a gimmick, it’s for real. We’re all trying to make our training environments more conducive to healthier players.”

The Jacksonville Jaguars installed the system in their locker room, and in 2009, the Kansas City Chiefs put AtmosAir in their 100,000-square-foot training facility. The New England Patriots added the system within Gillette Stadium last year. The Chicago Cubs are using it in their Mesa spring training facility, and this March, the Pittsburgh Pirates became the first MLB team to install AtmosAir in their locker room.

“We got a safer, more germ-free environment for our players and staff,” said Jason Kobeda, Pirates ballpark maintenance manager. “We’re putting a better product on the field, and getting a reduced environmental impact and energy savings.”

The Atlanta Braves have committed to installing AtmosAir in their new SunTrust Park opening in 2017.
Large college installations include USC’s 111,000-square-foot John McKay Training Center and UCLA’s John Wooden Center.

Currently, there’s only a handful of competitors, but Levine expects 40 or 50 within a decade. As that happens, he sees the business model changing from its current supplier relationship with its teams and arenas to a hybrid sponsorship/vendor arrangement.

Levine dreams of making air quality signs at all venues as ubiquitous as temperature signs.

“Sports are a big vehicle for us, but really we should be in every hospital or any indoor environment where people are breathing,” he said.

Terry Lefton can be reached at tlefton@sportsbusinessjournal.com.

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