Field of dreams

Austin-based Hellas installs turf for Allen High School's new $60 millionpigskin palace

When the Allen High School football team takes the field this Friday against rival Southlake Carroll, the players will be stepping out on new artificial turf installed by Austin-based Hellas Construction Inc.

You’ve probably heard about Allen’s new 18,000-seat stadium, which stands as a $60 million symbol of the state’s passion for high school football. The New York Daily News dubbed the venue a “pigskin palace.”

You probably haven’t heard about Hellas, which does business as Hellas Sports Construction. But you undoubtedly know about some of Hellas’ high-profile athletic turf projects. Those include installing turf at the $1.2 billion Dallas Cowboys Stadium, Odessa’s Ratliff Stadium and the newly renovated football stadium at the University of California’s main campus in Berkeley.

About 60 of Hellas’ 350 or so employees worked on the Allen installation of the company’s flagship Matrix Turf. That’s the same brand of turf found at Jerry’s World.

Hellas’ bread and butter is making and installing surfaces — namely turf — for sports venues. About 60 of Hellas’ 350 or so employees worked on the Allen installation of the company’s flagship Matrix Turf, company spokeswoman Annika Lundmark said. That’s the same brand of turf found at Jerry’s World.

Reed Seaton founded Hellas in 2003, the same year that his previous employer, Leander-based SRI Sports Inc., went bankrupt. SRI was best known for making and selling AstroTurf. This year, Hellas expects to generate revenue of $104 million.

In establishing Hellas, Seaton told Construction Today that he “saw a need in the industry for a different kind of company that could offer a seamless process of consultation, construction and ultimately the installation of technologically advanced synthetic turf and track systems.”

Seaton is co-owner, president and CEO of Hellas. In 2011, the privately owned company sold a minority stake to Royal TenCate, an industrial conglomerate based in The Netherlands. The value of that stake wasn’t disclosed.

For the Allen Independent School District, choosing Hellas to provide about 90,000 square feet of turf for the new stadium was a no-brainer. In a Hellas news release, the school district’s athletic director, Steve Williams, said the company “has the best product on the market today.”

“You hear people say they are Chevy people. Some say they are Ford people,” Williams said. “We are Hellas people.”

A community pep rally and open house was held August 23 at the new stadium. Williams said Allen’s old stadium was built in 1976 to hold 7,200 fans. Since then, enrollment at the high school has soared to about 5,000.

“Even after two [stadium] expansions and the addition of temporary seating for 7,000, we [were] still unable to accommodate everyone — the fans, our concessions, the media and so on,” Williams said in a news release.

unspecified

for the win

Cheer on these Texans competing for Team USA in the 2026 Winter Olympics

Amber Glenn, 2026 Winter Olympics figure skater from Plano

teamusa.com/

Plano's famous figure skater Amber Glenn is on the roster.

The XXV Winter Olympic Games, also known as the Milano Cortina 2026, are right around the corner, running February 6-22 in northern Italy. Out of the 2,900 athletes who will participate in this year's Games, 232 will represent the U.S., with four hailing from the Lone Star State.

North Texans will recognize two local athletes in particular: Ice hockey player Hannah Bilka, who grew up in Coppell, and Plano's record-breaking figure skater Amber Glenn. Another figure skater, Emily Chan, also has ties to Dallas-Fort Worth.

To catch these Texas-born athletes in the 2026 Winter Olympics, viewers can tune in to NBC and its affiliate networks, websites, and apps (like Peacock).

Without further ado, these are the Winter Olympians competing for Team USA with roots in Texas. (Note that there are other athletes with Texas ties, like Jake Oettinger of the Dallas Stars, who are competing in the Olympics but aren't considered Texans.)

Hannah Bilka, 24
Sport: Ice hockey
Texas tie: Bilka grew up in Coppell and is the youngest of four children. At age six, she followed in the footsteps of her older brother, Anthony, and started playing hockey. Due to a "lack of girls’ hockey teams in Texas," she grew up playing hockey with boys.
Fun facts: She won the 2024 National Championship in women’s ice hockey with the Ohio State Buckeyes, the same university where she earned a master's degree in sport management. Her two older sisters, Christina and Stephanie, were figure skaters.
When to watch: The women's ice hockey preliminary round begins on Thursday, February 5. The women's bronze and gold medal matches will take place on Thursday, February 19.

Hannah Bilka, 2026 Winter Olympics hockey player Hannah Bilka is one of two North Texans competing in this year's Games.Photo courtesy of Getty Images

Emily Chan, 28
Sport: Pairs figure skating
Texas tie: Chan hails from Pasadena, a Houston-area suburb in Harris County, but she also calls Dallas home. She graduated from Texas Online Preparatory School as the valedictorian.
Fun facts: She loves to cook, bake, make jewelry, and dreams of opening her own café in the future. Her longtime skating partner, Spencer Akira Howe, is from Los Angeles. They both relocated to train at the Skating Club of Boston in 2019, where Chan now coaches young figure skaters. Chan is also pursuing a family and marriage counseling degree from Grand Canyon University.
When to watch: The figure skating "team event" kicks off on Friday, February 6. The pairs figure skating competition begins on Wednesday, February 16.

Emily Chan, 2026 Winter Olympics figure skater In addition to being a top-notch figure skater, Emily Chan is also trained in Chinese modern dance and ballet.teamusa.com/

Amber Glenn, 26
Sport: Singles figure skating
Texas tie: She was born in Plano, and started skating at just five years-old.
Fun facts: Glenn is a mental health advocate and a member of the LGBTQ+ community. She came out as pansexual in 2019. She loves to play Magic: The Gathering, and her dog, Uki, is named after stalking shadow card Ukkima. She also enjoys anime and Star Wars. On Friday, May 29, Glenn will visit Allen during the 2026 Stars on Ice Tour.
When to watch: The figure skating "team event" kicks off on Friday, February 6. The women's singles free skate competition begins Thursday, February 19.

Amber Glenn, figure skating Plano's Amber Glenn will have the Dallas-Fort Worth crowd on its feet. Facebook/ISU

Boone Niederhofer, 32
Sport: Bobsledding
Texas tie: Niederhofer grew up in San Antonio, and later became a wide receiver at Texas A&M University. His father, Dan, played football for Abilene Christian University. Niederhofer and his family previously lived in Midland .
Fun facts: Niederhofer has a degree in petroleum engineering and worked in Texas' oil and gas industry while competing in bobsledding competitions.
When to watch: The bobsled competition begins on Sunday, February 15. The men's two-man heat will take place on Tuesday, February 17, and the men's four-man heat is scheduled for Sunday, February 22.

Boone Niederhofer, 2026 Winter Olympics bobsledder Boone Niederhofer is a former Texas A&M University football player.Photo courtesy of Getty Images

winter olympics olympics texas amber glenn figure skating