Ford, Carhartt and Premier Group restore Detroit's Belle Isle baseball field
Ford and Carhartt volunteers joined Detroit-based Premier Group Associates to renovate a Belle Isle baseball field used by Detroit kids for more than a century and by more than a dozen community organizations.
- roughly 95 million
- more than a dozen
- more than a century
What Happened
Ford and Carhartt offered to help restore the Belle Isle baseball field earlier this year, and the project needed a construction partner to run the job. Detroit-based Premier Group Associates, which already does lawn work and sign installation on Belle Isle, took that role. Joshua Davila, Premier's vice president of construction, supervised his own crew and coordinated volunteers from Ford and Carhartt. The field has been used by Detroit kids for more than a century and is used by more than a dozen community organizations.
- Ford and Carhartt volunteers assembled the newly installed bleachers.
- They sanded and painted poles.
- They pulled weeds across the grounds.
- They worked alongside Premier's crews as the work moved from one task to the next.
- The finished field had fresh paint, new dugouts and a smoothed outfield.
“In construction, you've got to depend on a lot of people.”
roughly 95 million
Workers in farming, construction, transportation and manufacturing who keep American communities running.
Premier's fleet of Ford F-550s carried the project from one stage to the next, hauling away all the concrete demolished from the old dugouts and bringing in cinderblocks, new benches and heavy machinery including skid steers. Many essential workers rely on durable tools and equipment, and many depend on Ford and Carhartt, the source says. The source says Ford and Carhartt have been found together on job sites across the country for more than a century, and the F-150 Carhartt Edition and Super Duty Carhartt Edition trucks pay tribute to these essential workers. The partnership is grounded in real work, according to the article.
“Our guys are pretty rough on the trucks. We're loading concrete in and out, slamming doors. It's just a lot of dirt.”
“The biggest reward is seeing the smiles on the faces of young ball players.”
Why this matters
The renovation shows a corporate charity partnership restoring a Detroit baseball field used by more than a dozen community organizations, while tying the work to Ford and Carhartt trucks and to the roughly 95 million workers in farming, construction, transportation and manufacturing called the Essential Economy. It affects local youth players and community groups, as well as the construction crews and volunteers who did the work.
Terms in This Story
- Essential Economy
- The workforce in farming, construction, transportation and manufacturing that keeps communities running.
- skid steer
- A small, engine-powered machine with lift arms used to move materials and perform site work.
- dugout
- A sheltered area beside a baseball field where players sit when not on the field.
- cinderblocks
- Hollow concrete blocks used in construction.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.