The birth of True Pitch®, Inc. dates back to 1962 when John Goeders began searching for a way for his son's Little League team's pitchers to practice and play from a pitching mound rather than from a flat surface. He had just witnessed his son's team pitch from a mound for the first time and all the pitchers were wild. Goeders decided he'd build a mound. He consequently learned that portable pitching mounds had not yet been invented.

Goeders invested a great deal of time and money developing several models of fiberglass pitching mounds and used several area high schools and colleges in Iowa to test the various models. He didn't have enough money to apply for a patent until 1966 and since the first patent was issued in that year, True Pitch has secured a number of additional pitching mound patents.

He continued to refine his mounds and in 1972, earned a coveted endorsement from Little League Baseball®, Inc., in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Today, local Little League organizations worldwide are using True Pitch mounds for both practice and games. Since the original endorsement and approval from Little League Baseball, Pony Baseball, Babe Ruth League Baseball, and most recently, Dixie Youth Baseball have followed suit and approved the fiberglass, artificial turf covered mounds for game use.

The increased use of the mounds at all levels brought about another significant event in the development of True Pitch. When baseball pitchers started using metal spikes on his mounds, John cut holes in the mounds, and filled them with dirt - so the cleats would hold and offer a more authentic surface on which to practice and play. The dirt was gummy and would stick to the steal cleats, so Goeders began daydreaming of a "no-stick" dirt.

He called Boris Kviesitis, an old chemist buddy, and the two of them spent most of 1989 brewing up the original batch of what has come to be known as Flex-A-Clay®. As it turns out, Flex-A-Clay® had greater applications on actual baseball and softball fields than it did for the mounds. Flex-A-Clay® is a patented, specially formulated, processed, dry soil composition which is mainly made up of a particle of sand, double-coated with layers of polyvinyl, alcohol and clay.

Duane Banks, long-time baseball coach at the University of Iowa and Mike Andreson, former head groundskeeper for the Iowa Cubs (Triple AAA Baseball) were two of the first to apply Flex-A-Clay® to their fields and their endorsements have led to Flex-A-Clay® sales worldwide. The first patent on Flex-A-Clay® was issued in 1992.

Experiments involving the use of Flex-A-Clay® off the baseball/softball diamonds continued and Flex-A-Clay® demonstrated a moderate, positive effect on plant growth during those experiments. A suggestion was made to consult with Dr. Nick Christian and Dr. David Minner of the Horticultural Department at Iowa State University to possibly conduct some testing on the qualities of Flex-A-Clay®.

True Pitch®, Inc. Chairman Goeders, and chemist Boris Kviesitis were both familiar with the effects of sea kelp from their work together developing various feed formulas and during the winter of 1994-95, they began to experiment with a brown sea kelp additive to the original patented Flex-A-Clay® formula. In May of 1995 they distributed three five-pound samples of what is now being sold as "Bio-Flex®". The samples produced some outstanding results, and True Pitch commissioned Iowa State University to begin an extensive field study to further evaluate the effects of Bio-Flex® on plant growth. The 1996 study, (1996 Inorganic Soil Amendments for Sand Green), was initiated on September of 1996 and concluded in August of 1997. The research project yielded some outstanding results as the test plots containing Bio-Flex® as the amendment, greatly outperformed the other soil amendments (Profile, Axis and Bioceramic)used in the study. The grass produced on the Bio-Flex® treated plots flourished earlier and was thicker, greener and had more extensive root systems. The results of the field study prompted further testing and True Pitch® funded another grant to Iowa State University to further evaluate the effects of Bio-Flex® on the growth and development of the turf grass.

The greenhouse study was conducted under the direction of Dr. David Minner and Dr. Nick Christians of the Horticultural Department at Iowa State. Young Joo, a visiting turfgrass specialist from Korea, and graduate students Melissa Weinhold and Deying Li, assisted them in the study. The objectives of the study were to observe the effects of Bio-Flex, of each of its component parts (i.e., sea kelp, clay, polymer, etc.), and equivalent amounts of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K), on the establishment, growth, and root development of creeping bentgrass under controlled environmental conditions in the greenhouse. Dakota peat, a standard used for rootzone modification, was also included as a comparison.

At the conclusion of the study (March 1998), it was shown that there was a clear advantage in rooting of creeping bentgrass that was treated with the Bio-Flex®. Better when compared to the component parts. Better when compared to equivalent amounts of N, P, and K, and better when compared to kelp and Dakota Peat. Additional non-greenhouse tests have provided additional positive examples on the effects of Bio-Flex®.

Sales to date, and interest from possible dealers and/or distributors point to an excellent market and sales future for Bio-Flex®.

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