The Richey Way
In Track and Field, you need equipment that outlasts the budget, because the budget NEVER lasts. There’s no bigger investment on your track than a high jump or pole vault setup. In 1962, we sent our first pair of pole vault standards to Hobart High School in Hobart, Indiana. Since then, we’ve been striving to manufacture the best Track and Field equipment available at competitive prices to keep your athletes as successful and safe as possible. We’ve been a family company for nearly 60 years, never having been sold or reorganized. Read on to learn some of Richey Athletics’ guiding principles.
1
We want to help.
We know that you want the best for your kids. That means new discuses and shots when they leave one behind, replacement poles when they break one, and new uniforms as often as you can fund them. It also means that when you get the opportunity to make a large purchase, you see it as an investment in your program. We want to be the people you call when it’s your opportunity to buy a new pole vault or high jump pit because we know that you do not get that opportunity but once or twice in a coaching career. Building superior products is our way of making sure that you do not have to replace that large ticket item for a long, long time.
2
We are the manufacturers.
We weld all the steel, cut all the fabric, and glue all the foam. This is not a catalog company; we are not resellers or distributors. Richey equipment is American made with members of the original Richey family overseeing sales, production and service. Except for a select group of vendors, Richey staff at the Richey facility are the only individuals you will work with through the process.
3
We believe in customer service.
We have a true commitment to quality from start to finish. We deliver your pit in a Richey truck with Richey staff on-campus to set it up on the track or store it properly. We never vacuum-seal foam if we can help it.
4
We will not sell it if we don’t believe in it.
Our philosophy has always been simple; make a few products, head and shoulders above the rest of the industry. As a specialized manufacturer, we have sought out other companies who build quality products and can offer that equipment to every program that has a Richey pit on their track.
5
We have all been athletes.
We were all track guys, with the majority of the company owners having participated at the collegiate level. We have also spent years officiating meets, volunteering, putting up crossbars, adjusting standards, and measuring heights. Sometimes it was not on Richey equipment, so we know what it is like to deal with inferior products. We have learned what works and what does not. It’s this knowledge that goes into our material selections, workmanship, and on-site installation.
6
We want our customers well-informed.
There are plenty of differences between what we are doing and what the competition is doing and we would love to talk about them so you can make an informed purchase. We have never changed a material or manufacturing process to save money and labeled it as innovation. We would never produce a piece of equipment we do not feel is safe when it leaves our facility or will not be safe for the length of its warranty and well beyond. We will never inflate our prices just to give a big discount. We care about your program and the future of track & field in America. Building quality equipment is not just job security for us; it is the best way for us to help you invest in your program so you can stay competitive for a long, long time.
Our People
Stephen Griffy
Vice President, Sales and Marketing
After graduating from Clinton Central High School in Michigantown, Indiana, Stephen attended DePauw University, double majoring in Economics and Communications. He participated all four years on DePauw’s track team throwing javelin and discus, and is responsible for all things sales at Richey Athletics.
Michael Griffy
President, CEO
After graduating from Clinton Central High School in Michigantown, Indiana, Michael attended DePauw University, double majoring in Economics and English. He participated all four years on DePauw’s track team throwing hammer and discus, and is responsible for Richey’s Manufacturing.