FOLLOW US

A longtime sales executive at FieldTurf USA, a leading manufacturer of artificial turf sports fields, has allegedly absconded with confidential information about the company's customers and taken it to an industry rival, according to a lawsuit filed in Georgia federal court Wednesday. FieldTurf accused Martin Olinger, who spent more than 15 years as its senior vice president of sales, of downloading dozens of restricted files in the weeks leading up to his resignation in violation of his confidentiality agreement. This case of Turf Ex-VP secrets theft has raised significant concerns within the industry.

Confidential Information Allegedly Stolen

Within days of his resignation, Olinger reportedly joined Polyloom Corporation of America, also known as Tencate Americas, a competing manufacturer of artificial grass. He allegedly brought with him sensitive files containing client histories and other internal information. "These clients, employees, trade secrets, and confidential information are essential to FieldTurf's operations, and the value of these losses cannot be calculated at this time," FieldTurf stated in the lawsuit. "Olinger's conduct is in direct violation of the employment agreement, in exchange for which Olinger received continued employment and compensation, in addition to access to confidential information and specialized training."

Turf Ex-VP Secrets Theft : Details of the Lawsuit

The lawsuit, naming both Olinger and Tencate as defendants, details how Olinger joined FieldTurf in 2008 in a senior sales position. As part of his role, Olinger had access to critical data, including customer lists, suppliers, warranty information, and operations protocols. In late March, Olinger notified FieldTurf of his resignation, effective within the week. However, FieldTurf alleges that Olinger had already downloaded confidential customer information onto a USB drive prior to his notice. "The confidential and trade secret information Olinger extracted includes, but is not limited to, client lists, supplier lists, distributor lists, pricing and sales information, project correspondences, and financial information and forecasts," FieldTurf stated.

Immediate Impact and Legal Actions

Just days after Olinger's departure, Tencate announced it had hired him as president of its sports division. Notably, FieldTurf pointed out that Olinger would report to Joe Fields, head of Tencate USA, who'd previously been FieldTurf's CEO. Following Olinger's resignation, FieldTurf said it sent demand letters via its attorneys to Tencate, but the latter company has allegedly refused to take action after initially promising to investigate the allegations.