NORTH BERWICK (NEWS CENTER Maine) -- Maine has a very permanent connection the New England Patriots, about 65,000 permanent connections.
Hussey Seating in North Berwick designed, manufactured, and installed all the fan seating at Gillette Stadium back in 2000, opening for fans right after the Patriots won their first Super Bowl.
"It's one of those opportunities that don't come along very often to provide the seats for the greatest football team in the NFL," said President and CEO Gary Merrill. "Since they started using our seats, they've won five Super Bowls."
The blue molded plastic seats last 25 years, and the red, upholstered seats last 10 years through the New England winters. Merrill said Hussey has already secured a new contract to replace those red seats.
"We want to make sure that the seats are strong enough to withstand those rowdy football fans but at the same time, they're comfortable," said Merrill.
Gillette isn't the only stadium where fans can find Hussey seats. The Denver Broncos, Tennessee Titans, and Kansas City Chiefs' stadiums all feature seats from the Maine-based company. The company has contracts with 12 NFL teams, multiple universities, and hundreds of grade schools across the country, and even soccer stadiums in Mexico.
But at headquarters, employees show their allegiance to their hometown team.
"Before every big game, people dress up in their Patriots garb to show their pride not only for the Patriots, but also their success we believe because we make the fans comfortable," said Merrill.
Merrill said about 20 to 30 percent of the employees who worked on the original contract still work at Hussey, where about 275 employees are on staff.
