Quality Sports Nets, Inc.

618-533-0700

2330 Calumet St. Centralia, IL

Though not one to openly promote its homegrown operation, Quality Sports Nets, Inc. is among the most unique and impressive manufacturers in Centralia.

The sports net facility creates various types of netting for customers across the United States, and once manufactured nets for hot air balloons seen before the annual Macy’s Day Thanksgiving Parade in New York City.

 That doesn’t stop them from keeping business local, however, as Quality Sports Nets has built products for Gaetti Sports Academy, 618 Sports Academy, Centralia Foundation Park and Kaskaskia College, among others.

“We do a lot of golf cages, batting cages, backstop cages and more. You name it, we do it,” said owner Melissa Gebke. “We are mostly wholesale, but we help our locals out with stuff when they need it.”

Gebke, who hails from Carlyle, said Quality Sports Nets was founded in 1992 in Centralia and has remained in the community ever since.

Though originally housed in a garage, the business eventually moved to its current location at 2330 Calumet St., where the entirety of its operations take place.

“Everything we do is custom, so we don’t stock anything per se. Not unless there is something big that a particular customer would get all the time,” Gebke explained. “We take the order and figure out which type of net it is that we need to do.”

“Then, we have people that cut out the back and cut it down to size and bring it [to the primary production room] for our finishing,” Gebke continued. “We put either vinyl or rope on it, and we do some hand-tying. We do a little bit of everything.”

Gebke, who purchased the business three years ago after having been an employee for several years, praised both her staff of six and the Centralia community for making the job such a pleasure.

“Owning this business in Centralia has been wonderful. The city is wonderful to work with and the employees are amazing,” she said. “They are all local people. They are loyal. It’s more like a family here than it is a workplace, and that makes it really nice.”