PlayPower names Bryan Yeazel CEO
Joe Copeland to pursue the next phase of his career after 7 years leading the company
Huntersville, NC (May 7, 2019) – PlayPower, Inc., today announced that its Board of Directors appointed Bryan Yeazel to serve as its Chief Executive Officer and President, effective today. Yeazel will also join the Board of Directors. Yeazel succeeds Joe Copeland, who has decided to pursue the next phase of his career.
Bryan Yeazel joins PlayPower with significant executive leadership experience and a proven track record of building successful companies. David Simon, Managing Director at Littlejohn & Co., said: “The Board is excited to have Bryan Yeazel lead PlayPower at this important time in the company’s history. Littlejohn has worked with Bryan before and seen first-hand his ability to build high-performance, team-oriented cultures focused on sustainable growth. Bryan is a dynamic leader with experience in a diversity of industries and, importantly, joins PlayPower with an accomplished record of acquiring, integrating and successfully scaling new businesses.”
Prior to joining PlayPower, Yeazel was the CEO of World and Main LLC, a multinational distributor and logistics provider, and Jones Stephens Corporation, a premier supplier and distributor of plumbing products to the wholesale plumbing industry. Previously, Yeazel was Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Stock Building Supply Holdings (now BMC, Nasdaq: BMCH), a distributor of valued-added services and building materials. Earlier in his career, Yeazel was an attorney with Hunton & Williams LLP and began his career at Capital One Financial.
Rob Creighton, Vice President at Littlejohn & Co., noted that “During Joe’s tenure, PlayPower consistently outpaced the market in innovation and earnings growth. In particular, he led the Company in acquiring and investing in leading brands and building an efficient operating model from which we expect to scale further. We’re grateful for his contributions and wish he and his family the best.”
Yeazel concluded: “I’m ecstatic to join the exceptional PlayPower team and further the Company’s mission to bring people together through legendary recreational experiences. I look forward to continuing to serve our customers and build our communities every day around the globe. It is a privilege to work beside each of my new colleagues, and as we focus on the next chapter of PlayPower’s growth, I am excited by the enormous opportunities to serve our customers through growth and strategic expansion.”
About PlayPower, Inc.
PlayPower, Inc. is a leading manufacturer of outdoor recreational products and the world’s largest, fully integrated manufacturer of commercial playground equipment, surfacing solutions, floating dock systems and lifts for boats and personal watercraft, shade solutions and site furnishings. The company is headquartered in Huntersville, NC, with marketing, sales and manufacturing facilities in Monett, MO; Lewisburg, PA, Englewood, CO, Silverlake, IN and Dallas, TX; Nogales, Mexico; Selby, England; Perth, Scotland; Sosnowiec, Poland; and Aneby, Sweden. PlayPower, Inc’s. goal is to lead the market in all areas in which it competes and to continue to bring innovation and fun to the marketplace.
About Littlejohn & Co., LLC
Littlejohn & Co. is a Greenwich, Connecticut-based investment firm focused on private equity and debt investments primarily in middle market companies. With over $10.9 billion in regulatory assets under management (RAUM), the firm seeks to build sustainable success for its portfolio companies through a disciplined approach to engineering change. For more information about Littlejohn, visit www.littlejohnllc.com.
Media Contact:
Nathaniel Garnick
Gasthalter & Co.
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