PlayPower Joins NRPA’s Inaugural Business Council

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Collaboration between business and park and recreation professionals to spur innovations for improving local communities.

Huntersville, NC (March 1, 2022) — PlayPower announces that it is a founding member of the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) Business Council — a collaboration that strengthens the connections between the essential role of parks and recreation and the business sector.

Local park and recreation agencies generate economic value for communities: across the country, parks and recreation generated more than $166 billion in economic activity and supported 1.1 million jobs from their operations and capital spending in 2017 alone.

“As the world’s largest manufacturer of commercial indoor and outdoor recreation equipment, PlayPower has a responsibility to help ensure a bright future for the parks and recreation industry,” said Robert Quast, PlayPower vice president, product management for outdoor play. “We’re pleased to be a founding member of the NRPA Business Council and look forward to working with other members to further strengthen the connections between our organizations and parks and recreation professionals.”

The Council brings together the business sector and park and recreation professionals to solve common challenges together, fuel innovation, foster activism, and advocacy, and promote research to enhance the quality of life for all.

“The NRPA Business Council will improve communications between the public and private sectors. This increased dialogue can help bring more innovative products and services to the park and recreation field faster,” said Paula Sliefert, NRPA Business Council Chair.

The inaugural Council comprises strategic thinkers and collaborative decision-makers, representing businesses and allies who care deeply about parks and recreation. Business Council members also represent organizations that have demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and support the advancement of DEI in park and recreation programs, policies, and practices.

For more information about the NRPA Business Council, visit www.nrpa.org/BusinessCouncil. To learn more about PlayPower, visit www.PlayPower.com.

About PlayPower®
PlayPower, Inc. is a leading manufacturer of outdoor recreational products and is 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, North Carolina, with offices and manufacturing facilities in Aneby, Sweden; Dallas, Texas; Englewood, Colorado; Lewisburg, Pennsylvania; Monett, Missouri; Nogales, Mexico; Perth, Scotland; Selby, England; and Sosnowiec, Poland. PlayPower’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. www.PlayPower.com

About the National Recreation and Park Association

The National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) is the leading not-for-profit organization dedicated to building strong, vibrant and resilient communities through the power of parks and recreation. With more than 60,000 members, NRPA advances this mission by investing in and championing the work of park and recreation professionals and advocates — the catalysts for positive change in service of equity, climate-readiness, and overall health and well-being. For more information, visit www.nrpa.org. For digital access to NRPA’s flagship publication, Parks & Recreation, visit parksandrecreation.org.

PlayPower® Launches PlayPower Tech, Creates New Category of Interactive Experiences That Bring Immersive Characteristics of Metaverse Into Physical Play Spaces

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– PlayPower joins forces with attractions-industry veterans Denise Chapman Weston and Rick Briggs to add technology-rich capabilities to extensive recreation portfolio
– PlayPower Tech will integrate Epic Games’ Unreal Engine technology into physical entertainment spaces

Orlando, Florida (November 16, 2021) – PlayPower, a global leader in producing premier recreation and attractions equipment, today announced the launch of PlayPower Tech, pioneering a new category of immersive experiences by integrating real-time digital rendered content into physical entertainment spaces. The new endeavor is a partnership of PlayPower and inventors Denise Chapman Weston and Rick Briggs, renowned creators of award-winning interactive attractions.

PlayPower Tech will be formally introduced Thursday, Nov. 18, at the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) Expo 2021, during an 11 a.m. ET news conference in booth #3040. The event is being held at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida.

PlayPower Tech will reinvent play through the creation of location-based attractions that blend physical worlds with Epic Games’ Unreal Engine technology. Its goal: to craft endlessly imaginative and ever-changing interactive environments that use cutting-edge interactive systems to bring people together in physical environments, including theme parks, attractions, retail sites, resorts, cinemas and museums.

“Technology drives so many creative endeavors in our society and PlayPower Tech is focused on harnessing it not merely for its own sake, nor just to passively entertain, but to create immersive environments that entertain minds and bodies,” said Ken Schober, vice president of PlayPower’s Soft Play® entertainment solutions unit. “With Denise Chapman Weston, Rick Briggs and PlayPower’s world-class designers, we have the perfect team to create a truly new category of location-based entertainment attraction that blends immersive gaming with physical spaces.”

PlayPower is a family of brands dedicated to enabling people of all ages and abilities to experience the power of play. The company creates recreational and attractions solutions using its extensive portfolio of products, from commercial playground equipment and shade and fabric structures to safety surfacing, site furnishings and floating docks. PlayPower’s Soft Play brand, already a global leader in gamified and immersive entertainment, will become even more technologically advanced through the creation of PlayPower Tech.

The new venture marks PlayPower’s first partnership with Chapman Weston and Briggs, interactive play inventors who together hold almost two hundred patents. Chapman Weston is the co-inventor of MagiQuest, one of the first technology-driven attractions, which remains successful more than 15 years after its debut. Among Briggs’s many creations is the Giant Dumping Bucket that is now omnipresent at waterparks.

“PlayPower’s new entertainment spaces will take the real-time quality of virtual production and add gaming mechanics back into the experience,” said Chapman Weston, a recipient of an Epic      MegaGrant that supports her efforts to advance Unreal Engine. “Allowing for real-time rendered interaction between users and technology in a physical setting, Unreal Engine is a portal to a new world of entertainment.”

The venture’s audio and proprietary tracking solutions are highly advanced, which will allow PlayPower Tech attractions to forego the use of headsets. This will create a safer, more personalized and active parent-to-kid or friend-to-friend live cinematic gaming experience that is firmly footed in the real world.

“There is a massive conversation happening these days focused on metaworlds and metaverses, but they’re doing the same thing I rejected as a mother 20 years ago, which is placing kids in headsets and behind screens,” said Chapman Weston. “PlayPower Tech will use that same capability but bring it to real life. Instead of trying to create an all-encompassing alternative metaverse, we’ll bring the best characteristics of immersive technology out into the physical world.”

With more than 40,000 worldwide installations, Soft Play has for decades helped customers drive foot traffic and loyalty through the creation of imaginative custom play spaces. In forging a new partnership with Chapman Weston and Briggs, Soft Play and the entire PlayPower team are taking a bold step towards the future.

“We share this great common language based on immersive play, so we’ve been on parallel tracks for two decades, always looking over at each other for an opportunity to collaborate,” Briggs said of the partnership. “Soft Play is by far the most innovative creator of play structures, and we look at those systems and think about how families can play differently inside, around and through them. PlayPower Tech cannot wait to introduce our new combination of these two play styles to the world.”

IAAPA attendees can learn more about the new partnership and Soft Play’s other new products by visiting booth #1347 today through Nov. 18.

To learn more about PlayPower Tech, visit Playpower.com/tech. To inquire about adding PlayPower Tech to your universe, email PPTech@playpower.com.

About PlayPower®
PlayPower, Inc. is a leading manufacturer of outdoor recreational products and is 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, North Carolina, with offices and manufacturing facilities in Monett, Missouri; Lewisburg, Pennsylvania; Englewood, Colorado; Dallas, Texas; Nogales, Mexico; Selby, England; Perth, Scotland; Sosnowiec, Poland; and Aneby, Sweden. PlayPower’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. The Company’s website is www.PlayPower.com.

 

PRESS CONTACT
Mason Levinson
RoseComm for PlayPower
mlevinson@rosecomm.com
908-358-4826

PlayPower® Introduces Solar-Powered PlaySoleil® Lighting for Playgrounds at NRPA Annual Conference

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Easily installed on new and existing playground structures, PlaySoleil is affordable, aesthetically pleasing and helps address the security concerns of those who oversee parks

 

NASHVILLE, TN, Sept. 21, 2021 — PlayPower, the world’s largest commercial playground and recreational equipment manufacturer, today introduced PlaySoleil®, a patent-pending, solar-powered light durably designed to easily fit into the posts of new and current playground structures. Shining light in a downward trajectory from atop the equipment, PlaySoleil illuminates playgrounds, discouraging unwanted after-hours activity without the need to run electricity.

PlayPower launched PlaySoleil today at the 2021 National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) Annual Conference, held at the Music City Center in Nashville. The product is available to view and order in these three booths: Little Tikes Commercial® (Booth No. 1201), Miracle® (Booth No. 1400) and Playworld® (Booth No. 1001). The conference exhibit runs until 3:30pm tomorrow, September 22nd.

“Security and safety are huge priorities for anyone maintaining a commercial space, and PlaySoleil provides an affordable, aesthetically pleasing way to help address those concerns,” said Todd Brinker, PlayPower senior vice president, commercial growth, for outdoor play. “When the sun goes down and play areas are unsupervised, they can become gathering spaces for older children and adults. Parks are seeing more off-hours traffic, particularly during the pandemic, and lighting helps deter vandalism to the substantial investments that are our community playgrounds.”

Unlike existing solutions that create unwanted light pollution in public parks, PlaySoleil shines downward onto the structure and does not illuminate the surrounding area, limiting light pollution.

The product is crafted to work seamlessly with most playgrounds, as its stair-step design can be secured to 3.5”, 4” or 5” diameter posts. Its cylindrical base allows for easy integration, simply taking the place of the dome-shaped caps that would otherwise be atop the posts.

PlaySoleil is more efficient and more affordable than previous outdoor lighting options and can be added to playground equipment at any time. Many parks do not have playground lighting due to the cost of running electricity, which often includes digging a trench and burying wires underground. The most common method of lighting playgrounds today is with bollard lights or streetlights, which can be very expensive.

Recent advancements in LED and battery technology allow PlayPower to deliver this product that will, when fully charged, shine from sundown to sunup, discouraging vandalism or other destructive behavior and making patrolling easier for security guards and local police.

Charging typically requires two hours of direct sunlight.

“Our team at PlayPower understands our role in helping customers protect their investments, to ensure playgrounds bring joy to generations of children and families,” said Brinker. “When playgrounds are damaged or vandalized, they can be out of commission. The introduction of PlaySoleil demonstrates our commitment to listening to our customers, investing in new technology that meets their needs, and the needs of kids.”

For more information about PlaySoleil, visit PlayPower.com/PlaySoleil.

About PlayPower®

PlayPower, Inc. is the world’s largest manufacturer of commercial indoor and outdoor recreation equipment, including playgrounds, surfacing solutions, floating dock systems and lifts for boats and personal watercraft, shade solutions and site furnishings. The company is headquartered in Huntersville, North Carolina, with offices and manufacturing facilities in Aneby, Sweden; Dallas, Texas; Englewood, Colorado; Lewisburg, Pennsylvania; Monett, Missouri; Nogales, Mexico; Perth, Scotland; Selby, England; and Sosnowiec, Poland. PlayPower’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. PlayPower.com.

PlayPower® Announces Merger of Soft Play™ and PLAYTIME™ Brands

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Combined businesses will maintain Soft Play name, expand the possibilities of imaginative indoor play environments

 

Huntersville, North Carolina, June 16, 2021 — PlayPower, the world’s largest commercial playground and recreational equipment manufacturer, announced the merger of its Soft Play and PLAYTIME brands, combining two industry leaders under the Soft Play name to help customers transform play environments into true brand experiences, increasing visitations wherever families go to shop, dine, be entertained and have fun.

PlayPower understood the collective strength of the two brands when it acquired PLAYTIME in 2018 and envisioned merging PLAYTIME’s sculpted product line with Soft Play’s contained indoor play business to create turnkey solutions and improve efficiencies. Now operating with a new logo, the brands will be fully integrated over the next 12 months.

“Soft Play and PLAYTIME are both trusted, high-performing businesses, and their combination as a unified PlayPower brand enables us to bring our complete portfolio of creative, custom design solutions to bear for our clients,” said Ken Schober, PlayPower vice president of entertainment solutions. “Working as one global brand will accelerate the front end of the concept-to-play process, allowing our customers to realize the benefits of play earlier. One designer carries a customer’s brand through every element of a project, and one team ensures its seamless completion.”

Unstructured play is vital to the physical, social and emotional well-being of children, and product design is critical to ensuring an engaging, safe environment. When establishments craft custom play experiences, consumers are more likely to stay, have fun and create memories associated with the brand.

Soft Play and PLAYTIME are powerhouses known for helping customers drive foot traffic and loyalty through the creation of inventive, custom play spaces. Pioneers in marketing activation through play, they work with some of the most recognized companies — including most recently the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex — to create immersive, themed experiences and interaction points that are true brand extensions. Combining brands will yield efficiencies for clients throughout the creative, manufacturing and installation processes.

Soft Play, founded in 1984 and acquired by PlayPower in 1996, is a global leader in contained indoor playground equipment and, among other areas of focus, a mainstay in the quick-serve restaurant industry. PLAYTIME, founded in 1991, transformed retail shopping by inventing mall play areas.

“Together, the new Soft Play will build on those legacies and meet the future needs of customers who are seeking more adventurous concepts that include custom towers, sculpted elements and immersive environments,” said Schober. “The future of indoor play is about excitement for all ages. We are beyond thrilled to take Soft Play to amazing new heights.”

For more information, visit softplay.com.

 

ABOUT SOFT PLAY

Soft Play, a PlayPower brand, is a global leader in the creation of unique, adventurous towers and sculpted play structures, gamified and immersive entertainment environments for indoor, outdoor and waterplay locations. Serving shopping destinations, restaurants, family entertainment centers, museums, amusement parks and attractions, recreation facilities, child-watch areas and much more, we craft customized worlds of fun that stir imaginations and drive loyalty-building brand extensions. With a collaborative, turnkey design process, safety-first engineering and hassle-free installation, we ensure visitors won’t just see your brand; they’ll experience it. For more information, see SoftPlay.com.

 

Media contact:

Rosemary Ostmann
RoseComm for Soft Play
(201) 615-7751
rostmann@rosecomm.com

PlayPower Bolsters Senior Executive Team

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Dallas, TX (June 25th, 2020) – PlayPower, Inc., a leading manufacturer of outdoor recreational products, today announced several appointments to its executive team during the first half of 2020. Bryan Yeazel, PlayPower’s Chief Executive Officer noted “Since joining the company a year ago, I have worked to attract action-biased change agents to our great company to complement the exemplary talent on the team. I am pleased to announce these new colleagues who join our efforts at creating legendary recreational experiences for our customers.” The appointments include the following, in chronological order of date of hire:

  • Earl Jewett joined as Chief Operating Officer. Mr. Jewett joined PlayPower in March 2020 and leads the Company’s global manufacturing operations and sourcing, supply chain and logistics functions. Prior to joining PlayPower, Mr. Jewett served as the Chief Operating Officer of LBP Manufacturing, a leading global food and beverage packaging producer. Mr. Jewett was responsible for LBP’s operations in the USA, Poland and China. Prior to joining LBP, Mr. Jewett served as the Vice President of Manufacturing for Klein Tool. Before working at Klein Tools, he was COO of WS Packaging, where his responsibilities included leading manufacturing plants, the IMPACT business system, manufacturing engineering, leading the implementation of Lean, supply chain performance management, and quality control related processes. Prior to joining WS Packaging in 2010, Mr. Jewett held various leadership roles at Danaher Corporation including Vice President of North American Operations for Apex Tool Group. Mr. Jewett began his professional career with Trane, Inc., then an American Standard company. Mr. Jewett received his bachelor’s degree from Mercer University.
  • Cary Glay joined as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Glay joined in April 2020 and leads the Company’s finance and information technology teams. Prior to PlayPower, Mr. Glay served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Q Holding Company, a globally diversified manufacturer. Prior to that, he was the Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for Master Chemical Corporation, a global specialty chemical company. Before Master Chemical, Cary worked in a variety of leadership roles with Eaton Corporation and Avery Dennison Corporation. Prior to his career in finance, Mr. Glay was in the U.S. Army and served as a crew chief for a UH-60A Black Hawk helicopter serving in combat operations in Operation Desert Storm. Mr. Glay received his undergraduate degree in finance from Ohio University and his MBA from Case Western Reserve University.
  • David Starr joined as Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary. Mr. Starr joined in April 2020 and leads the PlayPower’s legal and corporate secretarial function. He was most recently Vice President, Chief Counsel (Litigation, Employment and Risk) and Chief Compliance Officer of Dean Foods Co., the largest dairy processor and distributor in the country. Prior to joining Dean, Mr. Starr was the Senior Vice President and General Counsel of The LaSalle Group, Inc., a developer and operator of assisted living communities around the United States. Before LaSalle, David spent thirteen years with Belo Corp., a nationwide television broadcasting and newspaper company, and started his in-house career with American Airlines. Prior to American, Mr. Starr was in private practice with the international law firm of White & Case in both New York City and Los Angeles. Mr. Starr received his bachelor’s degree from New York University and his juris doctorate from Duke University.
  • Danielle Garde appointed as Chief Human Resources Officer. Ms. Garde joined in May 2020 and leads the Company’s global human resources team. Prior to joining PlayPower, Ms. Garde was the Vice President of Human Resources at KidKraft, Inc., a private-equity backed manufacturer of children’s toys and furniture with operations in the United States, Europe and Asia. Before KidKraft, Ms. Garde held senior human capital roles with Danone North America, J.P. Morgan, Unilever Cosmetics International, American Express, and Deloitte. Ms. Garde is a broad-gauged human capital leader who has focused on talent development, acquisition diligence and integration and HR strategy. Ms. Garde received her bachelor’s degree from Tufts University.

Bryan Yeazel, PlayPower’s Chief Executive Officer, stated: “These four leaders are driven, impact players. I am excited to welcome Danielle Garde, Cary Glay, Earl Jewett, and David Starr to PlayPower. Each has a strong track record of accomplishment and is a results-driven executive with a rich and diverse career history. These are marvelous additions to our executive team and each will add significant value to the Company’s growth and strategic initiatives. We have built an exceptional team and are fortunate to have each join us at this important inflection point in the Company’s future.”

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. The Company’s website is www.playpower.com.

Media Contact:
Nathaniel Garnick
Gasthalter & Co.
(212) 257-4170