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