As described in the previous article, “NRPA Trendwatch 2014,” the NRPA Board of Directors, staff leadership and a group of leading industry innovators gathered last October for a retreat to discuss and predict the emerging trends that the field of parks and recreation should be aware of for 2014 and upcoming years. Identifying trends and how they might apply to the field can be powerful information — information that can provide real opportunities for those who decide to get ahead of the trends. Not only that, paying attention to trends also helps mitigate risk, allowing for the anticipation of how the trends might apply to or affect your daily operations or professional life. These trendsetting innovators are leading the way for the future of parks and recreation.
Go Ape
Go Ape specializes in providing treetop adventure courses to parks through public-private partnerships. Courses typically include five ziplines over 40 obstacles and provide a two- to three-hour experience for all ages. Go Ape’s model is to provide all capital costs, design, build and operate the course while providing a new revenue stream and recreational activity to the park department at no cost. The company places a strong emphasis on the course aesthetic and minimizes negative impacts to ensure the courses blend in with the natural environment and are a discreet, yet adventurous addition to the park. Go Ape strives to support the economic, social and environmental goals of a particular park through Go Ape-organized stewardship activities, fundraisers and free tickets to underserved and special-needs groups. Course staff tailor these activities to meet the park partner’s goals and ensure the benefits of the partnership are distributed throughout the community.
Chris Swallow, director of business development and co-owner of Go Ape, has worked with the company for almost four years and brings experience gained from his work as a lead associate with Booz Allen Hamilton for more than six years and an assistant project manager for three years with HydroGeoLogic Inc., an environmental science, engineering and construction firm.
Go Ape has established six existing courses in parks across the country, and Swallow continues to look for additional park partners interested in adding a new, fun activity to help get their community outdoors and experience the park.
GreenPlay LLC
Founded in 1999, GreenPlay LLC operates as a consortium of experts providing management and consulting services for park, recreation, open space and related quality-of-life agencies. The company, headquartered in Lafayette, Colorado, serves as a resource for agencies across the country by organizing teams that are responsive, experienced in the field and understanding of the needs of individual communities. Projects include master and strategic planning, resource allocation, cost recovery and service assessment, organizational assessments and feasibility studies.
Chris Dropinski, CPRE, has 24 years of park and recreation administration and management experience and more than 30 years in the field to support her current consulting role. Her passion for teaching and moving the field forward has led to many successful master planning and feasibility projects across the country. She served as the director of the City of Boulder, Colorado’s, Parks and Recreation Department for more than a decade, providing leadership for the development and provision of parks, open space, trails and recreation services. Following her tenure at Boulder, Dropinski joined Teresa Penbrooke at GreenPlay as co-owner and senior principal in 2001.
Dropinski has a unique and respected approach toward addressing such challenging areas as policy development, organizational development, strategic management, revenue philosophy in the public setting, service delivery, building relationships with alternative providers, partnership building, cost-benefit analysis, developing board/staff relationships and establishing an effective public-engagement process.
PlayCore
Bob Farnsworth serves as president and CEO of PlayCore, a leading manufacturer of commercial play and recreation products. PlayCore helps build stronger communities around the world by advancing play and recreation through research, education and partnerships. The company infuses this philosophy into its complete family of brands, combining the best-in-class planning and education programs with the most comprehensive array of recreation products available to create unique solutions that match the needs of each community PlayCore serves.
As CEO, Farnsworth has expanded the company beyond its 80-plus years in play to include climbing, aquatics, site amenities and spectator seating, plus a wide range of products designed to provide complete turnkey solutions. Earlier in his career, Farnsworth worked in senior management positions across several industries. He served as an NRPA Board member for 12 years and has also served on the association’s Executive Committee.
Farnsworth is a member of the Advisory Board of the School of Business at the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga, and the Board of Directors for both the Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce and CO.LAB (The Company Lab). He is also a member of the Chattanooga Leadership Council for the Trust for Public Land. Farnsworth provides leadership to PlayCore employees by encouraging efforts to advance the value of play and recreation, and maintains the company’s commitment to products and programs that help build communities through play.
Playworld Systems Inc.
Ian Proud is the research manager of Playworld Systems, a leading manufacturer of imaginative playground and fitness equipment. In this role, he is responsible for managing and coordinating customer research projects, social media and public relations. A visionary leader with a passion for products that redefine their markets, Proud has a history of leading product-development teams in a variety of industries.
Proud joined Playworld Systems in 1996 as an industrial designer and later worked as a concept navigator focusing on new business opportunities. During his tenure, Proud created the first market research department in the organization’s history and developed and operated a project launch-analysis program. He designed and championed NEOS, the nation’s first electronic outdoor play product, which is focused on combating childhood obesity. Proud established and managed Playworld Systems’ first accelerated weather-testing program to maximize equipment durability for years of outdoor use.
Before joining Playworld Systems, Proud worked with Wood-Mode Inc. for six years, most recently as product development manager. At Wood-Mode, he managed a team of engineers and drafters in the development and documentation of new custom wood products. Prior to his role in product development, Proud served the company as an industrial designer.
Proud began his career as a craftsman responsible for creating high-profile furniture. He earned a degree in 3-D and furniture design from England’s Leicester Polytechnic — now known as De Montfort University — and holds a master’s degree in business administration from Loyola College.
The Toro Company
Paula Sliefert has been with The Toro Company for six years and currently serves as senior marketing manager in the Commercial Division supporting a number of Toro’s key industry relationships. She also helps develop and implement strategies targeted at growing the company’s share in the sports fields and grounds market segments, which represent professional and collegiate sports, educational institutions and government facilities on the federal, state and local levels. Toro’s products are marketed to these various customers through an exclusive commercial distribution channel, which positions 10 product strategies within these various segments throughout the United States and Canada.
Prior to joining Toro, Sliefert served as the director of marketing for Lund International, a leader in specialty automotive accessories. She presided over marketing, communications, research and product development, serving original equipment manufacturers, national retailers, warehouse distributors and auto-accessory dealers. Products were marketed to 1,500 customers in 11 channels, positioning five brands and four product strategies for 120 product lines or 20,000 SKUs throughout the United States, Canada and international markets.
Sliefert is a graduate of Simpson College with a bachelor of arts degree in German and international business. She holds a master’s degree in German from Bowling Green State University. She studied and worked abroad in both Germany and Austria, having completed a work abroad program with Mercedes Benz, as well as having attended the University of Salzburg, Austria.
Waterplay Solutions Corp.
Waterplay Solutions Corp. has been a worldwide provider of premium aquatic recreational features since 1987.
From aquatic play features designed to turn any space into an exciting world full of splashes to interactive slide activity centers, larger-than-life waterslides and artistically inspired urban water features, Waterplay provides a wide range of innovative products that suit almost any aquatic play project, no matter how large or small. Waterplay is passionate about building better communities through aquatic play, and that attitude comes through in the enthusiasm of its employees and the quality of its products and services.
Whether in the initial stages of a project or 25 years after completion, Waterplay’s dedication to customer support is at the top of its priority list.
Wibit Sports
Wibit Sports is a core manufacturer and featured brand for inflatable watersports products, which are distributed worldwide. The Wibit product line is notable for its modular character. Combinations such as the “Wibit Aquatrack” — an obstacle course on the water consisting of six modules — or the huge “Wibit Sports Park” have proven extremely popular. In general, the Wibit combinations ensure a variety of fun activities, events and sporting competitions in pools, lakes and other waterfront locations.
Those engaging with the products will have a blast jumping, climbing, sliding, crossing a balance beam and more. Viewers will have fun, too, watching the competition and cheering on friends and family.
The team surrounding the founders — Robert Cirjak and Romann Rademacher — is constantly working on new creations so facility managers can always add to their existing lineup. Made of seam-welded 32-ounce PVC, the modules don’t need continuous airflow.
In addition, all products are regularly tested and certified by the German TÜV. These carry a state-of-the-art safety standard. New product innovations are shown periodically at trade shows and conventions related to the topics of water and leisure, such as the BOOT in Germany or the NRPA Expo in the United States.
Gina Mullins-Cohen is NRPA’s Vice President of Marketing, Communications and Publishing. Samantha Bartram is the Associate Editor of Parks & Recreation Magazine.