IPEMA E-Newsletter - Spring 2023

Spring 2023 E-Newsletter

Message from the President

Brad Pittam, IPEMA President

Moving Forward Together

Making connections and strategic partnerships are valuable tools for any business, and it is no different for our association. Over the years, IPEMA has been both a leader and a partner working to extend our reach.

We have successfully leveraged the Voice of Play with media partners and social influencers to promote what all of us believe in – the value of play. Plato said, “It is the essential nature of man to play.” Indeed, it is! And we know that it has amazing benefits for physical, emotional, cognitive, and cultural development.

Our new relationship with the National Institute for Play (NIFP) increases our brand exposure and provides our members with helpful educational content. It will be exciting to see how we move forward together.

Working together as member volunteers has strengthened our association, the professionalism of our industry, and dare I say, the world of play. I know that I appreciate the relationships that I have built over the years. When I see my fellow members at committee meetings and at our annual Membership Meeting, it is great to catch up, learn from each other and connect with people who understand the ins and outs of this business.

I hope you’ll make the most of your IPEMA connections. Get involved with a committee and make attending next month’s Membership Meeting in Denver a priority. We are stronger together.

Articles Wanted for IPEMA e-newsletter

IPEMA is always looking for articles for this newsletter to keep its content relevant for our members. Articles should range from 200 to 500 words, and photos are welcome. Articles can be about a unique project you’ve been involved with, your company’s community involvement, an industry hot topic, an honor or award—really, anything you think your fellow IPEMA members would want to read about.

Email articles to IPEMAnewsletter@gmail.com

RSVP for IPEMA's 2023 Membership Meeting

IPEMA’s membership meeting will be held during ASTM’s May committee week in Denver, Colorado. We are hosting three different events that you're invited to attend!

IPEMA’s Membership Meeting and Reception!

Wright Room

535 16th Street Mall #240, Denver, CO

Tuesday, May 9, 2023

6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. local time

Eat, drink, and network with your fellow IPEMA members at the Wright Room located in the historic Denver Masonic Building. This notable structure dates back to 1889 and is considered an early Colorado brewpub. Today, it is revered as one of Denver’s premier event venues in the heart of downtown.

Please RSVP to attend the membership meeting by Tuesday, May 2.

RSVP for the IPEMA Membership Meeting

Monday, May 8

Equipment Certification Committee Meeting

2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Tuesday, May 9

Membership Meeting & Reception

6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. Wright Room, Denver, CO

Wednesday, May 10

Surfacing Certification Committee Meeting

2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

The equipment and surfacing certification committee meetings will be held at the host hotel, the Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel (1550 Court Place, Denver, CO). Anyone interested in attending these two committee meetings can find the room name and location on the reader boards at the hotel.

We look forward to seeing you in Denver!

Barry Leahey President,

Playdale Playgrounds

Q: How long have you worked in the industry and what drew you to it?

A: 18 years. Who wouldn‘t be drawn to this industry – we sell fun all over the world!

Q: Tell us about your business, your customers, etc., and what do you do in your current position?

A: Playdale Playgrounds Ltd. has designed, manufactured and installed over 23,000 playgrounds around the world for over 40 years. It is a family-owned business that dates back to 1735 when the Croasdale Family began working in the forestry and allied timber trades. It progressed into the playground industry in 1978 when Playdale Playgrounds Ltd. was established. The company prides itself on providing an experience of high-quality products matched with a high-quality service. As CEO, I have the privilege of leading a dedicated and enthusiastic team driven to provide smiles.

Q: What’s been a key to your success in this industry over the years?

A: Our team at Playdale. Our Net Promoter Score (NPS) is currently 79 – anything over 70 is truly world-class service and that, coupled with using the most robust, quality materials, explains our global success.

Q: What is a project that you’ve done that you’re especially proud of, and why?

A: So many! Due to having strong personal links with the U.S., I was exceptionally proud when we first broke into the market and, in 2021, it was our largest international market.

Q: Have you faced any industry-related challenges lately, and what have you done to overcome them?

A: Global businesses tend to be more agile and resilient; I am not saying the last two years have not been tough (they definitely were), but the team at Playdale came together as a family unit and strategically worked our way through the issues. We are thrilled to have come out the other side, leaner, fitter and stronger!

Q: How long have you been a member of IPEMA and what are the biggest benefits of membership?

A: We are coming up on a decade of membership and have enjoyed getting to know the community and committees. We have had support when needed and always felt welcome – reach out and come and say hello!

Committee Updates

Where Have You Seen Us Lately?

Of course, we’ve been busy promoting the benefits of certification, IPEMA membership and play through our usual channels – Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram. But we’ve also been busy promoting these important messages through paid and earned engagement with key news outlets. Check out the list below to learn more about where you can find IPEMA and Voice of Play’s promotions and coverage:

• Recreation Management (September Print Issue): Buy with IPEMA in Mind Advertisement

• Spaces4Learning (October Issue): Bringing Learning to the Great Outdoors & Design with IPEMA in Mind Advertisement (Page 11)

• Recreation Management (February): Proactive Problem Prevention

• Recreation Management (March): Catch the Imagination

• Playground Professionals (March): 3 Overlooked Benefits to Building a Playground in Your Community

IPEMA and Voice of Play: In the News

Pittsburgh Parent

Inclusivity vs. Accessibility: Do you know what to look for?

IPEMA's past president, Tom Norquist, shared his expertise in the play and playground industries about how not all playgrounds are created equal and ways you can spot the differences at your local playground. In his own words, "inclusion is one of the greatest gifts we experience in our lives." Read more on his insightful perspective and ideas in this recent article for Pittsburgh Parent.

Playground Professionals

3 Overlooked Benefits to Building a Playground in Your Community

IPEMA’s current president, Brad Pittam, shared his thoughts on overlooked benefits of playgrounds in communities. Playgrounds not only provide health and social benefits for children, but they give families and communities an outdoor recreation area where they can connect, learn, grow, and spend time together. Read more on his unique perspective and thoughts in this recent article for Playground Professionals.

The Latest from Our Blog

4 Tips to Help Make Playgrounds More Inclusive in Your Community

March 10, 2023

While most – as many as nearly 9 in 10, according to a 2018 poll by the National Recreation and Park Association – Americans feel strongly that all playgrounds should offer inclusive options, many communities (and even schools) are behind when it comes to ensuring children and parents of all abilities can play together equally – no matter what.

A Lifelong Skill: 3 Ways to Guide Children to Play Through the Years

February 7, 2023

Children of all ages explore their environment, develop social skills and form relationships, strengthen motor skills and build self-confidence, improve communication and gain knowledge through play. Here is how to encourage, support and guide them through the years.

New Year, New Play Resolutions: 3 Unique Ways to Incorporate Play Indoors

January 11, 2023

The new year brings many adults adding goals to their resolution list. From eating healthier to exercising more regularly to reading more books to spending a few minutes each day meditating, there are many resolutions adults focus on during the new year. For parents, adding new play resolutions is a great way to connect with your children and refresh some play ideas as the year progresses.

Photo Credit: Unsplash

Let’s Get Social

We’re always in the process of collecting quality photographs for Instagram and relevant business/industry content for LinkedIn to populate our pages, and we’d love your help. As always, reach out to Red Havas with anything you’d like to see featured.

Thank you in advance!

While you’re at it, be sure to follow and engage with all our current social channels! Have news to share or want to showcase a great playground? Tag us so we can repost:

Instagram: @voiceofplay

Facebook: facebook.com/voiceofplay

Facebook Group: Voice of Play: Play Tribe

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/ipema/

We Want to Promote You!

Share Your Story!

We want to hear what you’re doing – let’s collaborate!

We’re always looking for amazing content from the IPEMA membership to share, whether it’s for a blog or social post, or pitching media. Share news, photos, and updates with Red Havas by emailing katherine.kostiuk@redhavas.com.

Marketing & PR Committee

We’re looking for new members to serve on the Marketing & PR Committee, which is responsible for oversight of the IPEMA newsletter, media relations, website, social media and any other communication vehicles utilized to promote the association, its programs and membership.

The committee also oversees the Voice of Play initiative and works closely with the organization’s PR agency. Members of the committee are asked to participate in quarterly committee calls, and to periodically assist with input and review of articles, interviews and releases with industry media. If you have interest in applying, download the form here

Member Profile

Kim Frost Public Sector Director, Britton Industries

Q: How long have you worked in the industry and what drew you to it?

A: I have been in this industry for two years now. I was drawn to the circular ecological aspect of recycling and repurposing.

Q: Tell us about your business, your customers, etc., and what do you do in your current position?

A: I am the Public Sector Director in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. My company offers services to responsibly manage vegetative debris. Our facilities are licensed with the DEP and all materials received are recycled and repurposed. From that curated material we create premium products. In my current role I introduce state agencies, counties, school districts and towns to better options for environmentally sound solutions. The circular aspect I offer my clients is in providing a resource to track, monitor and manage their vegetative debris and meet green purchase standards with our ground surface products. All that material brought into my facilities is kept out of the landfill and is repurposed. I am then able to deliver premium products for projects and maintenance of public properties. Is is a very specific process to turn wood into playground mulch. This certified product offers safety and environmental benefits wherever it is installed.

Q: What’s been a key to your success in this industry over the years?

A: My success in this industry has been based on the relationships I have been able to cultivate. I listened and learned attentively for the first year. I wanted to understand the challenges my clients faced and how I could be a resource for them. My goal was to bring a reliable service and an indisputable value to my customers. I have also been able to introduce added value to clients from resources within my company in the form of reports, delivery options and contacts. If I’m not able to help, I am always happy to introduce someone that can.

Q: What is a project that you’ve done that you’re especially proud of, and why?

A: During COVID, many towns and schools were short staffed and struggling on many levels. Then Hurricane Ida hit. Already exhausted Parks Departments, DPW crews and facilities teams saw months of maintenance literally washed away. I was able to create plans for service, deliveries, and installations to keep open spaces available. The safety of those spaces was paramount, as kids were still flocking to playgrounds and parks – closed or not.

Q: Have you faced any industry-related challenges lately, and what have you done to overcome them?

A: Developing relationships in person was put on hold and annual dates for quotes and bids have been completely upended. I have started from scratch to build a calendar of appointments and opportunities.

Q: How long have you been a member of IPEMA and what are the biggest benefits of membership?

A: Our membership was in place for a few years before my hire. There are so many benefits of membership. Beyond the recognition of the brand, I think the resources and networking are excellent. I have made so many connections within the industry because we are a part of the IPEMA community, and we understand and provide a product that upholds safety, health, and inclusion standards in critically needed open spaces.

The IPEMA Board of Directors voted unanimously to fund an affiliation with the National Institute for Play (NIFP) to benefit members and certificants of the organization. The three-year commitment will provide the following benefits:

• Public Awareness:

IPEMA and NIFP Create Affiliation Read All About It...

Four times each year, NIFP will promote the IPEMA organization and its programs to our public audience. We will provide science-based information on the benefits of play opportunities for children’s cognitive, emotional, and motor development.

• Online Educational Sessions:

NIFP will provide up to four free online educational sessions that will be promoted to IPEMA members. All employees at the member company will be able to participate in these one-hour webinars that will be provided by NIFP’s high-profile board members and brand champions. The topics will be motivational and informative and IPEMA members can use the opportunity to participate as an employee benefit! Look for our first session early this summer.

• Website Presence:

NIFP will post information to its website about IPEMA and the value of movement play. Visit this link to see how IPEMA is credited for making that page possible. IPEMA also has a link to the NIFP website from our industry resources page.

• Marketing Messaging:

IPEMA continues to utilize the Voice of Play for consumer-focused marketing, NIFP will provide messaging targeted to consumers that includes quotes from board members and brand champions, factual resource information and credible data that can be used on the VOP website and in our communication efforts.

We are excited about this affiliation with NIFP and look forward to communicating the opportunities that are available! Stay tuned for more information! In the meantime, here is a note from Stuart Brown to IPEMA members: “No matter what your age, we are built to play and built by play. Thank you IPEMA members for your support and we look forward to many years of promoting play in your markets.”

We want to spread the word about IPEMA’s efforts and our industry –and you can help!

IPEMA E-Newsletter - Spring 2023

A Culture of Confidence

By Jeff Tippett

The best way to sustain accountability at work is to create a culture that encourages it. This culture shift starts by helping new team members buy into accountability. Stand by your work; be proud of accomplishments; applaud significant decisions; and nurture a mindset shift in your office by celebrating success instead of overreacting to failure.

Building a farm team of future leaders fills the future roles that pay off down the line. The best way to do that is through delegation and empowering your team members to accomplish more.

Delegation serves many functions. For one, it lessens the burden of over committing yourself. As we have discussed before, the higher you climb, the more your work moves away from technical skills and toward people management. You must have the bandwidth to lead everyone effectively. Your bandwidth flounders when you are mired in menial tasks.

This commitment to delegation also promotes accountability throughout the team. The best way to keep someone accountable is to consistently give straightforward, discrete tasks and determine whether they completed them satisfactorily. Increasing autonomy is almost always preferable. Coupling autonomy with delegation is a recipe for a successful workforce. This gives people creative space to accomplish their projects their way while maintaining metrics and accountability to ensure that everything is completed.

Empowering others is critical to developing future leaders. People will not be prepared to take on more responsibility in the workplace if they have never been held responsible in the organization. This is a practical way to determine who is the best prepared for future roles and elucidates far more than any interview or written response might yield.

Finally, to empower others through delegation, help people push their comfort level limits. Folks grow by entering uncharted territory. You don’t learn by repeating the same things day in and day out. Delegation allows you to test your team’s limits while keeping them accountable to their expectations. Growth can only come through more freedom and responsibility.

Empathy is our next trait. Psychologists define three significant types of empathy:

• Cognitive empathy is related to putting yourself in someone else’s shoes; it is also referred to as perspective-taking.

• Emotional empathy is a connection with someone who makes you feel close to them, as in an interpersonal relationship. You “feel their pain” because of how close you are.

• Compassionate empathy is the most prevalent. It’s that primary emotion with which you can relate to someone else’s plight.

Continued on next page...

For our purposes, empathy in a leader is understanding the way other people think. Not just because you can predict their next move, like a chess player, but because you know how they see the world, informing how you interact with them. Understanding people is one of the most valuable traits a leader can possess.

Empathy is a term that is often tossed around, but we rarely think about how it affects the way we operate. Empathy is essential for leaders because we know that everyone is not the same. Every person has an ownness that makes them who they are. Tapping into that is going to render the optimal results. This level of understanding cannot be done in passing. You have to want to understand what it is like to be in the other person’s shoes. And it’s not about how you would feel in their shoes—it’s about appreciating how they feel in their own shoes.

This concept is also crucial in your decision-making. When you make a final decision, there will likely be someone who feels that their opinion was discredited or went unconsidered. You must practice empathy when turning people down or pursuing different ideas than what they offer. Let people know you value their input and want them to continue offering their thoughts. Although not every idea is a winner, encouraging your team’s creativity will spawn a pipeline of brilliant ideas in the future.

Empathy is a skill you likely use frequently in a successful personal life. You must be empathetic with your family, partner, children–anyone you value and want to keep close. Extend this skill to the workplace! Put yourself in a team member’s place and consider why and how they do what they do. It will improve your work environment.

Putting all of these pieces together, let’s conclude with this: believe in the people around you. See the best in them. There’s a reason these people are on your team. Workplaces have camaraderie; build upon it.

So many of the issues we face are challenges because of a mindset that has us stuck. Sometimes the daily grind makes us lose sight of why we started working in the field we love. We lose sight of those around us. Even on the worst days, practice empathy and see the good in others. Some days, the work will be challenging. But a good

leader buoys the team. Believing that we’re all inherently good people and are trying to do our best goes a long way, and it’s worth reminding yourself now and again.

Encourage people when they succeed and celebrate success. People can go weeks in their job doing good work but never feel acknowledged for it. Maintain a positive work atmosphere so that everyone feels valued. Just because you know that you appreciate everyone doesn’t mean they know it.

You have the tools you need to make a successful workplace. It starts at the top. Remember, the buck stops with you. Ultimately, you’re responsible for ensuring that those around you are confident that you’re trustworthy. But if you do the work, that will never be an issue.

About the Author: Jeff Tippett

Jeff Tippett is the international best-selling author of two books, Pixels Are the New Ink and Unleashing Your Superpower: Why Persuasive Communication is the Only Force You Will Ever Need.

Speaking to international audiences through keynotes and seminars, Jeff helps attendees increase their effectiveness, gives them powerful tools to reach their goals, and empowers attendees to positively impact and grow their organizations or businesses.

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In 2014, Jeff founded Targeted Persuasion, an award-winning public affairs + communications firm. He has worked with renowned brands like Airbnb, The National Restaurant Association, The League of Women Voters, The League of Conservation Voters, plus others. Other industry experts have validated Jeff’s work with numerous awards including the prestigious The American Advertising Award.

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Jeff is the host of Victory by Association with Jeff Tippett, a podcast that shares the victories of association executives with the world, highlighting the great work done across this country every day.

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Jefftippett.com

VictoryByAssociation.com

IPEMA E-Newsletter - Spring 2023

Board of Directors

President

Brad Pittam

KOMPAN

605 W. Howard Lane Austin, TX 78753

P: (312) 399 -1910

brapit@kompan.com

President-Elect

Mike Sutton

PlayPower

1145 Slippery Rock Road Grove City, PA 16127

P: (724) 992- 8707

Mike.sutton@playpower.com

Treasurer

Randy Watermiller

Landscape Structures, Inc.

601 Seventh Street South

PO Box 198

Delano, MN 55328

P: (763) 972-3391

RandyWatermiller@playlsi.com

Immediate Past President

Lloyd Reese

Play & Park Structures

544 Chestnut Street Chattanooga, TN 37402

P: (423) 356 -1871

lloyd.reese@playcore.com

IPEMA Legal Counsel

Milton Chappell

10321 Royal Road Silver Spring, MD 20903

P: (703) 770 -3329

mlc@nrtw.org

Director – Member-at-Large

Tom Fitzpatrick

Landscape Structures, Inc.

601 Seventh Street South PO Box 198

Delano, MN 55328

P: (763) 972-5277

TomFitzpatrick@playlsi.com

Director – Member-at-Large

Scott Liebelt

BCI Burke Co., LLC

660 Van Dyne Road Fond Du Lac, WI 54936

P: (920) 921-9220

sliebelt@bciburke.com

Director – Member-at-large

Rob Lockhart

Dynamo Playgrounds

661 County Road 9 Plantagenet, ON K0B1L0

P: (613) 446 - 0030 rob@dynamoplaygrounds.com

Director – Member-at-large

Bill Stafford

Flexground

2140 East Cedar Street Tempe, AZ 85281

P: (602) 954 - 0000 bill@flexground.com

Certification Chair – Equipment

Mark Koch

Blue Imp Recreational Products

766 14th Street SW Medicine Hat, AB, T1A 4V7 CANADA

P: (780) 451- 4182 F: (403) 529 - 0851 mark@blueimp.com

Certification Chair – Surfacing

Mike Sebastian

IMC Outdoor Living

2280 Schuetz Road, Suite 201 St. Louis, MO 63146

P: (866) 936 - 8524

mike.sebastian@imcoutdoorliving.com

Core Values of IPEMA: Uphold consistency of compliance

Demonstrate professionalism and integrity

Executive Director: Denise Calabrese, CAE info@ipema.org

Director of Communications Michelle Keyser communications@ipema.org

IPEMA’s staff wants you to get the most out of your experience with IPEMA. We are available to serve you, so please do not hesitate to contact staff with any question or concern that you may have. For a full staff listing, please click here