The Best Seats
In The House

Located around 30km outside of downtown Toronto, one of our recent projects took us to the beautiful city of Markham, a part of the Greater Toronto Area. As the largest city in the York Region, Markham is home to close to 400,000 residents and is home to a number of scenic pathways and outdoor spaces.

With a revitalization project in the works, our team was contacted to help ensure the safety of residents in the area at Morgan Park, one of the city’s most popular recreational spaces. As part of the revitalization, the city undertook a massive renovation to the park’s pool and surrounding area. In addition to the pool, the park is now home to a new children’s playground as well as sports fields such as baseball diamonds.

During the design phase, it was immediately apparent that the new playground scheduled for construction was potentially in harm’s way from the big bats playing under the lights of the community baseball fields.

With the warm summer months upon us, kids out of school, and adults wanting to get in shape for swimsuit weather, it’s the time of year when gyms and athletic facilities are normally busting at the seams with activity. However, the “stay-at-home” orders and forced closings for non-essential businesses due to COVID-19, have disrupted routines for businesses and individuals alike.

Of course, these empty facilities have impacted the industry but for many organizations, the downtime offers the perfect opportunity for catching up on equipment repairs, evaluating cleanliness protocols, and scheduling routine maintenance and inspections without inconveniencing clients. Additionally, it allows staff members to stay busy and continue earning an income, while enabling facilities to improve various aspects of their business.

Originally founded as a non-denominational evening college to serve veterans returning from World War II, Carleton University has since blossomed into one of Canada’s most respected post-secondary institutions.

Located in the heart of Canada’s Capital, the university now serves over 31,000 students on its picturesque campus bounded by the world-famous Rideau Canal to the north and the Rideau River to the south.

Over the years, we’ve been privileged to have partnered with the school on numerous occasions and have watched it grow over in tandem with the lovely city we call home. In addition to outfitting a number of other facilities on campus with equipment over the years, we were honored to have been selected to completely redesign and install the school’s grandstand bleachers as well.

When it comes to keeping balls, pucks and other projectiles in play, nothing compares to a sound netting system. While some needs and requirements can be complex in nature and design for locations such as multi-use sports fields or professional applications (we do that too!), we also supply ready-to-use netting solutions for everyday use.

Outside of custom netting solutions, our netting kit is one of our most versatile netting solutions. Without letting the small packaging fool you, these netting kits are the perfect solution to the majority of netting needs in both residential and industrial applications.

When it comes to school spirit, nothing shouts it louder than brightly displayed school colours and logos. With this in mind, we have spent the past few years developing a way to bring these colours and images to life with our superior line of athletic equipment and infrastructure.

Our retractable bleachers are one of our most popular product lines. These innovative seating structures are designed specifically for indoor use in gymnasiums and auditoriums and also in other spaces such as pools and arenas. These versatile bleachers provide seating when the need arises and are easily stored in place when not in use.

No matter where in the world you reside, your life has undoubtedly been touched by the COVID-19 pandemic. In one of the worst health and economic situations our world has ever seen, rules, regulations and processes are changing all around us.

Governments and leading health organizations have prescribed a myriad of recommendations that we should abide by with the goal of keeping each other safe and healthy.

For businesses that have remained operational throughout the entire process and for those approaching the re-opening phase of the world’s economies, a lot has changed. One of the prevailing trends that has been proven to be making the biggest impact in slowing the spread of the virus is the practice of social distancing.

As part of one of the largest real estate developments in the Middle East, we were invited by our partners in the region to participate in the project of developing The Pearl Qatar.

Comprising of nearly four square kilometers, The Pearl Qatar is a stunning artificial island designed to resemble a string of pearls, recalling Qatar’s history of being one of the world’s top pearl traders prior to the region’s oil boom.

As part of the development, the United Development Company, continues to add amenities for residents of this premiere community. In addition to the community’s luxury villas, apartments and townhomes, it is also home to an award-winning marina, beautiful beaches, and a number of gyms, in addition to the region’s premiere soccer pitch, the Temba Arena.

The truth is, we never actually left. Instead, we pivoted, shifted and adjusted. We kept our employees safe. We provided them with the external resources required to do their jobs and they did just that.

While the hallways of our office were empty and our manufacturing facility quiet, we were active in our homes. Creating make-shift home offices, we took to our kitchen or dining room tables to take phone calls and answer emails from customers, partners and team members.

Much the same as everything else we have been through in our 40-years in the athletic infrastructure and equipment industry, we made it work.

When it comes to outdoor products, how they stand-up to not only the test of time but up to the inherent weather conditions is ultimately how we evaluate their effectiveness. With structures such as bleachers, which are left outdoors through12 months of the year, much care has gone into the construction and finish of these products.

Aluminum is an incredibly durable material and fares well with extended outdoor use. While the material is great, it is the finish used to protect it is often what makes the difference in the long-term. These coatings and finishes allow these seating systems not only the ability to withstand extended outdoor conditions but also allows them to look ageless through the process.

With that in mind, below are three of the most common finish options for outdoor bleachers and ones you should consider before purchasing your next bank of outdoor seating.

 Throughout history, facilities, sports leagues, and special events have traditionally used stationary seating systems to accommodate spectators. Bleacher seating was ordered specifically to fit a specified space – typically along the sidelines of a sports field - and was never to move again.

In an ever-changing industry such as athletics, the needs and wants of facilities have changed and the bleacher market has adapted accordingly. In addition to improved accessibility seating options, reduced bleacher sizes and all-steel frame construction, there has also been a dramatic rise in the use of portable bleachers.

These seating structures can come in a couple of different configurations. The first being a bleacher that was designed and manufactured to be portable or transportable from the beginning. The second is the availability of tow kits that can easily be installed on existing bleachers, making them instantly mobile.

So aside from the obvious, what is it that keeps facility managers and operators ordering these versatile bleachers?  Let’s dig into it…