The Best Seats
In The House

For us, not much looks better than a fresh cut sports playing field as the morning sun rises high above the bleacher structures that adorn the sidelines. While they might be empty at that point in the day, we are constantly reminded of everything they bring to the events, to both the athletes and spectators throughout the year.

We are all undoubtedly familiar with their function – to seat throngs of fans who attend every game to cheer on family, friends and the athletes of tomorrow.  When it comes to ordering a bleacher structure  for an athletic field or facility, questions about configuration and seating capacity are often the first to surface, especially for those unfamiliar with the process.

In what is often referred to as Sarnia’s premier baseball park is also its oldest. Dating back to the 1950s, the baseball diamond has long served the community as a hub for local baseball serving as a home diamond for the Sarnia Braves as well as other local teams.

Following the completion of a new set of dugouts built in 2014, plans were set in motion to complete the redesign in the years following. With plans set to build around the new dugouts, demolition on the site began in 2017, with the rebuild slated for 2018.

The existing 600-seat bleachers were in disrepair, so included in the rebuilding operation was a new grandstand seating system complete with customized accessibility ramps, viewing platforms and more. Change rooms, a new concession area, netting barrier, landscape design and baseball field backstop were all also part of the scope of work for the historic athletic field.

In a picturesque rural setting with Lake Ontario to the south lies the city of Bowmanville, Ontario. Home to roughly 40,000 residents, Bowmanville is located just 75km (47 miles) from the great city of Toronto and offers a tranquil community as part of the Greater Toronto area.

Travelling just north of the downtown core is the Gaud Corners community and home to the Knox Christian School, where one of our most recent projects took place. With deep roots in the community, Knox Christian School has been an admirable educational institution since its inception in 1957, providing students with strong academics and opportunities to grow spiritually in the Canadian Christian community.

From where we sit, there is nothing better than witnessing scores of spectators rising from their seats to cheer on their local sports team. Having been involved in the sports infrastructure and equipment industry for over 40 years now, nothing makes us more excited than a well-planned athletic space or outdoor sports field. While we now support all facets of athletic equipment and the design process, our hearts are deeply rooted in the very seating that accommodates a crowd of rabid fans. Having designed bleachers and grandstands of all shapes and sizes over the years, we continue to pay attention to what facility owners and operators need and expect from their sideline seating.

As such, nothing ruins a good day at the field more than a mishap on the bleachers due to a lack of care and maintenance. With this in mind, we wanted to touch on a few easy tips for keeping your bleacher seating in game-day condition for many years to come.

On the west-end of the Island of Montreal lies the City of Kirkland. This small suburb serves as a residential community close to the hustle and bustle of downtown Montreal. Originally incorporated as a municipality in 1961, Kirkland was merged into the City of Montreal in 2002 becoming a borough before eventually being re-constituted as an independent city in January of 2006.

The City of Kirkland approached our team in September 2018 as they were looking to secure product and pricing information for a pair of top-roll gym divider curtains as they prepared the 2019 city budget.

After a couple of in-person visits by our installation team, we promptly provided detailed pricing and specifications which aided us in providing the best possible solution for their needs. 

Used to create an environment completely removed from outside distractions, sensory rooms have been proven to help students in schools across North America since becoming widely used over the past decade or so.

Used in other facilities such as special needs centres, respite centres, old age residences and a number of other locations, their effectiveness in the educational sector has provided students of all ages with a quick escape when required and are complete with both audio and visual aids to promote relaxation.

One of our more recent projects was brought to us by the esteemed team at Avron Distribution. As a leading supplier for a wide range of educational, multi-sensory resources intended for all ages and abilities, Avron has grown to be one of the most recognized suppliers in the industry. Their permanent and mobile solutions have helped promote learning, cognitive ability and physical development since the company’s inception in 1994.

When it comes to your school or local gymnasium, much of the activities that take place on the court are athletic in nature and make up the majority of the time and energy spent in the space. For many facility managers and operators out there, getting bogged down in the day-to-day can sometimes get in the way of ensuring that these types of athletic spaces are working for us as well.

The fact is, your gymnasium should also serve your facility, be it a school or community centre, as an additional source of revenue. While this is common sense to many, there are a number of ways you might not have thought of that can contribute to your operation’s bottom line.

Located in the east end of Canada’s Capital is one of the city’s newest recreational facilities, boasting state-of-the-art facilities and a variety of programming for local residents.

The François Dupuis Recreation Centre is located in the east Ottawa community of Orleans and aims to serve the community as a one-stop-shop for residents’ fitness needs. The new facility features a 25-metre, six-lane pool as well as a leisure pool and a dry sauna. Additionally, there is also a convenient fitness and cardio centre equipped with high-tech fitness equipment with the programming to match.

The NBA Finals may have just recently come to a close, but the spotlight on player and spectator safety with regards to basketball is something that never truly goes away. As one of the fastest-paced indoor sports and one of the most popular here in North America, safety is always of chief concern for coaches, planners, facility managers and operators alike.

While there are a number of safety precautions and products that already likely exist inside your gymnasium such as strategically placed wall padding, we wanted to touch on some of the basketball-specific items than can go above and beyond protecting both players and spectators.

With the action centred on the court, as operators we must not forget how much is above the floor level. With a variety of moving parts, adding additional layers of safety overhead is something we all should think about.

Nestled smack dab in the middle of the Rocky Mountains lies historic Bozeman, located in the southwest portion of the great state of Montana. While not the most populous city in the state, Bozeman does serve as home to the state’s largest university and flagship campus of the Montana State University System, Montana State University (MSU).

With enrolment of roughly 17,000 students, MSU offers baccalaureate degrees in 51 fields, master’s degrees in 41 fields and doctoral degrees in 18 fields spread across its nine colleges. Over the past decade, the school has enjoyed monumental growth in both enrolment with major construction and renovation projects including a new Animal Bioscience Building and a major renovation to Gaines Hall.