The Best Seats
In The House

Overlooking Lake Nipissing in northern Ontario is Nipissing University, a primarily undergraduate university recognized for smaller class sizes, unbeatable student living conditions and accessible support from faculty members.

Located in North Bay, the school reached out to us in late 2017 as they were in some preliminary discussions regarding the design of a new bleacher seating system and press box. Known for their athletic prowess in soccer, basketball and hockey (among others), the school’s athletic pride is green and black representing the Nipissing Lakes across the province.

Celebrating over ten years since opening in the Greater Toronto Area, the South Asian Autism Awareness Centre (SAAAC) is where one of our most recent projects landed us.

The centre was created as a direct response to the growing need for awareness and support for South Asian families impacted by ASD and other developmental disorders.

The centre has experienced exponential growth over the past decade, now servicing over 150 families. In the fall of 2017, they reached out to our team for help with a new facility.

As part of their expansion, the SAAAC had plans in place to take over a building that had been donated to them by one of Toronto’s school boards.

It was the early 1970s in King Township, just north of Toronto. The local government decided it was time to shut down the country schools in outlying areas, promising to bus local primary students to one of the newer regional public elementary schools.

At the time, parents of children enrolled in country schools were skeptical of the larger institution’s ability to create the warmth and commitment they had grown accustomed to in smaller country schools.

So these parents formed a coalition that would determine the feasibility of opening a co-ed private school for students in grades 1-8 in King Township. After the research was completed, the decision was made to begin preparations to complete what would soon become known as The Country Day School – opening in the fall of 1972.

Multifaceted spaces such as gymnasiums require multifaceted solutions when it comes to the right equipment. Whether it is seating requirements, sporting equipment, safety padding or properly dividing the space, chances are the solution that is right for your gym is going to be customized in one way or another.

When it comes to  gym divider curtains, this sentiment could not be truer. Deciding to divide your gymnasium is a great way to add another level of versatility to the space and take on additional athletic programming. Choosing a gym divider curtain, however, is not something that should be taken lightly.

Nestled on the Canadian east coast lies the historic island of Newfoundland. With one of North America’s oldest European settlements dating from the early 16^thcentury, the island is marred with a colourful history that is still visible today.

Heading southwest from the province’s capital of St. John’s lies the quaint city of Mount Pearl – a suburb of the nearby capital city. As the second most populous city on the island, Mount Pearl shares much of the rich history with its neighbouring city and today the region serves as one of the most popular tourist destinations on Canada’s eastern seaboard.

A facility founded firmly on the Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk) value of interrelatedness, Step by Step Child and Family Centre on the southern banks of the St. Lawrence River in Quebec provides care for children between the ages of 12 months and 6 years.

Utilizing a holistic approach to both child care and development, the facility has been aiding the community since its inception. With emphasis placed on each and every child who enters their programming, Step By Step always aims to be completely inclusive, believing that every child has the right to be a part of the mainstream and a contributing member of society.

We take in a select number of tradeshows and off-site industry events each and every year across both Canada and the United States. One such event that we look forward to each and every year is put on by the Ontario Association of School Business Officials (OASBO) and that is their Operations, Maintenance and Construction Workshop (OMC).

Typically held in a beautiful location, the show is a treat to visit and is a chance for us to connect with familiar faces and meet others we have not yet had the pleasure.

One of our recent projects landed us in coastal New England, home of chowder, warm hospitality and some of the world’s most formidable sports franchises. While the region spans a total of six diverse U.S. states, this project took place in the picturesque state of Maine.

Located in Westbrook, a suburb of Portland, is the Spring Harbor Hospital, a 100-bed non-profit psychiatric hospital offering services for both children and adults.

Part of Maine Behavioral Healthcare, the facility has three adult units totalling 60 beds, a child unit with 14 beds, an adolescent unit with 14 beds and a 12-bed unit for patients with developmental disorders.

After some unfortunate water damage to certain areas of the hospital, the facility was undergoing some fairly heavy-duty renovations. During the process, stakeholders from within the organization got in contact with members of our team in search of fire-rated wall padding for one of the rooms in the hospital.

America’s game is played on diamonds of all shapes and sizes across North America. As one of the continent’s most popular sports, with an estimated 14 million participants in 2017, the need to ensure these spaces are safe for play by participants of all ages could not be more apparent.

While for some of us, grounding balls or catching pop-flies on a dusty old diamond in a former hay field was a rite of passage. For others in larger communities, well-groomed infields, pitching mounds and green outfields are more of what some are accustomed to.

In a game where so much attention is paid to the small round projectile, player safety can become an oversight. As we are in the heat of baseball season, we wanted to take the opportunity to showcase a few products aimed at keeping your diamond and players safe for many seasons to come.

We proudly spent the better part of this week spending time on Canada’s beautiful east coast for an event that many in our industry look forward to, the New Brunswick Association of School Business Officials’ (NBASBO) Annual General Meeting . Acting as a branch of the Association of School Business Officials (ASBO), the New Brunswick affiliate is dedicated to the development of each member by creating professional growth and communication within this fast-paced industry.