The Best Seats
In The House

Reminiscing about the summer of 2019, we are delighted with the classic thoughts of summer, including sunny days and time spent with friends and family. While those memories are stark in contrast to the pandemic-stricken summer many of us experienced this year, we remain faithful that we will get through this together, stronger than when we entered it.

One of the most noticeable changes to our spring and summer season was the absence of tradeshows. With many operating on an annual basis, our team looks forward to these events where we are all able to congregate with friends new and old and talk about our business.

We don’t often get to the great City of Chicago but love whenever we get the chance to be a part of anything going on in the Windy City. While there are a number of travel restrictions in place at the moment, we are fortunate enough to have a strong dealer presence in the state of Illinois, allowing us to partner on an exciting project at a local high school.

As one of our newest American partners, the amazing team at Slam Dunk Hoops joined us only a month or two ago. Located in Kenosha, Wisconsin, Amanda and Tony have over 10-years’ worth of experience in the athletic equipment space, specializing mainly in basketball hoop sales, installation and service. With a keen eye on growing their organization that services both Wisconsin and Illinois, Slam Dunk was quick on the draw to seize a new opportunity for a telescopic bleacher install in the Chicago area.

The University of Ottawa is the largest English-French bilingual university on the planet, comprising over 100 acres of beautiful real estate in Canada’s capital. Originally established as the College of Bytown in 1848, the university has grown to become one of the country’s most respected educational institutions.

Donning the garnet and grey, the Ottawa Gee-Gees and their respected athletic program consistently provide a high level of competition and play. With 29 varsity teams to its credit including a fiercely respected football team, the University of Ottawa has the athletic prowess to match its academic prominence.

Up until 2013, the Gee-Gees football team did not have a home field on campus, instead using outside locations such as the Varsity Oval (1881-1953), Landsdowne Park (1954-2011), and Beckwith Park (2012), before construction was completed on Gee-Gees Field in 2013. Situated along the 417 highway which cuts directly through the city of Ottawa, the new stadium provides the team with excellent exposure. We were fortunate to have been awarded the contract to design and build the grandstands that are located in the new stadium as well.

Heading into Southwestern Ontario, one of our latest projects landed us at Bishop Macdonnel High School in the great city of Guelph. This small city of just over 130,000 residents, also known as “The Royal City”, lies a mere 100km to the west of downtown Toronto and is known for its incredibly low unemployment and crime rates.

With deep roots in manufacturing and educational institutions such as the University of Guelph, this city provides a wonderful location to be a student or raise a family.

Working closely with our partners at the Wellington Catholic District School Board, a project was brought to our attention at one of Guelph’s high schools. Located in the south end of the city, our team was asked to assess the condition of some outdated bleachers at Bishop Macdonnel High School and provide a suitable replacement seating system.

 Known for its vast farmlands and access to water, Campbellford, Ontario is also often regarded as the midway point between the provincial capital of Toronto and the national capital of Ottawa.

While perhaps small in comparison to the above-named cities, Campbellford is home to a number of notable businesses including Church-Key Brewing Company, Biommer Chocolate Company, the Dart Container Corporation (foam cups anyone?), one of the regions last remaining rural cheese factories, as well as the home to the highly specialized wooden boat builder, Clarion Boats.

Located just south of Omaha, Nebraska lies the small town of Springfield and the home of the Platteview Trojans. Home to over 400 students, Platteview High School has been serving its community with a peaceful and top-notch educational experience since its inception.

In addition to a strong academic foundation, the school is extremely athletically focused, demonstrating their belief that participation in sports widens the educational experience, making it all more rewarding and enjoyable.

In the summer of 2019, it was officially announced that the Blasz Elementary School in Phoenix, Arizona would be replaced by a new school honouring a true American Hero.

Patrick Tillman, an American professional football player, left his lucrative athletic career in June 2002 following the September 11^th terrorist attacks and enlisted in the United States Army along with his brother Kevin.

Following an initial deployment to Iraq, both Patrick and Kevin entered Ranger School and graduated in the fall of 2003. Patrick was redeployed and in April of 2004, tragically was reported to have been killed by friendly fire.

Although operating during a time where travel has been drastically reduced, we were pleased that one of our recent projects took us through the beautiful Canadian province of Québec. Heading east of our headquarters, we travelled to beautiful Sept-Îles, which as its name would suggest, is made up of seven main islands in the Gulf of the Saint Lawrence River.

As one of the only locales in the region with a paved connection to the remainder of the province’s road network, the town is also home to a number of major iron companies. Sept-Îles has produced a number of NHL players including the great Guy Charbonneau and is the subject of the popular Gordon Lightfoot song “Seven Island Suite”.

With the goal of medium to long-term recovery efforts, the Ontario Trillium Foundation has created a one-time fund to support the non-profit sector in the province of Ontario. With the focus of providing recovery funding for those hit hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic, the program was built to provide proper funding for these organizations to both recover and rebuild from the catastrophic impact of the global pandemic.

As an agency of the province, the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) is one of Canada’s leading granting foundations, awarding $108 million worth of funding in 2019 alone. With an investment strategy that is founded on building stronger and more connected communities, the OTF has been investing in the province for over 30 years.

The Resilient Communities Fund aims to provide flexible financing spread over two separate deadlines, allowing for ample time to address the needs of each applying organization and support them where they need it most.

As anyone can reasonably expect, there has been a lot of talk about the 2020-21 school year and athletic programming. While few know how this year will shape up, there are plans currently being put in place in states and provinces across North America to ensure a safe return to school.

With the outbreak of COVID-19 earlier this year, schools and countless numbers of businesses were instantly shuttered in the interest of public safety. Following these abrupt closures came a lot of questions, not only about how students would complete the school year, but what this could potentially mean for next year’s students.