The Best Seats
In The House

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…

When it comes to planned expenditures, our friends over at Recreation Management Magazine conduct annual research that is helpful in more ways than one. Their annual report takes a deep dive into annual trends for spending with regards to colleges and universities across the United States.

While the 2019 edition of their annual survey indicated little to no changes with regards to planned features and upgrades, there was certainly some movement up the ranks for certain products such as bleachers and seating.

While planning for the development of synthetic turf sports fields remains at the top of the list for the second consecutive year, bleachers and seating took honours in the third spot for the most planned additions to colleges and universities. Jumping up from sixth position in late 2018, it is no secret that the building boon for planned seating will continue through 2020.

Working again with our partners at Tadeos Engineering LLC, we recently joined forces on a unique project. Operating as a structural and civil engineering firm founded in Miami in 2015, Tadeos Engineering offers a range of Structural Engineering Services for new construction, additions to current buildings, remodeling, legalization and more. The opportunity to remove old, outdated wooden telescopic bleachers and replace them with new, state-of-the-art telescopic bleachers was presented to our team by Tadeos and we were quick to reply. Organized by the City of South Miami, the project was scheduled to take place at the Gibson-Bethel Community Center. Opened in 2003, the center serves people of all ages in the community of South Miami, offering a fitness center, basketball and volleyball courts, arts and crafts rooms and much more.

Named after one of the most prolific Canadian writers of the nineteenth century,François-Xavier Garneau, the École Secondaire Catholique Garneau follows this historical Canadian’s lead on continuing to develop French Canadian culture.

Located in the east of Canada’s Capital, the school’s motto revolves around the words of Michael Montaigne who said, “The gain of the study, it is becoming better and wiser.” Today, École Secondaire Catholique Garneau invites students to engage in a perpetual momentum of improvement, progress,and wisdom through the pursuit of knowledge and excellence.

Following the success of a number of projects in Nebraska including a new grandstand bleacher for Pawnee Park in Columbus and new telescopic bleachers for Omaha Christian Academy, we were once again paired with our partners at Crouch Recreation.

Uncovering a wonderful opportunity to replace some outdated retractable bleachers in an Omaha high school, key stakeholders at Crouch Recreation brought the project to our attention and we quickly pooled our resources to have a detailed look at the project.

Located at Millard South High School in western Omaha were a number of retractable bleachers that no longer could satisfy building and safety codes and were quickly becoming a maintenance headache for the local high school.

Home to over 2,250 students, St. Thomas More Catholic Secondary School (CSS) is the largest school in Hamilton, graduating approximately 400 students each year with about 90% of those students leaving to pursue post-secondary education.

With an unwavering commitment to excellence in academics, the school is also home to over 70 sports teams, each of which have won at least one championship in the school’s history.

Keeping up with the level of athletics offered at such a large school is no easy feat and requires an innovative approach to facility management and operations. With one of the most decorated football programs in the province, the school’s main athletic field is often the focal point of athletics. The indoor gymnasium however, was in need of some upgrades to bring it to the level where it could rival the calibre of the outdoor field.

Located on the north shore of Lake Ontario, the town of Whitby is a commuter suburb serving as the eastern portion of the Greater Toronto Area. Comfortably located between the communities of Ajax and Oshawa, the town is home to over 100,000 residents.

Moving to the town’s northern, rural roots is the community of Brooklin and home to one of our recent bleacher projects. A fairly new school, Brooklin High School was constructed in 2015 and currently serves roughly 1,000 students as part of the Durham District School Board.

In addition to its academic prowess, the school has always maintained a commitment to athletics, offering programming in basketball, rugby, football, volleyball, golf, hockey, curling, lacrosse and more. In fact, in 2018 the boys’ hockey team won gold while their female counterparts took home bronze at that year’s OFSAA AAA championships.

In addition to the school’s indoor athletic facilities, it was time to enhance what was started outdoors at the school’s full-service sports field.

We are all blessed to live on such a beautiful planet and for many of us, keeping it in great shape is a priority. As new initiatives are released on a daily basis, there is much for each one of us to do to make the world a better place for the next generation.

While we all have an individual responsibility to our planet, we believe as a business we do too. This is why, where and whenever possible, we aim to source and utilize the very best materials for our products and to ensure they are manufactured in a way that has as little impact as possible.

With that in mind, we wanted to highlight a few of our products that we proudly supply that are made using recycled materials. These popular products can be found in gymnasiums and athletic facilities around the world and it is our hope to expand our offerings using recycled materials where the opportunity exists.

A global self-funded nonprofit organization, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) devotes itself to preventing death, injury or economic loss due to fire and other related hazards.

With such a broad reaching mandate, this organization sets the standard in safety by utilizing over 300 consensus codes and standards and has been a leader in safety since its inception in 1896.

Specifically designed to minimize the risk and effects of fire, the organization develops and distributes educational programs, tools and resources for all ages and audiences in addition to their internationally recognized code of standards.

While these regulations and guidelines can be far reaching, they also extend into the nature of our business in many ways as well. When it comes to setting the safety standards to bleachers and grandstands, the NFPA updates their codes and standards regarding these products once a year based on public and industry input.

Here are a few main conditions that must be considered when designing your next stand-alone seating structure.