The Best Seats
In The House

We’ve always said, our strength as a company is as good as the people with whom we work. While most might think this refers to our immediate colleagues and co-workers, for us, it goes well
beyond that.

We have partners. A wide network of them. They include those that work in our front office, in our manufacturing facility, our suppliers and our trusted network of dealers spanning the globe.

As an organization, onboarding new partners of any kind is not something we take lightly. When it comes to expanding our global footprint, we carefully select those who exhibit a set of shared values on which we have built this company for the past 40 years.

Don McGahan Clubhouse - McArthur Ave.

It is commonly believed that if everyone viewed the world through the eyes of children, society would be a much better place. Despite being at more preliminary stages of development, children see no value-based distinction amongst varying ethnicities, genders, or socioeconomic backgrounds. Implementing this child-like acceptance and celebrating the differences of each individual, the Boys and Girls Club of Ottawa (BGC) has created a safe space for children and teens aged 6-18.

For many people, a reference to the “saints” may conjure up a very specific image. For example, some might associate the title with religious beliefs or medieval artwork. Others, however, may connect the word to a pop culture or sports reference -- such as the film Rudy or the New Orleans Saints. For the people of Thunder Bay, Ontario, however, the term serves as a reminder of St. Patrick High School.

As schools across North America begin to plan reopening, many are in the midst of upgrading facilities and spaces. With students learning virtually, schools have been placed in a precarious state of affairs over the past twelve months, leaving many facility managers wondering what the next steps would look like.

As the planning process continues, we are seeing a flurry of activity as the pandemic rounds the corner and we begin to resume our daily lives in the safest way possible. In addition to athletic infrastructure such as gymnasium upgrades, our custom padding department has been working diligently on churning out new designs and custom projects.

One such project was brought to us once again, by our partners at King Carpentry in southern Ontario. Working closely with school boards, their team is knowledgeable and effective and is quick to secure jobs and perform installations in a safe and timely manner.

With the continuing increase in mental health awareness, more and more educational facilities are turning to safe rooms, de-escalation rooms, sensory environments and the like to the keep students safe and happy while at school.

Over the past five years, our team has been involved in the process of designing, consulting and installing these types of highly specialized environments across North America. These spaces can be found in schools, mental health facilities, addiction centres, hospitals and private residences, and research shows that when utilized properly, these environments are extremely beneficial to their users.

As our awareness of mental health continues to expand so too does the need for properly planned and inclusive spaces. These spaces are highly customized in design and often feature unique elements created with the end user or users in mind.

Today, these padded spaces are used in a number of different applications ranging from healthcare facilities and educational facilities such as schools, to a variety of mental health institutions.

With the rise in demand for these types of spaces, we have transformed our custom padding department to not only handle the increased volume of requests but have also invested in research and partnerships that aid us in ensuring they are as safe and welcoming as possible.

Located in the western region of the Greater Toronto Area, Woodview Mental Health & Autism Services offers a number of services for children and youth facing mental health challenges and for those diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Originally known as St. Mary’s Asylum for girls and Mount St. Joseph for boys, the history of the facility dates back to 1853 and only officially became known as Woodview in the late 1970s. While a number of changes have taken place over the years, the goal remains the same today at Woodview, which has expanded to multiple locations providing community-based programs in the Burlington, Brantford, Halton and Hamilton regions.

Many school boards across both Canada and the United States are recognizing their responsibility to provide safe and supportive learning and working environments for all faculty members and students. Often referred to as calming rooms, de-escalation rooms, quiet areas, calming rooms or sensory rooms, these spaces are based on the concept of reducing both environmental and physical triggers as a coping strategy for those experiencing heightened or depressed states of arousal. Outside of educational facilities, these spaces are common in residences, therapeutic clinics and a variety of other healthcare facilities.

Ensuring that the use of these types of rooms and facilities are not used as punishment or seclusion, the use of these rooms is becoming more regulated by guidelines set out by school boards and other governing bodies.

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.