Customer Testimonials

Use The Rinse Cycle

Saw the Chicago beach article in the March issue.

Very impressive.

Chris

Christopher Kelly

Dir. Sales & Marketing

H. Barber & Sons, Inc.

(703) 435-1100

Advertiser Response

I have been working with Rodney and Tony and the team at Northstar Publishing since the early years of both PRB and CB magazines. The relationship has been productive, profitable and .... fun! There is no one more enthusiastic about his business and our industries than Rodney! Tony gets me very competitive rates to make the most of my ad budget dollars. And I appreciate the publication team checking each month to confirm they are running the correct ad for me. I am certain the entire staff at Northstar is focused on producing magazines that are informative for their circulation, and productive for the advertisers. It's a win-win.

Bob Simonsen

R.J. Thomas Mfg. Co. Inc.

Ron Ciancutti -- A Step Ahead & The Week-Ender

Ron,

Your story brought tears to my eyes as I also enjoyed my family home and backyard. In the late summer, I long to sit outside in the old swing and listen to the family stories and retell old ghost stories! Thank you for taking me back to a very happy time.

--Monica Perry

Ron,

As an Iowan living on the East Coast for the last 10 years, I really appreciated your “Private Spaces” story.

Though we don't have a fire pit anymore, we do fire up the grill often. We expanded our vegetable garden and try to eat under the shade of the umbrella when the suffocating humidity allows.

Thanks for reminding folks how enjoyable the small things in life (fresh air, fire, family, and six-packs) can be.

Matthew Kaiser

Deputy Public Information Officer

Fairfax County Park Authority

Ron,

I love reading your articles in PRB. Your comments about your dad, mom and family are very touching. Talk about a small world. I grow up in Berea and went to church at St. Mary's. I went to school and CCD with your sister Paula. I would walk past your house every school day while attending Fairwood. I tell my kids in California that we had to walk to school in snow blizzards for miles uphill both ways! After graduation from Berea High in '77 went to college in Chicago and started to work for the YMCA. After 15 years in the non-profit world, I took on a job with city parks and recreation. It's been great.

Keep up the great work. You are such a great writer. I totally can relate to what you write … maybe because I’ve been there!

Patrick Downing

Arts and Events Supervisor

City of Santa Clarita, Calif.

Dear Ron,

Thanks for the nice story. Our family lives in the Beautiful Town of Grand Haven, Michigan. We are very blessed with a beautiful back yard of tall standing red pines and we love our back yard fire pit. We have lots of wonderful family memories of times spent with our four boys sitting around the fire just watching the red hot coals glow in the dark night. There is something very special about a camp fire that helps to get young men talking to their parents when otherwise we would never know what is going on inside their heads. I work in the field of recreation equipment sales with a long history of designing children’s play grounds for the commercial markets. This is how I came across your article. Thank you very much.

--Dan Downey

Randy Gaddo -- LBWA & The Week-Ender

Randy,

If state and local parks were a profitable business, Haliburton would be in the park business!

--Bryan Kellar

Randy,

Public recreation, like public schools’ purpose is to provide access to all people, regardless of income, as it’s paid for by everyone, not just users of service. If charges were made to pay for all operational costs, it would be private recreation which serves those who choose to use and can afford to pay. Public recreation is one of the most effective ways to keep all people healthy, engaged and a part of community.

-Karen Emery

Randy,

It’s refreshing to hear this attitude during the number-crunching days we call “Budget Time!” We have to run our district like a business because we can’t LOSE money. It’s not, however, a for-profit organization. We want to make enough money to provide for anyone who walks in the door and maintain the property and assets that we have. Making a profit has never been a problem here at our district!

Thanks for the reminder that we are the “apples” of someone’s eye!

--T. Hale

Steve Yeskulsky -- Metal Memories

Steve,

Love the story on the metal desks! I have had many of these in my career, especially with the green top! Way to make me smile on a Monday morning!

Lisa Bowman

Recreation Supervisor

Elyria Parks & Recreation Department

Elyria, Ohio

Fred Engh -- Sports Spotlight, Handshake Can Have Bigger Impact

Fred,

I wanted to let you know that the Athletic/Fitness section of the Washington Recreation and Park Association took to heart your August 2009 PRB Sports Spotlight (Don’t Hide The Handshake) article about making the handshake a pre-game activity.

Thank you for your article,

Clarissa Ruston

Recreation Coordinator

Auburn Parks, Arts & Recreation

Auburn, Wash.

Dr. Panza -- Survey Gives Reader A Closer Look

Dr. Panza,

We just read your article on breaking down the data in risk management in the February issue of PRB (A Closer Look). It is helpful to look at these stats from an industry-wide basis.

Thanks for taking the time to publicize the survey and consolidate results!

Robert Davis

MWR Specialist

Chesapeake, Va.

Rodney J. Auth -- Publisher's Note, Gripes Give Way To Opportunities

Rodney,

I read your February [Publisher’s Note] with a smile; those complaint phone calls are so much fun. One of my first complaint calls resulted in me offering the complainer a job--it was one of my best moves as a recreation professional. She has been an asset to our program for 15 years and we have done some great things.

Doug DeFabio

Recreation Supervisor

Community Services Department

Vacaville, Calif.

Web Comments

“Reading your article has fortified what I have been trying to add to our programming. Thank you for the suggestions.” (Tips Of The Trade, By Silvana Clark, PRB December 2009)

--Karen Bixler

Recreation Manager

“I really enjoyed the pointers for anyone building a splash park and will keep them for future reference. One thing that I thought of that wasn't mentioned was the possibility of incorporating a small splash park for toddlers in conjunction with a swimming pool. The water for the swimming pool could be used for the park and returned to the pool. Thanks for the articles; I really get a lot out of them.” (Appealing To The Masses, By Tammy York, PRB November 2009)

--Dale Westrick

Trustee, Watertown Township, Mich.

Previous
Previous

Baseball Field Makeover

Next
Next

Testimonials