This-N-That
ASBA Launches Quarterly Magazine
Forest Hill, Md.—The American Sports Builders Association (ASBA), the national organization for builders, design professionals and suppliers of materials for athletic facilities, announces the launch of its quarterly magazine, Build It Right.
The magazine, which replaces ASBA’s longtime newsletter, Newsline, has increased technical content and in-depth coverage of industry issues, interviews with executives from various governing bodies, rules updates and other information affecting the sports facility design, construction, and supply industry. At the same time, it will include company news contributed by ASBA’s members, as well as information on programs, publications, and other association projects, news of meetings, educational offerings, volunteer opportunities and other items of interest. The August 2022 issue was its inaugural issue.
For more information, visit www.sportsbuilders.org.
Demonstration Site Exceeds ADA Guidelines
Situated along the Ohio River at the southernmost tip of the Hoosier state sits Kevin Hammersmith Memorial Park in the county seat of New Albany, Ind. As a National Demonstration Site for inclusive outdoor play, the playground at KHMP exceeds guidelines for ADA accessibility. This was the selling point used by the Floyd County Parks and Recreation Department when the team launched the $1.3-million playground project seven years ago. But words alone didn’t extend far when it came to fundraising on such a scale. Superintendent Roger Jeffers realized that he had to show, rather than tell, to inspire donors and secure funding for the innovative design.
With the help of a film crew, the department captured the lived experiences of the county’s 2,200 special-needs children. They highlighted perspectives of community members who would directly benefit from an inclusive playground, and once donors connected with the faces in the promotional video and understood the personal impact of a donation, funds started to pour in.
In addition to a splash pad, the design included wheelchair accessible ramps and turf, sensory wave sound boards and shaded musical instruments for the visually and hearing impaired, and inclusive swings, slides, and zip lines that could be enjoyed by wheelchair users and able-bodied children alike.
With the help of grants and donations from Patronicity and the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority’s matching funds, county residents raised over $109,000 towards the construction of the new accessible playground. As momentum for the project picked up after the promotional video, the playground received financial support from individual members of the community and larger charitable organizations who believed in the cause. The playground officially opened to the public on May 21, 2022.
For information on how to become a designated National Demonstration Site, visit https://www.playcore.com/nds.
--Information provided by Sierra Williams
Pine Hall Brick Company Celebrates 100th Anniversary - photo
Winston-Salem, N.C.—After thousands of homes and factories and brick sidewalks and patios; two World Wars, a Great Depression, economic upturns and downturns and four generations of the Steele family, Pine Hall Brick Company celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2022. The company began when Flake Steele bought Consolidated Brick Company and hundreds of acres of land that contained Triassic shale. On August 7, 1922, Pine Hall Brick Company was founded and later that year, began production in seven ‘beehive” kilns making brick and clay pipe.
The privately held company manufactures face, paving, and special-shape clay brick for the residential and commercial construction industry. It operates plants in North Carolina and Georgia and sells brick products in more than 35 different states with their main markets located in North Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, and Virginia. The company employs more than 250 people and is headquartered in Winston Salem, N.C.
Toro Introduces IntelliDash Platform
Bloomington, Minn.—Golf course superintendents can monitor, manage, track and maintain the health of their operations all in one place with the recently introduced IntelliDash platform from Toro. With just a glance, superintendents can view real-time operational data, including agronomic conditions, labor, asset location and equipment health. In addition, course superintendents can use data to simplify course operations, identify inefficiencies and better allocate resources. For more information, visit toro.com/intellidash.
Yanmar Opens Wellness Center For Employees
Adairsville, Ga.—In an exciting first for Adairsville, Yanmar America Corporation has announced the opening of an onsite clinic at its headquarters. The Yanmar Wellness Center, which was opened in partnership with Atrium Health Floyd, will provide employees and their families with free, high-quality primary and urgent care.
The Center can provide wide variety of services from consultations and comprehensive primary care to preventive screenings, lab services, and urgent care. It can even dispense a range of common medications to employees and their families. All services are free of charge.
“Currently, the only option for employees who need a medical consultation is to take personal leave or to postpone their care needs,” said Jeff Albright, President, Yanmar America. “The Yanmar Wellness Center will allow employees to seek quality, timely care and save their leave days for vacations or time with friends or family. This center is part of Yanmar America’s approach to improving overall employee wellbeing.
Flowbird Unveils Off-Street Parking Solution
Moorestown, N.J.—Flowbird North America, a provider of cloud-based mobility solutions, released FlowbirdGO, an off-street system that gives operators the flexibility to manage parking in gated and ungated garages and lots.
In gated parking scenarios, the system begins with a fully configurable touch-screen entry kiosk. The driver prints their QR code entry ticket, and the gate arm opens for access to the facility. Alternatively, the system can be customized to accept phone numbers, credit cards, and permit access as an entry token.
For gateless parking facilities, drivers can freely enter and exit the facility while their license plate number is recorded by the FlowbirdGO system. The solution can accommodate pre-payment or post-payment, prior to leaving the facility, as well as mailed invoices if the user does not pay on-site.
For more information, visit https://www.flowbird.group.
Field Notes
Congratulations to Paula Smith and Bob Simonsen, both of whom retired in September from RJ Thomas Mfg. Co. Inc. Smith had been with the company full-time since 1984 and worked part-time prior to that. In her 38 years with the company, she played an integral part in the front-line customer service team. Simonsen was a part of the sales and marketing team for 27 years. He was a key component in coordinating tradeshow involvement, maintaining the great website, establishing a robust marketing strategy, has contributed greatly to product development. PRB wishes both employees an enjoyable retirement!
Melody Doleman has been named Vice President Human Resources of STIHL Inc. She is responsible for overall strategic management of human resources for the company, including talent acquisition, development, employee relations, performance management, benefits, and compensation.
Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary Gets Upgrade
Headquartered within the lush, deeply forested Berkshires, Mass Audubon’s Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary in Lenox, Mass., has dedicated itself to protecting wildlife while connecting with nature, and preserving and expanding the state’s vast, open spaces.
To further this initiative and attract even greater participation, the wildlife sanctuary recently completed its Opening Doors to Nature campaign designed to make the organization’s 18th-century Program Barn and sanctuary overall “more accessible and welcoming to people of all abilities.” The $1.125-million renovation involved a new visitor lobby, outdoor decks, small kitchen, metal roofing, and modern, “gender-neutral, fully-accessible and family-friendly” restrooms.
Included within this modernization package were Scranton Products Aria Partitions, which were used in the men and women’s restrooms in the new barn addition.
SiteOne Launches Online Estimate Tool
Roswell, Ga.—Landscape contractors have a new time- and money-saving resource with the new estimate tool from SiteOne Landscape Supply, the company’s latest business-management solution. The free, online estimating tool helps contractors quickly and easily present customized, professional proposals to customers and win business without requiring separate software or subscriptions.
Account holders can use the free tool by building an item list on SiteOne.com, either using “Add to List” or by uploading a list in Excel format. Once a list is created, the account holder may convert the list to an estimate, add markup and customization, and then download the estimate as a PDF. The estimate tool includes a free-form field so contractors can add items that are not available on SiteOne.com, such as labor and permits.
For more information, visit www.SiteOne.com.