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Why choose fitness vs. traditional when you can have both?
When BCI Burke introduced its Intensity fitness play system, it caused a stir in the industry like we'd never seen before. School administrators, park boards and physical fitness teachers could immediately see the value of equipment designed to provide specific fitness benefits as kids go about the business of fun and recreation.
But playgrounds are more than fitness centers. They're also places where kids form lifelong friendships, develop social skills and simply relax in the fresh air. And for years, our "post-and-platform" component playgrounds have provided virtually limitless options for doing just that.
And now, you can have both -- on a single playground. We call them "fusion design" playgrounds, because they're a combination of traditional components and Intensity activities.
Making this possible is Nucleus, our new outdoor play system that features five-inch posts and an all-new direct- bolt clamp system that makes it possible to integrate traditional components with the revolutionary Intensity activities.
The result? A playground where kids can benefit from the physical challenges of Intensity for a while, then rest on a platform or enter a world of tunnels, slides, swings and other activities that burn off energy and stimulate their imagination.
We call it fusion design. Kids just call it fun. Learn more about Nucleus by visiting www.playnucleus.com.
Balanced lifestyle a key element in preventing childhood obesity
By Tim Ahern
Owner/CEO
 Every spring, those of us with lawns face the same challenge: How to get our lawns to turn green without being overtaken by weeds and crabgrass.
Years ago, I learned a lesson from a landscaper that has been helpful not only in lawn care, but in every aspect of my life. “You don't grow grass by killing weeds. You grow grass by growing grass, and when it's healthy, the weeds don't have a place to grow anyway.”
There are “weeds” in all areas of our lives, and we naturally tend to focus on them. We see problems and want to solve them. But we sometimes miss the bigger picture. This especially comes to mind when we talk about childhood obesity. It's a huge problem, and the issues arising from it will follow today's overweight kids throughout their lives. But it seems to me that the better way to help these kids is to focus not on the weight, but on the elements that go into a well-rounded life.
I think we'll all agree that today's kids spend too much time peering into computer screens and playing video games. But it isn't just enough to pull them away from the keyboards and joysticks. We need to help them form good habits that will benefit them their whole lives.
That's where BCI Burke's playgrounds can play an important role. I believe the best way to get kids moving is to give them a place to go. An attractive, stimulating place where moving and fun go together. When a child associates exertion with smiles and laughter, the stage has been set for a lifetime of good health habits.
Our Intensity fitness play systems are designed to give kids fun things to do that just happen to be great exercise as well. But kids also love timeless, traditional activities, so I'm especially excited that our Nucleus play system has made it possible to integrate the two onto a single playground.
The way I see it, telling kids to get off the couch is like spraying weed killer. But helping them form positive associations and good lifelong habits is like fertilizing and watering. We’re giving kids the tools to grow up healthy, and we’re preventing some problems in the process. After all, if the lawn’s healthy, the weeds just have no place to grow.
Keeping it in the family: customers, manufacturers, and marriages
When they say they run a family company, Eileen and George Herberger really mean it, and not just because this president and vice president of Ben Shaffer Associates are a married couple.
Instead, the Herbergers believe that close personal relationships are the backbone of their company, and they see “family” not only in each other, but in their staff, their manufacturers, and their customers.
“What we do is a marriage in so many ways – not only between George and me, but between us and our customers and community, us and our staff, and between us and our manufacturer. We simply could not do what we do without the products to stand behind our efforts, and BCI Burke has been very supportive of us,” said Eileen.
That support has translated into an excellent record of service to the community, and the Herbergers were recently honored with the New Jersey Recreation and Park Association’s Service Award. They are the first married couple to receive the honor and only the third commercial group to win the award in 26 years.
“We could never have won this award without Burke’s support,” said George. “Not to mention the efforts of our staff. Eileen and I would not have such a record of success if we didn’t have the people working with us that we do. We feel really strongly about that.”
Having started out at Ben Shaffer’s original sporting goods store, Eileen considers herself a third generation owner and stresses that it was Ben Shaffer who first shaped the company’s family oriented atmosphere. “Ben really valued those peer to peer relationships, and we strive to keep those values alive in our company. We have great relationships with our staff and customers, and with BCI Burke, and that’s been a major factor in our success.”
The marriage/business formula works for them on multiple levels. “You know, Eileen loves Broadway, I love rock. We’re not exactly the same, and sometimes we butt heads, but we work it out. That’s what families do, and that’s how great ideas are born,” George says.
But George also says that the best part of his job is going out on a playground and hearing the giggles. “Hearing kids laughing – that’s the difference we’re making in people’s lives, and there’s no better feeling,” he says.
Organizations in northern New Jersey who wish to install a Burke playground may contact Eileen or George by calling 973-663-2021 or visiting www.benshaffer.com. BCI Burke, with headquarters in Fond du Lac, Wisc., is a premier manufacturer of playground, park and recreation equipment and an avid supporter of playground safety. To have a Burke playground consultant contact you, please click here or call 1-800-266-1250.
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