Toadvine Blog

 We are very excited to announce the completion of Collierville High School’s athletic complex.  Toadvine took the lead in designing, producing, & installing the outdoor grandstands for football (home & visitor), baseball, softball, soccer, & tennis.  These grandstands including VIP chairs were manufactured to match Collierville’s school colors. Outdoor athletic equipment was also provided for baseball, softball, and track & field.  In addition, we provided and installed both basketball & volleyball systems for the new main gym and (2) auxiliary gyms. Thanks to the folks at Collierville High School for entrusting Toadvine to complete this project and for allowing us to have a role in building such a great athletic complex.  The students, faculty, parents, & fans should enjoy this outstanding high school venue for years to come.

Take a look at the news story below to see how beautiful this sports complex turned out.

https://www.wmcactionnews5.com/2018/09/20/collierville-high-unveils-new-sports-facilities-including-football-stadium-basketball-gyms/

            Toadvine is excited to announce our involvement in the construction of the new Collierville High School that is scheduled to open in the Fall of 2018.  Toadvine is providing construction of the outdoor grandstand bleachers for football (home & visitor), baseball, softball, soccer, and tennis.  Toadvine is also providing indoor volleyball equipment and outdoor athletic equipment for track, baseball, and soccer.  In addition, Toadvine is providing the ceiling suspended basketball goals for the main gym as well as both auxiliary gyms.  Here is quick update on the project.

• Main Gym & Auxiliary Gyms – Basketball
  • Porter Athletic goals are up in all 3 gyms; installation was completed in late February.
• Football Field – Dant Clayton outdoor football bleachers
  • Visitor Side – Bleachers were installed in early May; currently finishing up final touches on ramps & walkways.
  • Home Side – Steel beam infrastructure was completed in mid-May; currently installing seat planks, foot boards, risers, ramps & walkways.
• Baseball/Softball/Soccer/Tennis – Dant Clayton outdoor bleachers
  • Construction to begin in June, 2018

Stay tuned for the next update during the construction of this impressive new school.  When completed, it will have one of the best athletic facilities in the state of Tennessee.

Replace or Renovate Your Outdoor Grandstands?

What’s the right decision?  A wise decision is based on the Total Cost of Ownership principle. Upfront costs for renovation or retro-fit are usually less than a full replacement. Even though you may save money upfront, in most cases you will bear the additional costs for maintenance and repair in the near future.  In addition, issues with CODE Compliance and safety concerns are a consideration that will likely reduce the amount of your initial savings in the near-term.  Additional lost revenue opportunities should be considered as part of your decision given possible poor aesthetics of the facility and the associated lack of fan base support.  

Decision Criteria: Safety / CODE Concerns with Existing Bleachers

Shouldn’t safety always be your #1 priority? With that in mind, your current bleachers may be unsafe and not CODE compliant. Before making any decision, be sure you check the following:

• Could a Small Child fall through large gaps in your old bleacher?
• Make sure you have Side rails/ hand rails to prevent anyone from falling
• Check to see if you have ADA ramps for handicap attendees
• Check to see if you have enough ADA Handicap Seating for a comfortable view
• Get a Structural Engineer’s approval before making any decisions on a renovation or full replacement project.

Why Replace?

There are several reasons why replacing your existing bleachers with new grandstands would be more cost effective than a budget restricting retro-fit or renovation. Constructing replacement bleachers is a much smoother, less risky, and economically efficient operation. The additional cost for a full replacement bleacher, including understructure, may be less than you think. Initially a full replacement may seem like a more expensive strategy, but after considering the short and long term benefits you may change your mind. Here are a few factors to consider that likely will benefit you in the long run.

•  Long Term Savings: Spending a little more upfront could give your program a greater return on investment. This investment will last your school 25-30 years!
• Annual Tune Ups: Completely replacing a bleacher will allow the school to significantly lower your annual maintenance costs. Aside from your maintenance inspections, the only work that may be necessary is if your rowdy student section loosens foot decking or seat boards.
• Color & Logos: Replacement bleachers have the ability to spell out logos or initials with matching risers in school colors giving your bleachers a sharper look.
• Admission $: As a school, you will feel more comfortable charging a higher price for a comprehensive seating upgrade that might include VIP chair seating.

• Easy Clean: New no-rust aluminum seating and decking will allow you to power wash the bleachers eliminating any rusting.
• Fully Enclosed Decking: Unlike most renovations, new replacement bleachers are fully enclosed that have no gaps whatsoever. This keeps trash, debris, or even personal belongings from falling under the bleacher.

Renovation: What to Consider!

Renovation is a viable option if it is designed and constructed properly. Anytime your school starts to make a decision whether to renovate or replace, there are a couple cautions that need to be considered when it comes to renovation. Although it may save you money upfront, fully evaluate your situation before making a final decision.

• Faulty Upgrade: Renovations should be more than a mere face-lift. Mixing/matching new and existing decking and bench seating will likely disappoint. Make sure to seek a subject-matter expert, like Toadvine, before making any big decisions so you don’t spend money on a faulty upgrade.

• Look and Feel: Renovation can sometimes leave you with a bleacher that has a multitude of different looking products. Make sure to keep all of your seating consistent so you don’t end up with a mismatched and unprofessional looking bleacher.
• Understructure Warnings: Make sure a structural engineer checks the understructure of the old bleacher to guarantee it will be able to hold and support the added weight of the new additions.

• Level Seats: With the merging of bleacher product technologies, it is not a guarantee that your bleacher bench seating will lay straight. With the constant changing of parts and pieces over the years, sections of your bench seating may not align with one another.

Experience

Jim Kessinger, Head Facilities Director of Jefferson County Public Schools in Louisville, KY spoke of his experiences with full replacement and renovation: “In my 35 years of experience, I have done both new replacement and renovation outdoor bleacher projects.  New bleachers ultimately just provide a better outcome for our schools with less problems both at time of construction and in the years to follow.  Toadvine has been a great partner in guiding us through the appropriate decision making process.”

Ask for Help!

Let Toadvine guide you through the decision making process of your new construction project or renovation upgrade. Toadvine is available to share our expertise in all phases of your outdoor bleacher projects, from design to installation and ongoing maintenance. Our experienced team, including project managers, will work with you from start to finish on all aspects of your outdoor bleacher projects.

 Next Steps

• Call Toadvine for a full evaluation of your current grandstands.
• Set up an appointment to meet with our expert team to discuss all the options.
• Let us put you in touch with other clients that have made similar decisions.

Contact Us

Email: smelchior@toadvine.com

Phone: 502-912-9508

Safety Straps: For the Safety of All

The gym must be a safe place - right? Floors are regularly cleaned and inspected for damage, bleachers are lubricated and seats are tightened, and electrical and plumbing systems are subject to strict codes. But what about the stuff hanging over your head? Too often, basketball backstops are the most overlooked piece of equipment in your gymnasium.  Once the backstop system is properly installed, it is the schools responsibility to inspect and maintain that equipment.

Pulleys, cables, components, limit switches and many other factors can contribute to failure of a suspended backstop. The one overriding factor in all falls is the lack of a fully automatic safety strap. The majority of existing units lack a fully automatic safety strap and aren't regularly inspected.

What Happens if a Basketball Backstop Falls?

When you turn the key to lower or raise your basketball backstops, do you ever think about what would happen if a cable suddenly snapped? Many athletic directors and staff members who operate basketball goals are quite weary of the size of these units and keep a close eye on the unit when raising or lowering them. The movable portion of a backstop system can weigh close to 1,000 pounds and can be suspended 20 to 30 feet above the court floor. Together, when these systems fall, they can generate thousands of pounds of force on impact. It usually damages the backstop structure and facility. More importantly, it can also cause injury to spectators below. The type of damage that occurs when this happens can include damaged gym floors and bleachers, pipes damaging ceilings and walls, and even fractured ceiling beams.

What are Safety Straps?

Safety straps are the seatbelts for your ceiling-suspeded basketball goals. This piece of equipment acts as a backup so that if the cable ever failed, the safety strap acts like the seatbelt in your car and stops the backboard from falling.

Many older safety systems were not automatic and pinched the belt when triggered, requiring a manual reset of the unit. After having to travel 30 feet high to reset the unit a few times, many were just removed from the backstop and tied off to avoid having to reset them. Today, safety straps are fully enclosed, self-checking, reset automatically and work silently in the background.

Why Get Safety Straps for your Basketball Backstops?

There is no good reason for any movable backstop to not have a safety strap installed.  Safely securing a piece of ceiling-suspended equipment will give you peace of mind for not only the safety of parents, coaches and student-athletes but also for your finances. Accidents happen sometimes besides our best efforts to prevent them. Having a proper safety system installed will provide a greater level of safety.

1. Gain peace of mind knowing that your goals are secured and players and fans are safe
2. Reasonably inexpensive-safety straps won’t negatively impact your program’s athletic budget
3. An “Insurance” type product-safety straps are worth every penny to protect what matters
4. Most insurance companies require safety straps in areas where goals hang above bleachers
5. Rarely need to be replaced-good until they catch a basketball goal

Prevention!

If you do not already have a preventative maintenance plan for your basketball backstops, we suggest you plan one now. If you do not have the resources or expertise to perform an initial inspection or to provide preventative maintenance, there are qualified inspection and maintenance companies like Toadvine who can provide this service for you locally.

If you plan to perform this yourself, here are some suggestions for inspection and maintenance of your equipment:

• Install a safety strap or inspect your existing safety strap belt for any sign of wear and perform a pull test to test the units function
• Inspect and tighten bolts where needed
• Check all moving parts for signs of wear and replace as needed
• Lubricate moving parts where required
• Replace winch cable every two years or immediately if there is any visible wear
• Inspect and adjust limit switches

By following some of these general guidelines for better backstop safety, the next game in your gym can be a safe and enjoyable experience for all involved.          

How to Generate Revenue with Your Athletic Facility

Find out how to increase your revenue by using multiple facets of your facility to not only pay for the upgrades, but also give your program’s finances a boost. Toadvine Enterprises strives to help each customer grow their athletic department to provide the best experience for both student-athletes and fans. If you find that your programs are pinching pennies, consider the follow options:

VIP Seating:

VIP Seating provides an excellent return on investment. Consider VIP Seating as part of a project to renovate an existing grandstand or a complete replacement of your outdoor stadium bleachers. VIP Seating not only can help you pay for your project, but also creates an ongoing revenue stream to help pay for program expenses. A local high school in Louisville, Kentucky took advantage of VIP seating to pay for a large stadium upgrade in 3 years. Avid fans and parents of your student-athletes will be quick to pay extra for an assigned, comfortable and convenient seat to watch their favorite athletic teams. Here is a list of attributes that will be provided through a VIP Seating investment:

1. Increased revenue stream for premium seating
2. Comfortable Chair-back seating
3. Generous amount of leg room
4. Cup holders for added convenience
5. Pre-paid season tickets will help you budget for the season
6. Advertisement opportunities with name/company plates on seats

Scoreboards:

Investing in a new and upgraded scoreboard is another way to create revenue streams to pay for facility projects and ongoing program expenses. Your fan’s eyes are constantly glancing at the scoreboard almost as much as they are watching the actual game. With the purchase of a new scoreboard, local companies will be lining up to get their message on your board whether it be in video form or with scoreboard signage. Upgrading your scoreboard will more than pay for itself but also provide a better overall experience for all participants.

Multi-Use Facility:

Use one of your school’s biggest investments to your advantage. Believe it or not, athletic teams are always looking for gym time, multiple times per week, to hold their practices. The demand for gym time is nowhere near the supply of gym space available. Most high school or middle school teams are finished with practice by 6 PM on most weekdays. Renting your facility for the remaining 4 hours of the evening could result in a significant revenue stream for your program. Here are some additional groups to consider for renting out your facility:

1. Summer Camps/Clinics (All sports)
2. 7 on 7 football tournaments
3. Pre-season Jamborees (Basketball/volleyball)
4. Weekly practice time (All sports)
5. Charity Galas
6. Professional Speakers

Advertisement:

Idle space is one of the greatest ways to increase your athletic facility’s revenue. With reasonably inexpensive banners and other investments, it’s a no-brainer to take advantage the following popular areas of your facility where advertisements will have the most success:

1. Entrance Gates
2. Perimeter Fences
3. Concessions
4. Restrooms
5. Ticket Stubs
6. Soccer Advertising Boards
7. Scoreboards
8. Seating

Reserved Parking:

As an add-on to a season ticket package, offering reserved parking would not only increase the overall experience and convenience of attending games but also offer an additional source of revenue. Logistically, implementing a traffic control attendant to direct members to their reserved spot would also help the flow of traffic in an area full of children. Along with the safety aspect, creating a community in the parking lot, before the game, could greatly increase the community’s comradery and support of your team. Developing your fan base always increases revenue to help grow your program. Charging an easy $30 per season for reserved parking could bring in $2,000-$3,000 in additional revenue.

We are so excited for the 26th annual Kentucky Plant Management's Conference in Lexington. As the only conference in Kentucky dedicated to educational facilities, Toadvine takes part in this event to stay up to date with state regulations and codes for Kentucky schools and to learn about state of the art technology to bring back for our customers.

For 23 years, the Kentucky Plant Management Association (KPMA) has partnered with the community with the goal of providing Kentucky students with a school environment that will enable them to excel.

Often times, facility managers feel overwhelmed with everything that goes along with not only the maintenance of a school facility, but keeping the school up-to-date with the latest equipment and technology as well.

At this conference, you can come together under one roof with all of the businesses and suppliers that it takes to run a school facility and learn strategies for managing your resources to keep your facility in optimum shape!

You will also hear the latest in federal and state regulations as well as requirements and codes for school facilities so that you will not have to pay the penalty for failing to meet the standards.

Event Details

• Workshops are given on facilities management issues with awesome strategies, tips and training for building management.
• Round table discussions are held where you can participate in addressing the challenges and issues that come with managing a facility
• A trade show displays over 115 products for school maintenance & operations.
• October 20-23, 2015 at the Embassy Suites Hotel 1801 Newtown Pike Lexington, Ky.

If you are a school facilities manager, we urge you to come and be empowered by this event! If you are a business that makes products or services for school facilities, don't miss your opportunity to connect with over 300 school facility attendees!

Visit the Kentucky Plant Management Association to register for the conference or to learn more.

UK has had a great start to the season, winning 3 out of 4 home games so far. The weekend before last, the Cats beat their first ranked opponent since 2010, Missouri (ranked 25th), and this past weekend they beat EKU. A win is a win right?

We have to wonder if the success could be due in part to the renovated stadium that we helped complete in September before the start of the season.

In a recent Business First article, Tom Jurich, the director and president of athletics for the University of Louisville, talks about the importance of having state of the art facilities in order to recruit the best athletes to your school. And both Kentucky and Louisville definitely have some great players this year!

We also believe that fans are a huge part of the success of a team. A new state of the art stadium helps to boost the morale of not only the players, but the fans as well. We are sure that the new $110-million renovation will keep the Commonwealth Stadium full of Cats fans the entire season!

So what exactly did we do to the stadium?

1. Toadvine Enterprises was responsible for adding the blue backrests to all of the lower bowl seats, which makes them a lot more comfortable! Trust us--we've tried them out.
2. We were also responsible for closing in the in-zone around the recruiting platform with box seats for hosting large parties or impressing business clients. We highly encourage you to buy tickets in this section!

The complete renovation includes a complete makeover of the outside of the stadium, giving it a more modern look, as well as a revamped concourse and concessions area that has been widened to give the stadium a more open feel.

Check out our pictures below and be sure to come out and support the Cats and see the new and improved Commonwealth Stadium for yourself! The next home game is November 28, against Auburn.

Here at Toadvine, it is our goal to make sure your athletic needs are met. From the bleachers to the locker room, we've got you covered. We like to focus on things like maintaining your equipment, getting the most sports fun for your buck, and keeping your team in tiptop shape. Today, though, we want to talk about how we can help you wrap up your spring season and get ready for the fall.

With sports like baseball, softball, lacrosse, and tennis wrapping up, now is a great time to do maintenance on your seating and bleachers. Our maintenance and safety arm of the business, Vine and Branch LLC, can do a full-service inspection of your seating and bleachers to make sure they are up-to-date and safe for use next season. Your fan's safety is one of our biggest concerns, schedule your yearly inspection today.

As fall approaches, we can help you prepare for the football, soccer, basketball, and volleyball seasons. We offer a wide variety of indoor and outdoor scoreboards, including the industry's newest and most technologically advanced scoreboards manufactured by Nevco. Our other fall products include basketball systems, accessories, padding, and volleyball equipment. For any of these products, or additional equipment you may need, contact our insides sales team to get a quote.

Our outside sales team can help you with custom projects. No project is too small or too big. We've done everything from The University of Louisville's baseball stadium to Eastern High School's football bleachers. Your project is just as important to us as it is to you and we want to make sure it is done correctly from start to finish. To get your project started schedule a facility visit.

We service and sell products in Kentucky, Indiana, Tennessee, and Ohio. We also sell some products outside of that region. Visit our website to find out more.

Do you want to dunk in style like UofL's Montrezl Harrell or do you need something more moveable so that you can nail that dunk with less risk of injury? Whatever your preference, Toadvine has a basketball goal to fit your needs. You can select from a vast array of goals and backboards ranging from adjustable height to fold up systems. We also carry classic goals and more advanced goals like the Torq-Flex series with shock absorber mechanisms. 

TORQ-FLEX(R) 180 Goal is the ultimate moveable goal. From the front of the rim it allows for 180 degree movement. As opposed to your standard break away rims, this goal allows for lateral flexing which can be a huge plus for injury reduction during dunks. High-tensile steel torsion rods allow for the goal to pivot in all directions.

You can also get the TORQ-FLEX without the 180 feature (00256-500) for both indoor or outdoor use (00255-H00). Every goal includes the orange powder-coat, anti-whip net, and mounting hardware. Select from the following TORQ-FLEX goals or create your own combination:

TORQ-FLEX 180 GOAL 
TORQ-FLEX GOAL 
ULTRA-FLEX GOAL (5" x 4"-4 1/2" Centers)
ULTRA-FLEX GOAL (5" x 5" Centers)
POWR-FLEX GOAL 
TORQ-FLEX OUTDOOR GOAL 
HEAVY-DUTY PLAYGROUND GOAL 
REAR-MOUNT REPLACEMENT GOAL 
SUPER GOAL
DOUBLE RIM PLAYGROUND GOAL 

If you have questions about any of the products we carry, just let us know. We will be happy to help you decide which products will serve you best.

Toadvine is looking forward to the 37th Annual TSPMA conference on June 8-11. It has been a couple years since we have been able to attend this conference, and we are very much looking forward to going back and seeing some familiar faces. Unlike a lot of the other conferences, this one is family friendly so we're looking forward to bringing our families along.

With all the attractions surrounding Pigeon Forge, TN it almost feels like a mini vacation. The conference will be held at Music Road Motel and convention center and will include training in a wide range of topics including HVAC, custodial, faculty planning, legal issues, and life/safety training. Networking opportunities are unique because of the lively atmosphere of Pigeon Forge. Nestled at the base of the Smokey Mountains, and close to Gatlinburg, there are endless places to take the kids, mingle with new people, and create lasting relationships. 

This is a conference you probably don't want to miss out on. Register online, and meet us there!

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