Acquisitions can be exciting for owners, employees, and investors. There are many reasons why a company or family-owned business may consider acquiring or merging with another company. In this case, when a private equity firm purchased two playground equipment companies that had stagnant sales and limited profitability, a turnaround was needed to accelerate the business. You need the right talent to lead through a turnaround and Rick Contino (Sandhill Consultant and Advisor) was brought in as CEO.
Rick’s entrepreneurial spirit, commitment to innovation, high expectation for excellence, and ability to lead through transition were just a few of the skills needed to be successful. He quickly developed a consistent business plan that would become a platform for more acquisitions. Rick was able to implement professional processes and systems that drove the sales and profitability forward. The new company needed a new name and value proposition that brought together the values of both companies—enter PlayCore. The company was able to attract a strong management team and other added divisions which eventually took over the market. Today, PlayCore is a leader in building communities through play and recreation.
PlayCore designs and builds indoor and outdoor play, fitness and climbing, site essentials like dog parks and bike storage, aquatic timing and amenities, and recreation surfacing, all in North America. The company continues to believe that healthy communities are rooted in shared spaces, strong relationships, and authentic curiosity. Is your company thinking about an acquisition or repositioning? Contact Sandhill Consulting Group at info@sandhillconsultinggroup.com to see how your business can grow from Sandhill’s breadth of experience and creativity in processes and systems.
