The Story of The ParkLab

Nearly 75% of all injuries on a playground result from a fall to the playground surface. Even so, there are limited resources to test and evaluate the safety of surfacing. As designers and builders of playground environments we recognized a serious need in the industry – a need to provide a simple and affordable means to test safety surfacing.

 

In 2010 we organized a team of engineers and developers. Our goal was to create a device to test the impact attenuation of playground surfacing. The result was the FreeFall.

 

We built the FreeFall with three key standards:

                 • Simple

                 • Portable

                 • Affordable

 

We at The ParkLab are excited to introduce the FreeFall to playground professionals throughout the world. Together we can make every playground safe for children.

The ParkLab Guys

Daniel Gardiner

 

Daniel Gardiner has been in the play and recreation business since 2001 with ExerPlay, Inc. which is headquartered in Cedar Crest, New Mexico. Dan has
been involved with hundreds of playground and
 surfacing projects with municipalities, schools,
churches and developers. Since 2002 he has been
a certified playground safety inspector (CPSI).

 

Dan has also served on many committees and
boards, including the New Mexico Parks and
Recreation Association, Landscape Structures
Rep Advisory Board, Dumor Site Furnishings
Advisory Board and several local community groups.

 

Dan and his wife Laurel have been married since
2001 and have three amazing children who play
an active roll as testers in the playground business.

Charles DeBuck

 

Since 2004, Charles DeBuck has been designing,
inspecting, and building playgrounds. His vision
for each playground is to create a safe environment
 for children that challenges their mental and physical abilities to the height of fun and personal achievement.

 

Charles’ greatest achievement was convincing
his sweetheart Rachel to marry him. They, along
with four wonderful boys, live in the mountains
of Cedar Crest, New Mexico.

Anthony Bentley

 

Anthony  graduated Magna Cum Laude in Electrical Engineering from The University of Utah in 1987. 
Two years later he received his Master of Science

degree in Engineering from the University of
California, at Davis.

 

Anthony worked twenty-six years for Sandia National Laboratories, in California and New Mexico,
developing feedback control systems and embedded electronics.  He currently holds two patents.
He is now the Director of Research for Earl Scientific Inc. and Chief Engineer for EpicTek Inc.

 

Anthony and his wife Debbie have been married for 27
years and are the grateful parents of nine wonderful children and three hyper-active grandchildren.

Copyright 2015. The ParkLab.