Professional

Aluminum benches installed at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot at Parris Island in South Carolina

A recent installation of aluminum benches by The Park and Facilities Catalog will hold a special place in our gallery of completed projects.

We recently supplied and installed 60 aluminum benches, 15 feet in length, to the United State Marine Corps.

The benches were installed in a classroom at the legendary Marine Corps Recruit Depot at Parris Island where Marine Corps recruits are instructed on a number of different tasks and assignments. About 20,000 troops come to the training center annually.

One task for the recruits is getting ready to take those famous Marine portraits that they proudly send home to their parents, relatives, and friends.

That's where Julie McElwain comes in. She's the civilian Marine manager in charge of recruit photography.

"This has been the easiest project I have ever done," she said. "Not only was your company quick to give a quote, they were efficient in supplying

The new $145 million spring training home of the Houston Astros and the Washington Nationals in Palm Beach County Florida. (Photo courtesy of The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches)

Filling bleachers with baseball fans is big business in South Florida and with the addition of a new two-team stadium, just goes to show the economic impact of sports in any community.

Starting in March, spectators will be singing "Take me out to the ballgame" in a brand-new facility in Palm Beach County - The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches - that will be the winter home for the Houston Astros and the Washington Nationals.

This $145 million-dollar facility has the capacity to hold 8,000 people with seating for 6,500. (The rest of the seating will be traditional spring-training style - visitors can sit on blankets on a grass berm overlooking the field. The ultimate in "green" bleachers. This was one of the alluring features of the Los Angeles Dodgers spring training facility in Vero Beach for decades. That was until

Commercial beach umbrellas are a key part of the guest experienc

In the old days in China, the wealth of a person was measured by how many people carried their umbrella. Some umbrellas reportedly required the muscle power of 24 people. That's rich. When it comes to a resort or park treating their guests like royalty, you also want to make sure you use high-quality commercial beach umbrellas.

The reasons? Liability, safety and durability. Numerous lawsuits have been filed by people who have been injured by flying umbrellas. In New York State, a woman was awarded $200,000 after a beach umbrella hit her in the head and she suffered a gash that required 13 stitches and was left with permanent nerve damage.

In 2010, two people were hurt in Naples, Fla., when they were hit by an improperly secured table umbrella during high winds. One woman was hit on the head and was left with a permanent injury with a herniated disc in her neck.

In Miami Beach, a beach umbrella from a vendor took off in the

Prominently display your business on a logo bench in high-traffic areas

A logo bench is one of those savvy guerrilla marketing tactics that many people overlook, but could provide a tremendous boost to a business' brand from large to small.

And it doesn't have to be a park bench. You can get a similar benefit from a logo bike rack, commercial trash can or even an outdoor chair.

Here's why.

In essence, a custom bench is just like creating your own billboard. Even in this era of marketing on Google and Facebook, out-of-home advertising continues to be huge. It's a $7 billion a year business.

Think about it. According to the Outdoor Advertising Association of America, consumers spend 70% of their awake time outside of their house. Outside!

That means they are not sitting at home posting cat photos on Facebook or searching for Thai barbecue wing recipes on Google.

They're outdoors most of the day. Walking, driving, riding, standing and talking.

What better opportunity to capture the attention

This is an open letter to property managers from across country.

The Park Catalog is the property managers' catalog.

The Park Catalog has been serving property managers for a long time because we know and understand the needs of both you and the properties you manage.

Property management companies and properties alike have reputations. "A dangerous parking lot," is not the reputation you want associated with your property.   We all aim to shine a positive light on public spaces, trying to promote testimonies like "Clean," "well lit," "safe" and "attractive." Site furnishings are the key to creating that positive environment and branding commercial and multi-family properties, an increasingly important factor as these markets have grown and consolidated over the past two decades.

For better or worse, the quality of your commercial site furnishings defines your property's brand, not entirely but in an outsized way relative to investment.  They are usually the first impression of your