Blog — Life Floor

Jonathan Keller

Happy Holidays from the Life Floor Team!

2023 has been a year of innovation and fun. From new partnerships to thrilling projects across the world, we look forward to 2024 with excitement. I want to take this opportunity to thank you personally for being part of the Life Floor story, and for your commitment to making the aquatics industry even more inviting for people of all ages and abilities.

This year, our team celebrated the following top highlights:

  • 2023 started on a tropical note with a team cruise in the Caribbean for our January planning meetings. We were able to visit several Life Floor installations: Royal Caribbean's Freedom of the Seas, Perfect Day at CocoCay, and Baha Bay at Baha Mar. 

  • We celebrated our 2022 Make a SPLASH! Grant Contest winner at the grand re-opening of Rotary Splash Island at Sammy Haggard Park in Danielsville, Georgia this Summer.

  • For the first time ever, we expanded the 4th annual Make a SPLASH! Grant Contest co-hosted by Inside Edge Safety Surfaces, announcing two facilities as winners. The Need-Based Award was granted to John Anderson Splash Pad in Grandview, MO. The Inclusive Design Award was granted to Morgan’s Wonderland, Will’s Hang 10 Harbor in San Antonio, Texas. This Grant Contest enables us to give back to deserving communities in need of safety surfacing.

  • A new Matching Funds Grant Program launched with a rolling application cycle available for facilities to enter throughout the year.

  • We launched a new product line, Murals. These innovative tiles were a finalist for IAAPA’s Brass Ring Awards in the category for Best New Product under $2 Million.

  • Our team received four Leading Edge awards from WWA for:

  • Life Floor was named as the Floor Covering Supplier by Aquatics International for three Dream Design Award-winning facilities in 2023 at:

  • We established a new partnership with STS to expand our global reach into Saudi Arabia.

  • Members of our team led and engaged in educational speaking sessions at IAAPA, NRPA, URPA, AOAP, WAHC, USA Swimming, NYSRPS, PRPS, and FRPA trade shows with topics surrounding design, safety, establishing best practices, and accessibility.

  • NSF International finalized a new pool perimeters standard for safety surfacing as part of NSF/ANSI/CAN 50. The updated standard will be live in early 2024.

  • Numerous partners represented Life Floor in their trade show booths this year including: Inside Edge Safety Surfaces, Martin Aquatic Design and Engineering, Waterplay, WhiteWater, Paddock, Daldorado, Aquatic Design Group, Rain Drop Products, Prairie Surfaces, Raymond Sport, Westport Pools, and AquaShield Products. Thank you to all for recommending our safety surfacing.

  • We published our new Lookbook Volume 10 this fall.

  • The list of countries featuring Life Floor grew including our first installations in Russia, Croatia, Egypt, Anguilla, and the Czech Republic.

  • We officially welcomed three new hires onto our team:

    • Michelle Henderson - Senior Vice President, Sales

    • Blake Brant - Installation Specialist

    • Justin “Mac” McLaughlin - Process Engineer

  • We manufactured over 175,000  Life Floor tiles across all facilities in 2023. (700,000 sq ft/65,032 sqm)

As we move into the new year, keep an eye out for milestone projects, new partnerships, and product updates!

Thank you to all of our vendors, partners, and customers for working alongside us in 2023. We look forward to collaborating with you again next year as we further our mission to enhance safety, design, and accessibility for all people at aquatic facilities around the world.

Warmly,
Jonathan Keller | CEO of Life Floor

This year we hosted an ugly sweater competition! Some members of our team dressed up to show their holiday spirit and we just had to share them!

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Happy Holidays from the Life Floor Team!

2022 has been a year of growth and innovation for our team. From collaboration on new and exciting partnerships to developing soon-to-be-released announcements, we’re looking forward to 2023 with enthusiasm. I want to take this opportunity to thank you personally for being part of the Life Floor story and for your commitment to making aquatics a space for people of all ages and abilities to enjoy.

This year, our team celebrated the following top highlights:

  • We celebrated our 2021 Make a SPLASH! Grant Contest Winner at the grand re-opening of Wells Park Splash Pad in Albuquerque, New Mexico this Summer.

  • We announced Splash Island at Sammy Haggard Park in Danielsville, Georgia as the winner of the 3rd annual Make a SPLASH! Grant Contest co-hosted by our Preferred Installation Partner, Inside Edge Safety Surfaces. This Grant Contest enables us to give back to deserving communities in need of safety surfacing.

  • We announced a new partnership with Waterplay by MAKR. 

  • We received a Leading Edge award from WWA for Aqua Nick at Nickelodeon Riviera Maya. Baha Bay at Baha Mar also received a Leading Edge Award.

  • Life Floor was named as the Floor Covering Supplier by Aquatics International for two Dream Design Award-winning waterparks in 2022 at Baha Bay at Baha Mar and Atlantis Dubai Aquaventure.

  • We led educational speaking sessions at WWA, NRPA, and GRPA trade shows with topics including design, safety, and accessibility.

  • Numerous partners represented Life Floor in their trade show booths this year including: Inside Edge Safety Surfaces, Martin Aquatic Design and Engineering, Waterplay, WhiteWater, Paddock, Daldorado, Aquatic Design Group, Rain Drop Products, and Prairie Surfaces. Thank you to all for recommending our safety surfacing. 

  • We released 120 new standard Inlay shapes to significantly expand our Inlay Library and provide new theming and design possibilities.

  • We launched our new Designed for Play Brochure and Lookbook Volume 9.

  • The list of countries featuring Life Floor grew including our first installations in Anguilla, Czech Republic, Egypt, Grand Cayman, Qatar, and Switzerland.

  • We were recognized by the USDA this year following our growth and development after receiving two of their grants in 2015. These funds enabled our company to transition manufacturing from Vietnam to South Dakota, allowing us to proudly state that Life Floor is Made in the USA for western hemisphere projects. 

  • We collaborated with Ka’ana Wave Co. and Daldorado on Ka’ana’s first pop-up surf park in Britannia Beach, BC, Canada.

  • We saw our Cruise line customers return to business in earnest which saw us doing work with 7 different brands in 2022.

  • We manufactured over 150,000 Life Floor tiles (600,000 sq ft/55,740 sq m) between South Dakota and China!

We have some exciting news to come in 2023. Keep an eye out for milestone projects, new partnerships, and product updates!

Thank you again to all of our vendors, partners, and clients for working alongside us in 2022. We look forward to partnering with you next year as we further our mission to make aquatic facilities safer, more beautiful, and more accessible for all people.

Warmly,

Jonathan Keller | CEO of Life Floor

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A Call to Action

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To our customers, partners, friends and family,

We are far beyond the point where our inaction is acceptable. As a Minneapolis-based company, we stand with the Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) community in solidarity and in action against the senseless killing of BIPOC by officers from the Minneapolis Police Department. We are all affected by the legal systems in Minneapolis and we cannot support a system that perpetuates violence and death in these communities. Over the weekend, the Police Chief of Minneapolis declared that the three other officers involved in the killing of George Floyd were complicit in the killing by not doing anything to stop Derek Chauvin. We support the Attorney General's quick and decisive action to charge and arrest all the officers. We are now calling upon the MN Attorney General, Hennepin County District Attorney, MPLS Department of Civil Rights, MN Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, and Police Officers Federation of MPLS to complete a swift, but thorough investigation that will ultimately result in all officers being held accountable by our judicial system. We are asking you to stand with us and take action by calling and emailing the institutions that can bring justice to George Floyd as the work is not done yet.

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We are especially using this time to listen to and learn from our BIPOC community. We acknowledge the systemic racism that has plagued our city, state and country resulting in inequity in areas such as housing, education, healthcare, mass incarceration and police treatment. This racism has existed for over 400 years in America and we accept accountability and our role in progressing lasting change that will lead to equity for our BIPOC community. Please consider donating to your own local organizations that further these causes. Minnesota-based organizations that we have chosen to support both in action and financially include: 

Minnesota Freedom Fund

Reclaim the Block

Lake Street Council 

Northside Funder’s Group

Many people around the world have asked how Life Floor is doing. Our physical locations are unharmed. We are doing our best to care for each other. We are still operating. And that is all the attention we want to give to ourselves. This is about the movement for racial justice. This is about understanding how our collective lack of action is violently affecting people of color. We wish all of you well across the entire globe, and we hope you stand with us during this time. 

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A Message from Life Floor During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Dear valued customers, partners, and suppliers,

During this difficult and unprecedented time, I wanted to reach out and update you on how Life Floor is responding to COVID-19. While the coronavirus pandemic has swept the globe with fear and uncertainty, I want to share a message of encouragement and hope. This situation has brought rapid change to our communities, businesses, families and way of life. As our team at Life Floor follows the CDC guidelines of social distancing and working remotely, we have started settling into a new pace of work, play, and rest. Collectively, we are practicing gratitude and meeting with empathy and compassion the needs of those in our community that can benefit from our abundance. We continue to be encouraged by the acts of kindness and empathy around us, as the world unites to overcome this tragic pandemic.

As a company founded on the mission of safety, we are taking every measure to ensure the health and wellbeing of our team, customers, and vendors. Our team remains fully operationally, working remotely as of March 12th. We have also paused all non-essential travel at this time. Our factories in South Dakota and China are both operating with the ability to produce orders already in process and to fulfill new orders for the spring and summer season. In the US, our partners at Inside Edge continue to deliver outstanding installation service where it is safe to do so and stand ready to help with planning installations for the spring and summer season. We and our partners will continue to adhere to local and federal government mandates and monitor all recommendations released by the CDC. 

As always, our team is here to help you as you navigate your current surfacing projects and future surfacing needs whenever they may be. We look forward to continuing to serve you and provide you with industry-leading safety and design solutions.

From everyone at Life Floor, wishing you health and peace-

Jonathan Keller,
CEO, Life Floor

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