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History: Kidstuff Playsystems was founded in 1982 as Olympic Recreation by Richard Hagelberg, who operated not-for-profit child care centers with his wife, and George McGuan, a carpenter. Hagelberg had been looking at catalogs of playground equipment for the child care centers and thought it might not be hard to build. He took the idea to McGuan, who had worked as a construction foreman and specialized in complicated renovations and construction projects. The two decided to launch the business and made their first sale to the town of Highland. The wood structure was built in a classroom where one of the child care centers was located. Construction later moved to McGuan’s basement and then to a facility in the Miller Beach area of Gary.
Growth: With McGuan as the designer and Hagelberg the salesman, the pair sold equipment in the early years to the Gary Housing Authority; a neighborhood center in St. Petersburg, Florida; 17 parks in Tampa, Florida; and seven parks at a naval base in Georgia. The company grew slowly until 1996, when it introduced its line of FunZone plastic and steel structures. The company changed its name to Kidstuff Playsystems in 2001, the same year it added a powder-coating facility.
Customers: Kidstuff sells its certified, commercial-grade equipment primarily to businesses, governments, churches and not-for-profits. Its customers are worldwide, with sales to the British West Indies, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, Japan, Hong Kong, the United Arab Emirates and more. It has a federal General Services Administration contract with an order on the books for the American Embassy in Turkmenistan.
Fun fact: Kidstuff reached the Final 4 last year in the Indiana Chamber’s “Coolest Thing Made in Indiana” contest. This year, the company has entered its “School Bus on Springs” product.
Cost: Small playground systems with installation and safety surfacing start at about $25,000.
Address: 5400 Miller Ave., Gary
Website: www.kidstuffplaysystems.com
Compiled by Lesley Weidenbener
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