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Little Tikes Commercial (formerly Iron Mountain Forge) had its modest beginning in a 2,000 sq. ft. warehouse at a campground on the Black River near Lesterville, MO in 1979. The President and founder of Iron Mountain Forge wanted better products than those currently on the market and decided to produce picnic tables, grills, and canoe trailers for his own use. The first order placed was several barbecue grills to be used by the State of Arkansas Parks and Recreation Department.
In 1980 the business moved to a 30,000-sq. ft. warehouse off Highway 32 in Farmington, Missouri, with one truck, one trailer, and five employees. At that time, Iron Mountain Forge measured its success by how full they could fill the trailer with products for that week. During the first year, Iron Mountain Forge had sales of $1 million dollars.
In 1984 Iron Mountain Forge moved to our current location. The plant was housed in a 50,000-sq. ft. building that has grown to approximately 275,000-sq. ft. today.
Iron Mountain Forge’s success continued through the introduction of Commercial Play Systems in 1985, with sales of $1 million dollars per month during the first year. The first Commercial Play System to be introduced was the Kid Builder line in 1985, followed by the Kid Kube Line in 1987.
In 1990 the first rotational molding machine was purchased and our growth and recognition continued. The rotational molding machines made it possible to manufacture one piece spiral slides that won Product of the Year and First Place in the Large Part Category by the worldwide Association of Rotational Molders (ARM).
In 1991 the Wood Builder line was purchased from Custom Structures, Inc., redesigned and included in our product line.
In 1993 Rubbermaid acquired Iron Mountain Forge, Rubbermaid discovered the mission statements and philosophies of both companies were almost identical. Trends, teams, and technology converged to form the new business, known as Little Tikes Commercial Play Systems, a division of Newell Rubbermaid.
In 1994 the PlayCenter line, all of which is rotationally molded, was introduced. In 1985 Omni, an indoor play system manufacturer was purchased to provide an entry into the indoor market. Paris Equipment Manufacturing Limited, a Canadian company, was purchased to service the Canadian and European markets, as well as Ausplay an Australian market to serve the Pacific and Asian market. In 1996 after careful analysis of the company’s business position, the Australian, Canadian, and California facilities were consolidated and all operations were brought to the Farmington, Missouri facility. This consolidation provided a far more effective utilization of Little Tikes Commercial Play Systems assets and facilities.
In 1998, a devastating fire completely destroyed our rotational molding area and severely damaged the rest of the manufacturing facility. We utilized contractors and other Rubbermaid facilities to continue to manufacture our products and serve our customers until the completely rebuilt and re-engineered manufacturing facility resumed operations in the spring of 1999.
Newell Corporation, a large diversified manufacturer of retail products, merged with Rubbermaid March 1999 to form Newell Rubbermaid, a larger, more vital company. Our company developed and grew and continued to develop and manufacture playground equipment. Unfortunately in January 2004 Newell Rubbermaid decided to sale LT.
July 2004 LT was purchased by PlayPower. PlayPower is a leading manufacturer of outdoor and indoor commercial and early childhood playgrounds products. With the addition of Little Tikes Commercial, PlayPower’s product range will be expanded to better serve customer’s needs.
PlayPower’s powerful brands include Miracle Recreation Equipment Company, Hags, Soft Play, EZ Dock, and Miracle Water Slides. Miracle Recreation is the oldest manufacturer of steel and plastic commercial playground equipment in the United States. Hags is a leading manufacturer of wood based outdoor commercial play equipment and site amenities. SoftPlay is a leading manufacturer of contained play systems. EZ-Dock is the leading manufacturer of patented rotationally molded floating dock and drive on lift systems. Miracle Water Slides is a leading manufacturer of plastic and fiberglass Rainbow Bend Water Slides.
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