Dave Flanigan, Lappset Group

In this first season of Swing Forward, co-hosts James Siegal and Jen DeMelo of KABOOM! speak with leading playground manufacturers in the US and around the world about the playground industry and advancing playspace equity. In this episode, we talk with former colleague Dave Flanigan of Lappset about how his company aims to strike the right balance with playground technology and how he sees playgrounds as a platform for learning.

BIO:
Dave Flanigan is US National Sales Director for Finnish playground company Lappset Group. While his kids are getting older now, they always give him advice on what is cool on the playground! Dave is a graduate of SUNY Environmental Science and Forestry, and has been a leader in the nonprofit and public sectors focusing on developing, directing and evaluating national and local programs. Most recently, Dave led programs at KABOOM! that were designed to provide equitable access to play for kids, providing over $20 million in grants to communities to bring playspaces to kids that need it most. He has taken all of his years of experience in the play sector and translated them into selling unique and innovative playgrounds.

Lappset Group:
Lappset Group provides play and sports experiences for people of all ages and abilities. The mission at Lappset is to improve the world’s well-being by creating inspiring pla(y)ces that stretch the imagination, foster learning, respect nature, and encourage activity for all humankind. Lappset’s fun, inspiring, and positively surprising facilities help people to stay active today and feel better tomorrow. Lappset’s top goal is to be its customers’ first choice by creating the greatest customer and end-user experiences. Its dream is to strengthen the heartbeat of a billion people by 2030.
LINKS:
https://www.lappset.com/en-US
https://www.lappset.com/en-US/products/product-families/lappset-interactive

About Swing Forward
Swing Forward is a podcast series from KABOOM! on the future of playgrounds and playspace equity, co-hosted by James Siegal and Jen DeMelo.

About KABOOM!
KABOOM! is the national nonprofit committed to ending playspace inequity – the reality that quality places to play are not available to every child, especially in communities of color. Since 1996, KABOOM! has partnered with kids and communities to create or transform 17,000+ playspaces and ensure that nearly 12 million kids have equitable access to the critical benefits and opportunities that playspaces offer. In 2022, KABOOM! launched the 25 in 5 Initiative to End Playspace Inequity to accelerate its mission in 25 high-priority locations over five years. Learn more at kaboom.org or join the conversation on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.