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:
Studio City Waterpark - Macau, China
Island Waterpark at Showboat - Atlantic City, NJ, USA
Pirate’s Cove Aquapark - MSC Cruise
Camp Barnabas - Purdy, MO, USA
Life Floor was named as the Floor Covering Supplier by Aquatics International for three Dream Design Award-winning facilities in 2023 at:
Margaritaville Beach Resort Fins Up Waterpark - Nassau, The Bahamas
University of Nebraska Medical Center Munroe-Meyer Institute - Omaha, NE, USA
Studio City Waterpark - Macau, China
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!