Robert A. Farnsworth
President & Chief Executive Officer, PlayCore

Bob Farnsworth currently serves as President and CEO of PlayCore, a leading manufacturer of play and recreation products for both commercial and consumer markets. Previous to PlayCore, Mr. Farnsworth served in varying senior management positions across several industries. He has been involved with National Recreation and Park Association as a member of its Board for the past 11 years and is a member of its Executive Committee. He additionally serves as Treasurer and Chair of the Finance Committee and has held this position for a total of 5 years.

Bob serves on the Advisory Board of the School of Business for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, as well as the Board of Directors of the Children's Home/Chambliss Shelter, the Creative Discovery Museum, and the Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce. He is also a member of the Chattanooga Leadership Council for the Trust for Public Land. Currently, Bob provides leadership to PlayCore employees by encouraging their efforts to advance the value of play and recreation and maintains the company's commitment to products and programs that helps to build communities through play. Bob works and resides in Chattanooga, Tennessee and enjoys the opportunity to engage in parks and trails in Chattanooga, the Scenic City.

Richard E. Ruegger
Senior Vice-President & Chief Financial Officer, PlayCore 

Rick Ruegger is responsible for all financial activities of the company, including financial reporting, treasury, tax, legal, audit, banking and insurance. With a 20-year background in the play industry, Rick is committed to providing the financial leadership and structure needed to ensure PlayCore’s continued profitable growth.

Jim Underwood
Senior Vice President of Manufacturing and Operations

Jim is a senior-level operations professional who has held operations roles with Danaher, Black & Decker, and Porter-Cable Corporation. Jim is focused on providing leadership in operational effectiveness and lean manufacturing to the PlayCore businesses. He has learned the fundamentals of lean manufacturing through the guidance of his lean sensei – Yuri Sugiyama, Shingijutsu. Jim leads by remembering the principle "we demonstrate what we believe through what we do."

John L. Conely, Sr.
PlayCore Special Projects

John is a senior-level operations professional who has held various positions around the World with such companies as General Electric, Alcatel, and Iomega. John leads a strong team dedicated to providing the best Surfacing products and installation services in North America to a variety of Markets including the playground Safety Surface Market. He is focused on continuous improvement through the implementation of Lean principles into all areas of the business. His team definitely lives by the mantra of working hard and playing hard.

Joni Manley
Vice-President of Finance & Accounting, PlayCore

Joni joined PlayCore after more than 23 years of financial experience with Beaulieu, a leading floor covering manufacturer.  As VP of Finance & Accounting for PlayCore, she oversees the corporate accounting, tax, treasury, compliance, and financial reporting functions.  Joni works closely with the business unit finance leaders and executive management.  She maintains relationships with the company’s lenders and financial community.

She received her Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of North Georgia and holds a Master of Business Administration from Kennesaw State University.  She is also a Certified Management Accountant (CMA) and is a member of the Institute of Management Accountants. 

Lisa Moore
Senior Vice President, Corporate Strategic Services, PlayCore

Lisa Moore is responsible for the company's strategic services including independent research, national partnerships, curricula and programming resources, and outreach efforts that promote the value of play and recreation. In addition, Lisa leads the company’s strategic planning, corporate communications & marketing, e-Commerce, Human Resources and talent management. Prior to PlayCore, Lisa served in a variety of administrative and service provision roles serving people of all abilities in educational and medical settings. Lisa is active in her professional and local communities and is currently a candidate for an Ed.D. degree, with a research focus on play. She believes in the power of play and is committed to building communities through play for children and families of all abilities.

Anne-Marie Spencer
Corporate Vice President of Marketing and Communications

Anne-Marie joined the PlayCore team in 2002, and is responsible for corporate marketing and communications for PlayCore, as well as serving as the company spokesperson, and coordinator for all brand efforts, advertising, promotion, trade show design, and external/internal communications. Anne-Marie also writes a monthly column on play trends for playgroundprofessionals.com. She is committed to ensuring that communities get the most from play by motivating the marketing teams with creativity, encouragement ...and by never forgetting to play.

Spencer Cheak
Senior Vice President & General Manager, PlayCore

Spencer Cheak is the General Manager responsible for all aspects of the GameTime business unit as well as all operational issues at PlayCore's Southern Fulfillment Center in Fort Payne, Alabama. He serves on the boards of the DeKalb County United Givers Fund and Oneonta, Alabama Parks and Recreation. Spencer leads a highly skilled team to produce beyond compliant, high-quality playground equipment enjoyed by children all over the world.

Mark Burgess
Senior Vice President and General Manager of Recreation Brands Group, PlayCore 

Mark Burgess is responsible for managing PlayCore's Recreation Brands Group, which is made up of a suite of companies and recreation products including Play and Park Structures, UltraPlay, GT Grandstands, Ultra Site, BigToys, Robertson Recreational Surfacing, and National Recreation Systems. He has more than 20 years of experience in the commercial and retail recreation industry in both the United States and abroad and has conducted business in more than 50 countries. He has also served on local, national, and international boards in the recreation industry.

Dave Biancofiore
Senior Vice President and General Manager, PlayCore Consumer Products 

Dave Biancofiore has been managing daily operations including sales, marketing, product development, internet development and overall business expansion for Swing-N-Slide, the Consumer Play Division of PlayCore since 2008.  He joined PlayCore in 2006 as the Vice President of Operations of the Janesville, WI facility.  Prior to joining PlayCore, Dave had more than 25 years of experience as a furniture executive holding positions with both Residential and Contract furniture manufacturers where he was responsible for increasing operations, marketing and sales; most recently working as Division President with Brown Jordan International.

Mike Hawkins
Vice President, Corporate Risk Management, Insurance & Legal Affairs, PlayCore

Mike Hawkins is responsible for all the company’s legal and risk management endeavors.  He is the designated point person for contact with all forms of press or media for all divisions of PlayCore. Mike is an active member of several community organizations and has almost years of experience in the play industry. He is committed to ensuring that PlayCore produces industry-compliant, innovative equipment, and emphasizes the importance of play in our lives. 

Jennie Sumrell
Director of Programs and Partnerships, PlayCore

Jennie has worked with children and families of all abilities for nearly ten years. Her formal training and experience in early childhood education, exceptional learning, special education, and assistive technology allows her to have meaningful influence on program and product development. Jennie is responsible for programs and partnerships that help build communities through play and she leads PlayCore’s community outreach providing continuing education to professionals across the country.

Tim Sudeith
Senior Vice President & General Manager, EverActive Brands 

Tim Sudeith is responsible for overseeing daily operations, initiating new product development and guiding business expansion for PlayCore’s EverActive Brands Group which includes Everlast Climbing and Spectrum Aquatics. His entrepreneurial spirit and background in fine art and business highlight a creative and forward-thinking leadership style. As Founder of Everlast Climbing Industries, Tim and his team have been advocates for youth fitness for more than a decade, designing products that playfully engage, challenge and ultimately improve children’s fitness levels. Tim enjoys being part of a dynamic and innovative team and strives to continuously improve all aspects of the company.

Jeff Pate
Corporate Director Market Research & Strategy, PlayCore

Jeff Pate is responsible for managing the strategic planning process, industry/market analysis and reporting including benchmarking, tracking and reporting of legislative activities and funding sources, primary and secondary research, and a variety of strategic initiatives and special projects.  Jeff comes to us with a diverse background in market analysis and forecasting, distribution analysis and evaluation, customer satisfaction information management, business development, and sales management. Prior to joining PlayCore, Jeff served at Brunswick Corporation holding positions of increasing responsibility in Market Intelligence, Business Development and Sales.  Jeff is committed to building communities through play by working closely with all brands under the PlayCore umbrella.

Mike Love
Corporate Director Human Resources, PlayCore

Mike leads Human Resources practices and objectives that promote an employee-oriented, high performance, mission and values based culture that emphasizes teamwork and pride, high performance, quality, and continuous improvement. We believe our employees are our most valuable assets and Mike and the Human Resource team are committed to recruit and retain a highly engaged world class team of talent who deliver the highest quality play and recreation products to PlayCore's stakeholders. Mike is active in several community organizations that promote play and fitness to youth.