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The Story Behind Bear Playgrounds
Bear Playgrounds, a Division of Baker Equipment for Athletics and Recreation, Inc., is a family-owned and operated company that helps other families customize a playset to fit their family and their backyard. In addition, we provide safety surfacing options, trampolines, basketball hoops & outdoor furniture to complete your backyard oasis!
With 30+ years of experience in the business, we are equipped with top-of-the-line, quality products that your family will love for years to come! If you really want to learn about Bear Playgrounds, the best way is by meeting our staff.
Meet Our Experienced Staff
Steven Baker
President/General Manager
Email: sbaker@snider-rec.com
Steve was one of the founders of Bear Playgrounds (formerly B.E.A.R. of Pennsylvania)! He and his parents, Bob & Karen Baker, started B.E.A.R. of PA back in 1992! Steve primarily focuses on and runs the commercial playground division at Bear, selling Burke playground equipment through Snider Recreation. He has been selling residential and commercial playgrounds for over 30 years!
Crystal Baker
Sales Manager
Email: crystal@bearofpa.com
Crystal started with Bear Playgrounds at the young age of 18. Since that time, she has grown to oversee the residential division. Crystal spends several days each year building playsets with the installation crews at customer’s homes in order to stay on top of design changes and continue learning about our product’s installation processes. Crystal has been involved in the playground industry for 24 years!
Justin Beecher
Installation Supervisor
Email: justin@bearofpa.com
Justin has spent nearly half of his life installing residential and commercial playground equipment, basketball hoops & trampolines. Justin has grown to become Vice President and is transitioning to primarily a supervisory role to our installation crews. Justin trains our new installers and coordinates the installation schedule, processes warranty requests and oversees our quality control. Justin has been with Bear for about 20 years!
Deb Jones
Office Manager
Email: deb@bearofpa.com
Deb has been with Bear for the past nine years. She runs every aspect of the office (accts receivables, payables, bill pay, etc)! She also handles many of our accessory sales and works with customers, as needed to design playsets and find the perfect solution for their backyard.
Kelly Christie
Commercial Playground Assistant
Email: kelly@snider-rec.com
Kelly joined the Bear family in our commercial department in 2018. Since then, she has assisted Steve in the office with sales, orders, invoices and even installations! Don’t be surprised if you see her in work clothes digging a hole!
The Bear Playgrounds Mission
At Bear Playgrounds, formerly (B.E.A.R. of Pa), Safety is our number one priority! As parents ourselves, we understand that being confident in your child’s overall well-being and happiness is of utmost importance.
Bear Playgrounds acts as a marketing/sales and installation agent serving all of Western Pa, Eastern Ohio and Northern West Virginia. We are staffed with professional and highly-qualified installation crews who will work to serve your new addition as efficiently as possible.
The growth of our company is a result of our quality product, efficiency, and incredible team. We are a family here at Bear. Let our family serve yours.