Leathers & Associates
Leathers & Associates is a family-owned firm that designs and builds custom, site-built playgrounds for municipalities, schools, and communities across the US and internationally. Founded in 1971, it has completed over 3,346 projects using a proprietary community-driven, volunteer-supervised build process.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1971
- HeadquartersIthaca, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Leathers & Associates does
Leathers & Associates is a family-owned custom playground design and construction firm founded in 1971 in Ithaca, New York, and currently led by second-generation owner Marc Leathers. The company specializes in site-built, custom-designed outdoor play spaces that reflect the history, culture, and architecture of each client community, distinguishing itself from manufacturers of catalog or prefab playground equipment. It has completed more than 3,346 projects across all 50 US states and seven additional countries, including Australia, India, and the United Kingdom, with a workforce that has logged over 3.1 million volunteer hours and gathered more than 2 million playground ideas from children.
The service offering is built around a proprietary six-step community engagement process — steering committee formation, a community Design Day, organization, on-site construction, and a play celebration. L&A delivers projects through three principal build models: Community Build (volunteer-driven, supervised by its own construction consultants), Contractor Build (professional installation), and Hybrid. Ancillary services include playground safety assessments, inspections, and full renovation or replacement. Designs are produced using standard CAD tools (Revit, AutoCAD, SketchUp, Lumion) and executed with modern maintenance-friendly materials that meet ASTM and CPSC safety standards. Inclusive, accessible design for children of all abilities is a particular focus, with five of the firm's playgrounds ranking in the global Top 30 for accessibility.
The business operates on a project-based, quote-driven revenue model with no public pricing and no third-party distribution. Recent contractor-install project values are documented in the $250,000 to $1.2 million range, sourced through a community-led go-to-market motion built on referrals from existing playground communities, municipal outreach, and inbound inquiries via the website and a toll-free contact line. Customers are predominantly public-sector buyers — municipalities, parks departments, and schools — with secondary segments in religious organizations, homeowner associations, and private communities. The company is privately held, has never raised external institutional capital, and operates from two offices in Ithaca, NY and Jupiter, FL.
Leathers & Associates firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Leathers & Associates
- Legal name
- Leathers & Associates
- Website
- https://playgroundsbyleathers.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1971
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Leathers & Associates is a family-owned firm that designs and builds custom, site-built playgrounds for municipalities, schools, and communities across the US and internationally. Founded in 1971, it has completed over 3,346 projects using a proprietary community-driven, volunteer-supervised build process.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Leathers & Associates industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Custom Playground Design & Construction
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Outdoor Mounting & Assembly (patio furniture, pergolas, sheds kits) (HSAGAHAI)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Patio Construction (Pavers, Concrete & Stone) (HSAPALAB)
Keywords
Where Leathers & Associates is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Ithaca
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Leathers & Associates business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Custom Playground Design & Construction: One-time custom playground design and construction services. Projects range from small toddler playgrounds to large all-inclusive destination playgrounds. Marc Leathers mentions recent projects ranging from $250,000-$1.2 million. Includes community build (volunteer-driven) and contractor build (professional installation) options.
- Playground Assessments & Inspections: Maintenance and playground inspection visits with recommendations and cost estimates for existing Leathers playgrounds. Includes planning for future maintenance, renovations, retrofits, additions and repairs.
- Renovation & Replacement Services: Comprehensive renovation services including replacing aging equipment, restructuring portions for improved accessibility, and complete playground replacement with modern maintenance-friendly materials. Can be done as contractor or community builds.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Community Build - Volunteer-driven construction |
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Contractor Build - Professional installation |
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Hybrid Build - Mix of volunteer and contractor |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Leathers & Associates product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Leathers & Associates designs and builds custom, site-built outdoor playgrounds for communities, municipalities, schools, churches, and HOAs. Offerings include all-inclusive accessible playgrounds, volunteer-driven Community Build projects, professional Contractor Build installations, and hybrid approaches, supported by assessments, inspections, and renovation services. The firm's process emphasizes community participation, custom themes reflecting local history and culture, and ASTM/CPSC-compliant safety standards.
Product overview
Leathers & Associates offers custom-designed, site-built outdoor playgrounds as a single unified service offering. The company provides three main build approaches: All-Inclusive playgrounds (accessible designs for all ages and abilities), Community Build programs (volunteer-driven construction over 1-2 weeks), and Contractor Build services (professional construction by L&A consultants). Supporting services include playground assessments and inspections, replace or renovate options, and a guided step-by-step process for new playground projects. The company operates with modern maintenance-friendly materials and offers various surfacing options including Pour in Place rubber (PIP), Engineered Wood Fiber (EWF), Rubber Mulch, and Artificial Turf Grass.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Quantifiable outcome
- 3,400+ custom playgrounds completed across 50 states and 7 countries
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Leathers & Associates
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Leathers & Associates technology and API
TechnologyAPI detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Leathers & Associates partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Leathers & Associates competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Kompan: Global leader in commercial playground equipment and outdoor fitness solutions. Competes on municipal and school playground contracts worldwide with standardized and customizable modular product lines.
- GameTime: Major US playground equipment manufacturer serving municipalities, schools, and parks with modular and themed playground systems. Direct competitor on municipal RFPs though L&A differentiates through custom site-built approach.
- Landscape Structures: Large US-based commercial playground equipment manufacturer offering modular and custom playground systems. Competes with L&A on municipal and school bids but at higher volume and broader catalog.
- BigToys: Commercial playground and play environment manufacturer offering custom and themed play structures. Targets similar institutional customers to L&A but with greater emphasis on modular and prefabricated elements.
- Playworld Systems: US-based playground and outdoor fitness equipment manufacturer serving schools, parks, and municipalities. Competes on the same public-sector playground procurement market as L&A but with a catalog-driven model.
Direct peers
- Earthscape: Canadian custom playground design and build firm creating natural-material, themed play environments. Closely matches L&A's custom site-built model with emphasis on community-inspired designs.
- Richter Spielgeräte: German manufacturer of custom-designed, site-built playgrounds using timber and rope. Most directly comparable to L&A's custom bespoke playground approach and European craft positioning.
Emerging players
- Playcraft Systems: Custom playground design-build firm serving schools, parks, and communities with custom themes. Similar niche custom-playground positioning to L&A at smaller scale.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Leathers & Associates social profiles
Digital presenceLeathers & Associates financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Leathers & Associates leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Leathers & Associates funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Leathers & Associates M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Leathers & Associates
What does Leathers & Associates do?
Leathers & Associates designs and builds custom, site-built outdoor playgrounds for communities, municipalities, schools, churches, and HOAs. Offerings include all-inclusive accessible playgrounds, volunteer-driven Community Build projects, professional Contractor Build installations, and hybrid approaches, supported by assessments, inspections, and renovation services. The firm's process emphasizes community participation, custom themes reflecting local history and culture, and ASTM/CPSC-compliant safety standards.
Is Leathers & Associates a public or private company?
Leathers & Associates is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Leathers & Associates founded?
Leathers & Associates was founded in 1971. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Leathers & Associates based?
Leathers & Associates is headquartered in Ithaca, United States, in the North America region.
How does Leathers & Associates make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Custom Playground Design & Construction is the primary driver. The others are playground Assessments & Inspections and renovation & Replacement Services.
Who are Leathers & Associates's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Kompan, GameTime, Landscape Structures, BigToys and Playworld Systems. Direct peers are Earthscape and Richter Spielgeräte. Playcraft Systems is listed as an emerging player.
Does Leathers & Associates have an API?
No public API is recorded for Leathers & Associates.
What industry is Leathers & Associates in?
Leathers & Associates's product category is Custom Playground Design & Construction. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HSAGAHAI, Outdoor Mounting & Assembly (patio furniture, pergolas, sheds kits), with a secondary code of HSAPALAB, Patio Construction (Pavers, Concrete & Stone). Its SIC code is 7900.