Step2

Time to Play has nominated the All Around Easel for Two and the Creative Cooks Kitchen for their 2012 People’s Play Awards. Time to Play travels the world discovering the newest toys, video games and entertainment products. Each year, Time to Play has the People’s Play Awards where consumers select the toys and games that their families are would enjoy receiving for the holidays. The Time to Play editorial team reviews and selects the nominees for each category. There are twenty product categories.

Both the All Around Easel for Two and Creative Cooks Kitchen came out fall 2012. In addition, the Creative Cooks Kitchen was already featured in a review at TimetoPlayMag.com. These products feature role play and creative play which is essential for a little one’s development.

Here are the awesome features of the All Around Easel for Two:

• Vertical writing surfaces encourage development of proper writing skills and creativity too!
• Features a chalk board on one side and a magnetized dry erase board on the other
• Includes a clip to secure artwork, two removable and easy to clean storage bins and a 94 piece foam magnet letter & symbol kit

Check out the fantastic features of the Creative Cooks Kitchen:

• The colorful backsplash, farmhouse sink and working shutters are a perfect backdrop for creative play!
• Electronic Stove top, microwave and phone create a realistic experience
• Kids feed their pets and empty the recycling bin, just like at home!
• The large storage in the fridge and freezer along with cabinets and bins make for easy clean-up!
• Several kids can play together in this spacious kitchen, cooking up their latest concoctions
• Includes a 39 piece accessory set

Make sure to vote for the All Around Easel for Two and Creative Cooks Kitchen by clicking here.

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Step2 is dedicated to the beloved state of Ohio. Step2 prides itself on helping out the community and showing local support. As of late August, Step2 has been approved to create 200 new jobs in Ohio! This is great news for the state of Ohio and Step2, as we continue to grow and succeed. We are proud and honored by the approval of our expansion.

Check out the official press release about our expansion details below:

THE STEP2® COMPANY RECEIVES

STATE APPROVAL ON EXPANSION, CREATING 200 NEW JOBS

Company’s growth to generate additional $5.3M in annual payroll

STREETSBORO, OHIO – Aug. 28, 2012 – Gov. John R. Kasich and Ohio’s Tax Credit Authority (TCA) approved $259 million for 17 projects to invest in the state’s communities on Aug. 27. A portion of those funds is earmarked for The Step2® Company, LLC, the largest U.S. toy manufacturer.

“We are pleased and grateful that Governor Kasich and the State of Ohio are supporting the Step2 Company’s long term commitment to grow our manufacturing business in Ohio,” said Jack Vresics, president and CEO, Step2. “Recent successful new products in the children’s toy category and home and garden category – as well as new product development initiatives yet to hit the market – are driving the employment growth in our two Ohio manufacturing sites.”

The employees in the company’s Ohio facilities, located in Streetsboro and Perrysville, are enabling Step2’s growth in both the North American and global marketplaces. The Streetsboro Global Headquarters houses the sales, marketing, product development, engineering, customer services, and administrative resources required to successfully drive the business worldwide.

The Step2 projects approved by the TCA are as follows:

• The Step2 Company, LLC, Village of Perrysville (Ashland Co.) expects to create 75 full-time positions, generating $2 million in additional annual payroll and retaining $7.7 million in existing payroll as a result of the company’s expansion project in the Village of Perrysville (Ashland Co.). The Step2 Company manufactures and distributes children’s rotational molded toys, infant products, and some home and garden plastic products. The TCA approved a 45 percent, six-year Job Creation Tax Credit for this project.

• The Step2 Company, LLC, City of Streetsboro (Portage Co.) expects to create 125 full-time positions, generating $3.3 million in additional annual payroll and retaining $19.5 million in existing payroll as a result of the company’s expansion project in the City of Streetsboro (Portage Co.). The Step2 Company manufactures and distributes children’s rotational-molded toys, infant products, and some home and garden plastic products. The TCA approved a 45 percent, six-year Job Creation Tax Credit for this project.

About The Step2® Company:
The Step2® Company includes the brands Step2® and Infantino® which foster learning and development through creative play in children from birth to school-age years. Based in Streetsboro, Ohio, Step2® is the largest American manufacturer of preschool and toddler toys, and the world’s largest rotational molder of children’s and home products, including children’s play kitchens, playhouses, outdoor toys and ride on toys, as well as home products such as mailboxes, gardening aids and trash cans. Learn more at www.Step2.com.

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The Manufacturing Mart, located in Downtown Cleveland, is a place where buyers and sellers find resources needed to manufacture a part and assemble a product. Lindsey E. Frick, a mechanical engineer and industrial designer who specializes in product development and the Manager of The Manufacturing Mart, visited Step2 over the summer to learn about our manufacturing process and how we could help other companies with their processes.

This Fall, the article titled “Creativity + Listening = Growth: Step2 Grows as a Single Process Specialist” was published in The Manufacturing Mart’s magazine The Capital of Know-How. The article highlights how Step2 balances evolving consumer needs, mass retailer requirements, frequent changes in global government regulations, and challenging raw material costs while prioritizing Mom and Child’s needs first.

“Whether you are a product manufacturer or a custom job shop, the process to build a successful business remains the same: quality plus customer service.  As seen with STEP2, quality can be assured by perfecting a single process, while customer service is an evolving process.”