BECOMING NATURE PLAY SPECIALISTS
LANDSCAPING ROOTS
When founder and co-owner John LaPointe opened his doors in 2004 as Greener Roofs and Gardens, he made his start by maintaining prairie gardens at several elementary schools and backyards throughout the Milwaukee area. As the company grew, John studied Landscape Architecture at UW Madison and established a technical understanding of water management and its place in design. As the company evolved, so did GRG’s scope of work and they eventually began to serve the residential market, integrating creative water management techniques into design-build projects.
BACKYARD PLAYGROUND
As John began to add play spaces to residential designs, he discovered a passion to design and build for children. In his search to develop innovative ways to serve young clients in their backyards, John transformed his own backyard into a world of wonder.
Constantly changing and evolving, the LaPointe family backyard quickly became a hub of invention as John experimented with the space. He inspired the kids in his neighborhood to engage with the natural world and learn through problem solving and collaboration. Working together, John and the children were awakened to the self-discovery and creativity that comes while playing outdoors.
PLAYGROUNDS TO PLAYSCAPES
Many backyards later, a decade of successful work and careful observation yielded compelling answers to these questions about how children engage with outdoor spaces. These insights informed a new business outlook for John, and in 2014 he set a goal of inspiring 10 million children through outdoor play by the year 2030.
In 2017, Greener Roofs and Gardens transitioned into GRG Playscapes with the sole focus of serving children through outdoor play. Today GRG Playscapes is a recognized leader in the Midwest as the go-to-builder for natural playscapes in parks, daycare centers, schools and more. The business and creativity of the team continue to grow with each natural playscape being built having its own, unique craftsmanship. Together, we all look forward to helping reach John’s goal and inspire 10 million children!
