MEET THE TEAM
John LaPointe
Founder, Natural-Play Specialist, CPSI
Once described as “Peter Pan” by a client for his enthusiasm; John, has a passion for building highly engaging outdoor play spaces for children. John grew up in rural Wisconsin with the land as his playground. His childhood experiences inspired a sense of wonder and imagination and set the foundation for the evolution of GRG Playscapes. John’s innovative thinking and his deep understanding of what inspires children has brought GRG to the forefront of the natural play industry.
As an undergraduate, he studied at UW-Stevens Point and UW-Milwaukee, earning a degree in Community Development. His graduate studies in the Landscape Architecture program of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, developed his expertise in water management and peaked his interest in sustainable landscapes. Early in his career John worked as a camp counselor and a child care worker working with both young children and teens experiencing trauma.
With over 15 years of experience building compelling outdoor spaces for children; John has become an expert in the field of natural play. John’s love for the work is apparent, not only does he get his hands dirty on construction sites but he is also a regular conference speaker passionate about guiding others in the creation of highly engaging and inclusive outdoor play environments for their communities.
Leah LaPointe
Co-owner, RN BSN
With over 20 years of experience in child care and pediatric nursing, Leah’s passion for healthy childhood development is critical to GRG’s mission to serve children through natural play.
Leah began her career in the child care industry as a child care teacher. During her undergraduate studies, Leah volunteered in many capacities working with youth in hospitals, special needs schools and community organizations. She also worked in a child-crisis assessment center as a child care worker with children experiencing trauma. Leah received a BSN in Nursing from UW-Milwaukee and spent 13 years in her nursing career at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin; with her last 3 years of service as a school Nurse working in the Milwaukee area community.
A witness to the great impact John was having on her own children and others in the community; Leah joined forces with John on the journey of inspiring children through play. Growing the mission of GRG Playscapes; with the health and wellbeing of children forefront on her mind through business development and sharing the positive impact that outdoor natural play environments have on the success of our youth has become her deep passion.
Aaron Holder
Lead Playscape Designer & Certified Playground Safety Inspector (CPSI)
A seasoned playscape designer, with a BFA in Industrial Design from the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design; Aaron brings playfulness and technical savvy to every creative project. Having joined the team in 2012; Aaron’s creative thinking and innovative spirit have been pivotal to the evolution of GRG Playscapes.
Aaron has been described as having always been a creator and tinkerer; an observer of all design and its interaction with people. As a child he built treehouses which led to a love of woodworking. This activity helped to shape the imagination he now uses to design unique structures and much more for the children we inspire with our outdoor natural play environments.
His certification as Playground Safety Inspector ensures that our team focuses on the safety of the children in addition to the beauty and fun of our unique creations. In addition to overseeing GRG’s design process, Aaron is often found on the road, providing technical expertise to our sales and construction teams and working closely with our clients to ensure their vision becomes a reality.
Susie Taylor
Director of Sales & Client Communication
As a Montessori mom of two; Susie found herself actively searching out play areas that offer natural structures, often wondering why there was not more creativity involved with the majority of public and private play sets they came across in their day to day lives. Determined to make a positive impact on today’s youth; and inspired by the mission of GRG Playscapes, in 2019 Susie joined the team as Director of Sales & Client Communication.
An East coast native with a BA in Peace and Justice from Wellesley College and an MBA in sustainable Enterprise from the Dominican University of California. Susie brings with her a plethora of experience from over a decade of sales, management and operational development positions.
As a team member Susie works intimately with clients to ensure their project and product goals are met. Internally Susie’s background is a huge asset on GRG’s leadership team; driving innovative thinking and strategic development. Whether on the road or at the home office, Susie is GRG’s point person for sales strategy and communication.
Philip Cox
Director of Operations
Having travelled widely during his undergraduate studies; Philip has a unique understanding of the world and it’s built environments.
With over ten years experience in operations leadership, a BA in English from the University of WI Stevens Point and a Masters in organizational leadership from Wisconsin Lutheran College; Philip joined the GRG team in 2018 as Director of Operations.
Not only is Philip responsible for coordinating the day-to-day functions of project delivery in purchasing, production, and construction, he is also a valuable asset on our GRG leadership team helping to strategize forward thinking and organizational development. Philip is often at the forefront of communication both internally and externally creating solid client and vendor relationships. While much of his work goes on behind the scenes, Philip is the primary client contact for project management and maintenance.