New Hope company reimagines business of playgrounds

The way Todd Lehman sees it, today's plastic playground equipment is pretty much all the same, and that's a problem. "Kids are spending half as much time today outside playing than they did 20 years ago, half," said Lehman, founder of New Hope-based Cre8Play, a company which creates custom play environments and commercial playground equipment. Lehman is bring creativity back to play with dozens of realistic, vivid play structures created for kids in Minnesota and across the country. Lehman's company has created everything from a storyland garden that sits atop Children's Hospital in St.Paul to a clubhouse in Grapevine, Texas and a three-story treehouse rising high in a park in downtown Las Vegas. "What I like to say is it's almost like, picture Disneyland in a playground, and that's what we're creating," said Lehman. On Friday, Lehman will aim to inspire and spark creativity in others when he takes the stage at the University of Minnesota's Northrup Auditorium. Lehman was one of nine people picked to speak at the TEDxUMN event, Reawaken 2016. "Todd specifically got picked because I think that he really does embody what we want our attendees to gain from this entire experience," said Aashin Shah, director of TEDxUMN. In addition to Lehman, the Friday event will feature speakers such as University of Minnesota President Eric Kaler and CaringBridge Founder Sona Mehring. All speakers will focus on the topic of reawakening creativity. "It's too common that we say, 'this is the way it is', or 'that's just how it is, or that's the way it always was.'" said Shah. The TEDx events aim to share good ideas. It's the same forum that went viral six years ago for Brene Brown, a Texas researcher who spoke on vulnerability and human connection. Her TEDx talk has picked up millions of views online since 2010. "For the opportunity just to be asked to be part of that, is truly an honor," said Lehman. Tickets are still available for Friday night's TEDx event at the University of Minnesota. Alexandra Renslo reporting http://www.ccxmedia.org   / ccxmedia.org     / ccxsports     / ccxnews   Learn about our mobile app - http://bit.ly/CH12app Channel 12 is on Comcast cable in the northwest suburbs of Minneapolis and includes the cities Brooklyn Center, Brooklyn Park, Crystal, Golden Valley, Maple Grove, New Hope, Osseo, Plymouth and Robbinsdale.