News and Events

site map > our company > news and events

Announcing a New Canopy Tour Website 
Posted 01-28-07

Based on their successful completion of two canopy tours in Alaska and an extensive canopy tour in Austin, Texas that include two tours, S.T.E.P.S. and Bonsai have expanded their services. 

S.T.E.P.S. continues to focus its experience and efforts on program design and development with an emphasis on creating educational experiences that lead to a greater understanding of self and the environment.  "Canopy tours provide an opportunity for guests with a wide range of physical abilities to explore a part of the forest otherwise inaccessible," explained Mike Smith, Director of Special Projects.  "Courses are built to engage participants physically, mentally, and emotionally.  It's a wilderness experience; a personal growth opportunity; and an opportunity for families, and small groups to experience shared adventure together."

Long-time partner Bonsai Design is focused on designing and installing adventure courses that push the leading edge of challenge course design.  A strong emphasis is placed on designs that are aesthetic, work well with the environment, and are highly functional. 

For more information on canopy tours built by S.T.E.P.S., Inc. and Bonsai Design, or simply to view photos and video, visit www.canopy-tours.com or www.zip-lines.com.  

Announcing a New Partnership with Motor City Challenge 
Posted 03-14-06

Coming Attractions: Revamped Website Scheduled for Unveiling!
Posted 03-13-06

Attention Course Managers... It's that time of year again.
Posted 02-13-06

Setting the Tone for a New School Year.  
Posted 08-01-05

Now is the time to start thinking about next school year and how to set the tone for success.  With larger classes and increased pressure to score well on mandatory state tests, students and teachers are facing ever greater challenges.  For schools seeking a competitive advantage, the Joe Dumars Fieldhouse Team and Leadership Center offers several winning programs.

The Center is a collaborative venture between the Fieldhouse and S.T.E.P.S., Inc.  A leading provider of adventure challenge programming, S.T.E.P.S. has served more than 150,000 students and teachers over the past 14 years at sites throughout southeast Michigan and beyond.
Current offerings for school groups at Joe Dumars include challenge course programs focused on building cohesion in the classroom; on instilling values of community, tolerance, and acceptance across a diverse student body; on integrating new students into existing classes; on facing and overcoming school and life challenges; on group problem solving; and on enhancing the performance of leadership groups.  An innovative program featuring team and leadership lessons from Joe Dumars himself is in the works. 

Participation in a challenge course team-building program early in the school year can pay great dividends throughout the year.  Teachers and school administrations interested in learning more about the program offerings of the Joe Dumars Team and Leadership Center should contact the Director, Mike Smith, at (734) 416-1565.
 

S.T.E.P.S. completes construction of canopy in the continental United States. 
Posted 07-04-05

S.T.E.P.S. is proud to announce the completion of a canopy tour in Spicewood, Texas, just west of Austin.  Built on the Beihlarz Ranch, the canopy tour consists of six zip lines and three sky bridges and provides guests the opportunity to see Texas Hill Country like never before. 

Guides are well trained in local ecology and provide a thorough inquiry into the inhabitants, plants, and fauna of the creek and canyon that the tour follows to the Perdenales River. 

After the tour, guests can relax on the beach, swim, or drop into the water from a releasable zip or rope swing.  For more information on Canopy Tours, Early Morning Birding Tours, Corporate Team Events, or to book a tour for your family or friends, please contact Cypress Valley at (512) 264-8880.

Learn more about Cypress Valley Canopy Tours in Spicewood, Texas.

View photos of Cypress Valley Canopy Tours in our photo gallery.   

S.T.E.P.S. completes construction of canopy tour in Alaska.
Posted 05-31-05

S.T.E.P.S. is proud to announce the completion of one of the first canopy tours in Alaska.  Located in Ketchikan, AK, the canopy tour provides tourists and locals the opportunity to experience temperate rain forest from eighty to one hundred thirty five feet in the air.  With breathe-taking views and abundant wildlife, the tour has created quite a stir Southeastern, Alaska.

A kilometer in length with eight zip traverses and three sky bridges, the course keeps participants air bound throughout.  The final zip lands on a 50-foot tower where participants can choose to descend by stair or rappel.

Learn more about the Alaska Canopy Adventure and other adventure tours in Ketchikan Alaska

View photos of the Alaska Canopy Adventure and other canopy tours in our photo gallery

Attention Course Managers... It's that time of year again.
Posted 02-13-06

Attention challenge course managers, camp directors, and course owners... It's that time of year again. We would like to remind you to schedule your annual course inspection and challenge course new staff training and/or challenge course refresher training for staff who have already received training. We are currently in the process of lining up inspections and trainings at courses across the company. With notice we can often schedule you along route to other sites and help share the cost of travel expenses.

Prior to giving us a call, it can be helpful to complete a visual walk through of your course, review last years inspection report, examine course equipment logs, and check staff certifications. The information you provide us can help us to ensure that we are prepared for the unexpected when we come out to see you.

If you know your course is in need of more than ordinary maintenance, have experienced severe storms since last use, or spot anything unusual during your visual inspection, please let us know. Digital pictures or descriptions can greatly reduce the time it takes us to help get your course up and running for the spring and summer.

For more information about training and inspections, please contact our corporate office at (734) 416-1565.

Attention: S.T.E.P.S., Inc. leaves Tamarack Camps, Tamarack Outdoor Education Center, and Butzel Conference Center.
Posted 10-04-05

Dear Adventure Challenge Client:

I am writing to let you know that we at S.T.E.P.S. are no longer managing the challenge course programs of the Tamarack Outdoor Education and Butzel Conference centers in Ortonville. As a company we are, however, very much alive and well and will continue to serve our clients at other locations.

Our current agreement with Tamarack, slated to run into June 2005, was abruptly cancelled by the agency’s executive director on Friday, September 24. No explanation was given for this change, but we have heard a number of reports from agency staff that the reason was financial. Tamarack will now dispense with an independent professional manager and use its own employees to run the challenge course programs.

In the fourteen years that S.T.E.P.S. has operated at Tamarack, our programs have consistently received the highest reviews for educational excellence. Our work has been distinguished for the care that we put into tailoring activities and discussions to the special needs and makeup of each individual group.

We have worked especially closely with area schools to integrate adventure challenge into the curriculum, and the lessons learned have often led to profound improvements in students’ treatment of one another and in their responsiveness to teachers. The effectiveness of our programs has stemmed from the large investments we have always made in staff training, retention, and continuing education.

While we were at Tamarack, we built the program from a yearly participation total of fewer than 2,000 into one of the largest in the country, with yearly numbers exceeding 16,000. We will be sad to leave the facilities we built in Ortonville, and we will miss working with our good friends Pat Sharpe and her staff of naturalists. But we are also excited about new opportunities available to us now.

Our agreements with Tamarack required that we book nearly all of our groups at their facilities. We are now free to take our clients elsewhere, and we are already in talks with several camps and retreat centers known for their commitment to high quality programs and customer service. Our goal is to provide challenge course programming at a number of locations throughout the region. We will, of course, continue to offer portable initiatives programs whenever the client’s own site is the preferred venue.
We will keep you up to date as things develop. In the meantime, please call if you have questions or concerns about the changes. Call if you would like to arrange a portable on-site pro¬gram in the near future. And by all means call if you would like to follow us to a new location.

Sincerely,

David Brassfield, President

S.T.E.P.S. Launches New Website
Posted 01-28-04

S.T.E.P.S., Inc. and Bonsai Design are pleased to announce the launch of a new website, www.ropescourseconstruction.com.  The site is due to be 100% up and running by the end of February along with partner site www.stepscorp.com, which is due to be completely re-designed by April 1, 2005.  The company has experienced massive growth in the past year, developing new partnerships with other leaders in the industry, creating new programs, and developing new venues.  The new websites are just a small part of a much larger growth and branding effort.  Web site design and hosting is completed by AdventureSmith, Inc., a long-time partner of S.T.E.P.S., Inc.

S.T.E.P.S., Inc. Merges with Ropes Course Construction Company Bonsai Design. 
Posted 01-21-04

On January 20, 2004, S.T.E.P.S., Inc., a leader in adventure challenge programming and ropes course management services entered into partnership with Bonsai Design from Scottsdale, Arizona.  Formed in 1992, Bonsai Design and owner John Walker have made a name for themselves for high quality, custom ropes courses that provide both high functionality and aesthetic design.  "It's an opportunity to bring together the best of both worlds," commented Mike Smith, Director of Projects for S.T.E.P.S., Inc.  "John is a master craftsman with the abilities and creativity to bring to life what we as practitioners know makes a safe, functional, and profitable course.  Bonsai Design, Inc. has been our builder of choice at our managed sites, including Tamarack Camps, in Ortonville, Michigan for many years.  We wouldn't use anyone else." 

S.T.E.P.S., Inc. Annoucnces Partnership with Joe Dumars' Fieldhouse.  Posted 12-01-03

S.T.E.P.S., Inc. has entered into partnership with the Joe Dumars' Fieldhouse in Shelby Township, Michigan to deliver indoor adventure challenge programs.  To learn more about the Fieldhouse, visit www.joedumarsfieldhouse.com. 

When Joe Dumars' Fieldhouse opened its high ropes course in January 2003, they knew that it wouldn't be long before they were ready to unveil a teambuilding program to go along with it. "If my name was going to be on it, it had to be the best program in the region," states Joe Dumars. "That was my challenge to our team and they responded." Joe Dumars' Fieldhouse contracted with Dev Pathik of the Challenge Course Advisory out of Tampa, Florida to build a program Joe would be proud of. Dev is known as a leader in the industry having won the prestigious Association of Experiential Education (AEE) Organizational Member of the Year Award amongst many others. He is also one of the most sought after team facilitators anywhere, traveling around the world to conduct seminars and training for some of the world's largest companies. Mr. Pathik thinks that the Fieldhouse is one of the most unique centers for teambuilding anywhere. "The Fieldhouse's physical plant is amazing for this kind of training and with a few tweaks we can make it very hard to beat." Dev also noted that having the nicest physical facility was not enough.

For the Joe Dumars' Team and Leadership Center to be the best it had to couple great physical facilities with great facilitators. The Fieldhouse has entered into a relationship with S.T.E.P.S., Inc. S.T.E.P.S. is one of the most well regarded experiential training organizations in the Midwest with over 17,000 clients every year. "It is our goal that every team who makes an investment in our program feels that the return on that investment was undeniable," remarks Mike Smith from S.T.E.P.S., Inc.