In March, American Players Theatre (APT) in Spring Green, Wisconsin demoed a Utilitruck to see if it could handle the hills and gravel paths of the American Players Theatre grounds. After just a few short test drives, they knew that it was the right vehicle for the job. This demo led to the purchase of a Columbia Utilitruck long bed with side rails for use at the theater. On May 7th, Columbia delivered the vehicle to the American Players Theatre. The staff loved it and jumped right into the drivers seat.
American Players Theatre builds the majority of their own stage sets, costumes, and props; because of this, they are routinely transporting furniture, equipment, and staff up and down the complexs hilly pathways. "The cart will be used for a lot of back and forth running for stage props, chairs, and people. During rehearsal season, incomplete props are still used for rehearsal and then are taken back down the hill to be painted or upholstered, so there is a lot of quick back and forth needed throughout the season," said Cari Stebbins, Operations Manager for American Players Theatre.
While we visited the theater, we talked to their Operations Manager, Cari Stebbins, about the proper care and charging of the vehicle, as well as any other questions she had. Cari also gave us an insiders view of the Hilltop Theater set construction and their recent $7.7 million renovation. Part of the renovation focused on updating the safety features of the theater and other structures as well as adding rain shelters.
With this focus on safety, it only makes sense that APT would choose to add one of the safest electric work vehicles on the market into their fleet. Equipped with high visibility, a durable loading deck, drop bed rails, lights, parking brake, reverse signal, and more, Columbias Utilitruck is built for work.
American Players Theatre is a non-profit organization, so when Heather (our Internal Sales Coordinator), talked to them about the benefits of the Omnia Partners program, they were excited! Having never been introduced to the program prior to our demo, they discovered different areas within their budget in which they were over spending,without even knowing it. In just a few short months, Cari noted that they were already seeing a cost savings in more ways than their vehicle purchase from Columbia through Omnia Partners. "Thank you, thank you, thank you for turning us on to Omnia Partners. We are already saving thousands," Cari said.
More About American Players Theatre
American Players Theatre was founded in 1977 and planted its roots in Spring Green, WI in 1978. It is the second largest outdoor theater dedicated to the classics in the United States. Each season they bring the joy of the theater across the country with 9 rotating productions and an annual audience of more than 110,000 people. The American Players Theatre grounds cover 110 meadowed and hilly acres including picnic areas, both an indoor and outdoor theater, staging and prop buildings, gift shops, and nature trails. Having been reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, nominated for a Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theater, and building a national reputation for presenting theater of the highest quality, it stands to reason that American Players Theatre is a true Wisconsin gem.
For more information about American Players Theatre, please visit their website at https://americanplayers.org/.
More About Columbia
Based in Reedsburg, Wisconsin, Columbia is a premier electric vehicle manufacturer whose history dates back to 1946. Columbia has one of the most expansive electric vehicle product line-ups in the world, producing electric vehicles for private use as well as commercial and industrial applications that include models that move from 1 to 24 people, carry up to 6,000 pounds of payload, tow up to 16,000 pounds and travel up to 25 miles per hour. To learn more about Columbia, visit http://columbiavehicles.com/.
Columbia Vehicle Group, Inc. is a member of the Nordic Group of Companies, Ltd. Nordic Group (headquartered in Baraboo, Wisconsin) is a privately-held holding company consisting of subsidiaries with 22 facilities, and 24 marketing units around the world with over 2,400 associates. Nordic Group member companies manufacture and distribute plastic, seating and transportation products worldwide for industrial, commercial and consumer markets. For more information, visit www.nordicgroup.com.