Step2

Will consolidate operations at existing plants in Streetsboro, Ohio and Perrysville, Ohio

STREETSBORO, Ohio (January 5, 2010) —The Step2® Company announced today that the company will close its Fort Valley, Georgia manufacturing plant and move operations to its Streetsboro and Perrysville, Ohio manufacturing plants, effective immediately.

The company notified its Fort Valley plant’s 104 full-time employees today. Affected employees will be paid at their regular rate of compensation and eligible employees will receive access to full benefits for the next sixty (60) days, in keeping with requirements of the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act. Full-time employees also will be provided severance packages, including tiered severance pay and benefits based on years of service.

“Faced with the challenging retail environment, our focus on efficiency, lean manufacturing and productivity has led us to make the difficult decision to close the Fort Valley facility and fold those operations into our Ohio manufacturing plants,” said Scott Levin, Step 2 President and
Chief Executive Officer. “The decision is not a reflection on the work or dedication of our employees; they have done their jobs well. We also appreciate the partnership we have had with the City of Fort Valley and Peach County. We believe in the quality and desirability of our products and are confident that these hard decisions will best position us for continued success in the months and years ahead.”

Company officials are also contacting city and county government representatives to discuss the announcement. The Fort Valley facility opened in 2000.

About the Step2® Company
The Step2® Company is a family company with brands including Step2®, Infantino®, and Thinkativity® that foster learning and development through creative play in children from birth to school-age years. Step2, based in Streetsboro, Ohio, is the largest American manufacturer of preschool and toddler toys and the world’s largest rotational molder of children’s and home products, including children’s play kitchens, playhouses, outdoor toys and ride on toys, as well as home products such as mailboxes, gardening aids and trash cans. Infantino, headquartered in San Diego, Calif. is a leading designer and international distributor of innovative and original infant, toddler, and preschool products. Featuring fashion-forward designs, the popular product lines include classic creative baby toys and puzzles, innovative soft baby carriers, and simple, no-fuss baby travel systems. Step2, in partnership with Case Western Reserve University’s Schubert Center for Child Studies, sponsors CreativePlayPlus.com, an online resource to provide parents with the latest research on creative play and child development. Visit www.creativeplayplus.com for more information on this partnered initiative. Visit www.step2.com and www.infantino.com to learn more about The Step2 Company brands.

Company Recognized For Commitment to Excellence and Quality Assurance

STREETSBORO, OHIO — November 11, 2009 — The Step2® Company is proud to announce that it has recently been awarded ISO 9001:2008 certification from STR-Registrar, LLC an ANSI/ASQ National Accreditation Board (ANAB) Accredited Certification Body for its plant and office locations in Streetsboro and Perrysville, Ohio and their plant in Fort Valley, Ga. ISO certification, the globally recognized quality management system standard, verifies that Step2’s processes and procedures consistently meet the highest measure for delivering quality products, services and support to its customers.

Step2, based in Streetsboro, Ohio, is the largest American manufacturer of preschool and toddler toys and the world’s largest rotational molder of children’s and home products, including children’s play kitchens, playhouses, outdoor toys and ride on toys, as well as home products such as mailboxes, outdoor furniture and trash cans.

“The Step2 family members are extremely proud of this accomplishment and it shows what can be achieved when everyone works together towards a goal,” said Dave Orr, Director of Quality Systems and Lean Manufacturing for The Step2 Company.

ISO 9001 certification is a quality management standard that is recognized throughout the world by a set of requirements that businesses can follow in order to achieve consistently high level of quality in their products, services and general manner in which they operate. This certification assures that The Step2 Company products are designed, manufactured, tested and shipped by a documented system that meets the rigorous requirements of ISO 9001.

To earn ISO certification, companies contract with a registrar for three years to audit and confirm they are focused on meeting customer requirements, by measuring themselves for continual improvement, effective internal communications, effective training, effective process control, and especially, effective customer satisfaction.

Scott Levin, President and CEO of the Step2 Company said, “This is a distinguished recognition and certification of a well—established quality process for key business processes from product development through manufacturing and distribution, and sales order through collection. We’re proud of our efforts to continually improve our processes and to be recognized and licensed by this esteemed organization.”

For more information on The Step2 Company visit www.step2.com. To find out more about the International Organization for Standardization visit www.iso.org.

Consumers Recognize America’s Largest Toy Maker as “Excellent” Overall in Customer Service and Satisfaction

STREETSBORO, OHIO — October 14, 2009 — Recognizing its excellent customer service and consistent positive customer feedback, The Step2 Company’s online direct sales channel at www.step2.com has earned BizRate’s 2009 Platinum Circle of Excellence.

The Step2® Company is a family company with toy brands including Step2®, Infantino®, and Thinkativity® that foster learning and development through creative play in children from birth to school-age years, sold at retail worldwide and via www.step2.com.

The Circle of Excellence recognizes those online retailers within the BizRate®Research network who have demonstrated outstanding performance, as rated by their customers, throughout a one year period. In 2009, over 5,000 online merchants were considered for an award. Winners consistently obtained feedback from their customers throughout the award year period and received the highest ratings. The ratings are from the direct feedback, collected at the point-of-sale and after delivery of goods, from customers concerning seven key satisfaction metrics:

1. Overall satisfaction at the point-of-sale
2. Product selection at the point-of-sale
3. Ease of finding products on the website
4. Intent to buy from the same retailer again, collected after the order is received
5. Product met expectations, collected after the order is received
6. On-time delivery of the order
7. Customer support assistance

More than 2,500 people rated their experiences purchasing products through Step2.com’s online store, recognizing the company with an overall score of “excellent.” The Step2 Company earned high marks across the board to be included in the Platinum Circle of Excellence, among only three percent of all merchants evaluated within the BizRate network.

“We are honored to have earned the BizRate Platinum Circle of Excellence,” said Rob MacKay, Vice President for Internet Sales and Marketing at The Step2 Company. “It is especially meaningful that this recognition reflects actual customer feedback, and it is a testimony to the dedication and hard work of the entire Step2 family.”

In addition to providing innovative toys and excellent customer service, The Step2 Company is dedicated to providing parents and child care professionals access to learn and share information about the importance of creative play. CreativePlayPlus.com is a ground-breaking blog launched in partnership with the Step2 Company and the renowned Schubert Center for Child Studies. The site offers a variety of topics related to play and childhood development, and provides visitors with relevant news stories, expert research, articles and other blogs that center around the topic of developmental play.

For more information on Step2 products visit www.step2.com. For a full list of the 2009 BizRate Circle of Excellence winners visit: http://www.bizrate.com/boutique/2009circleofexcellence.html.

About The Step2 Company:
The Step2® Company is a family company with brands including Step2®, Infantino®, and Thinkativity® that foster learning and development through creative play in children from birth to school-age years. Step2, based in Streetsboro, Ohio, is the largest American manufacturer of preschool and toddler toys and the world’s largest rotational molder of children’s and home products, including children’s play kitchens, playhouses, outdoor toys and ride on toys, as well as home products such as mailboxes, gardening aids and trash cans. Infantino, headquartered in San Diego, Calif. is a leading designer and international distributor of innovative and original infant, toddler, and preschool products. Featuring fashion-forward designs, the popular product lines include classic creative baby toys and puzzles, innovative soft baby carriers, and simple, no-fuss baby travel systems. New Jersey-based Thinkativity is a leading innovator of electronic and early learning toys promoting inventive play patterns through original musical compositions and stories that inspire children to explore, play and learn. Step2, in partnership with Case Western Reserve University’s Schubert Center for Child Studies, sponsors CreativePlayPlus.com, an online resource to provide parents with the latest research on creative play and child development. Visit www.creativeplayplus.com for more information on this partnered initiative. Visit www.step2.com, www.infantino.com and www.thinkativity.com to learn more about The Step2 Company brands.

CONTACT:
Dotti Franks, Vice President Marketing Communications
dfranks@step2.net; 330-656-0440
Lisa Brogan, CURRENT
lbrogan@currentlm.com; 310-854-8278

STREETSBORO, OHIO — October 13, 2009 — Recognizing innovation, creative play and safety, The Step2 Company® has received an unprecedented number of awards from The Oppenheim Toy Portfolio, the toy industry’s leading independent consumer reviewer of children’s toys and media. The prestigious Oppenheim Awards recently honored The Step2 Company, the nation’s largest preschool and toddler toy maker, with Platinum and Gold Awards for 13 new Step2® and Infantino® products.

The Oppenheim Toy Portfolio judges on educational and play value, safety, age appropriateness, economic value and other factors, including actual child and parent feedback from testing families around the nation. Award winners also met the highest toy safety standards.

Stephanie Oppenheim, co-founder of the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio, notes “our testers gave the highest marks to so many of the new products from Step 2. The company clearly has a strong commitment to creating fun, engaging and developmentally appropriate toys for kids. These award winning products bring a fresh look to classic toys that can now be enjoyed by a new generation of kids.”

The Step2 Company puts all of its toys through rigorous safety testing and produces the highest quality products for families.

“We are delighted to be acknowledged by these prestigious awards from The Oppenheim Toy Portfolio,” said Scott Levin, CEO of the Step2 Company. “We continually strive to create new, engaging, safe products that help families foster creative play and developmental learning.”

Award Winners

Step2, the brand famous for its signature play kitchens, playhouses, outdoor climbers, and arts and crafts tables — was recognized by The Oppenheim Toy Portfolio for seven new toys, including items from the new preschool line designed specifically for children ages 12 months to 3 years:

• Basic Rhythms Guitar (Platinum): ABCs and music notes are molded into this cool kids’ guitar complete with color coded sheet music.
• Basic Rhythms Piano (Platinum): Have a little Mozart on your hands? Help them to learn piano notes and read music with this pint-sized piano.
• Basic Rhythms Bongos (Gold): Let your child follow the beat of her own drum with these hipster bongos and special beats.
• Basic Rhythms Maracas (Gold): Shake, rattle and dance — kids feel the rhythm to dance and play with this colorful set.
• Cafe Barista (Gold): Today’s tea set just got an update fresh from mom’s favorite coffee shop with everything you need to brew a great coffee and cappuccino while serving delicious treats.
• Gourmet Cafe Kitchen (Gold): This cool cafe kitchen allows kids to cook with their friends in a realistic all-in-one environment featuring a warm and cozy country styling with the conveniences of modern living.
• Pastry Chef (Gold): Little chef testers loved the pretend desserts and tools for creating precious pretend sweet treats.

Infantino toys are known for fashion-forwards designs and ingenious engineering for functional parent products and toys for babies, including stroller toys, puzzles, interactive shopping cart covers, baby carriers, and no-fuss baby travel systems. The Oppenheim Toy Portfolio has recognized these six new Infantino toys:

• Flip & Peek Phone (Platinum): Calling all babies! This is a phone they’ll flip over, with fun sounds, peek-a-boo mirrors and recorded greetings in English and Spanish.
• Spiral Spin Top (Platinum): Promoting sensory exploration through cause and effect, and sight, sound and touch, babies can watch the bright balls spiral up and spin back down under their control.
• Twist & Fold Activity Gym (Platinum): Featuring fashionable vintage fabrics, this gym was made for both mom and baby in mind with sounds, textures, bright colors and a teether ring that opens and closes with just one hand.
• Loopapalooza (Gold): Linkable activity loops, with peek-a-boo mirror, textured teether and clacking rings, Infantino has brought classic grasp toys to a whole new level.
• Vintage Jittery Pal (Gold): This Jittery Jungle Pal is a loveable linkable that jitters and shakes, encouraging your baby to play. Bring it in the car, stroller, or anywhere else.
• Wall Mounted Mobile Mirror (Gold): Providing a fun distraction for changing time, this zoo pal has a mirror and dangly feet, and can be mounted on the wall and changed for optimum position as your baby grows.

For more information, visit step2.com or view the award posting at www.toyportfolio.com.

About The Step2® Company
The Step2® Company is a family company with brands including Step2®, Infantino®, and Thinkativity® that foster learning and development through creative play in children from birth to school-age years. Step2, based in Streetsboro, Ohio, is the largest American manufacturer of preschool and toddler toys and the world’s largest rotational molder of children’s and home products, including children’s play kitchens, playhouses, outdoor toys and ride on toys, as well as home products such as mailboxes, gardening aids and trash cans. Step2, in partnership with Case Western Reserve University’s Schubert Center for Child Studies, sponsors CreativePlayPlus.com, an online resource to provide parents with the latest research on creative play and child development. Visit www.creativeplayplus.com for more information on this partnered initiative. Visit www.step2.com, www.infantino.com and www.thinkativity.com to learn more about The Step2 Company brands.

About Oppenheim Toy Portfolio
Founded in 1989 by mother and daughter team, Joanne and Stephanie Oppenheim, the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio does not accept entry fees for reviewing products or take ads from companies. The Oppenheims are independent child development experts and contributors to NBC’s TODAY Show. www.toyportfolio.com

CONTACT:
Dotti Franks, Vice President Marketing Communications
dfranks@step2.net; 330-656-0440

Margaux Vega, Current Lifestyle Marketing
mvega@currentlm.com ; 415-449-0126

Step2 Announces the “Ultimate Play Kitchen Guide” and Creative Kids in the Kitchen Contest
Win a Frigidaire Kitchen Suite and Deluxe Step2 LifeStyle Kitchen!

STREETSBORO, Ohio — September 15, 2009 — From top chefs to top-rated cooking shows, America’s love of cooking is one of the latest trends to hit homes around the country. Just in time for the holiday wish lists The Step2® Company, the nation’s largest toy manufacturer, introduces the “Ultimate Play Kitchen Guide” on Step2.com, where parents can learn about the latest in play kitchen designs, read tips for picking the right play kitchen for their home, and also enter a contest where they can win a dream kitchen for both themselves and their child. Whether for boys or girls, experts agree that having and using a play kitchen in a home builds imaginations and cultivates a love for cooking while helping to promote a lifetime of healthy eating habits.

Barbara Beery, the author of 11 best-selling kids’ cook books and founder of the Batter Up Kids Cooking School, says that parents and kids cooking together is very important to a child’s development. “There has been an overwhelming increase in interest for having kids in the kitchen at an early age,” Beery says. “Parents recognize that even by starting with play kitchens during the toddler years, you are promoting creativity, collaboration and role modeling. It leads to a greater comfort level with food and hopefully a lifetime of creative cooking.”

For years, play kitchens have been a popular toy among girls but with recent attention on superstar male chefs, boys are getting into the act too. Today’s play kitchen has come a long way — many are built to mirror high-end kitchens complete with pretend granite counters and fresco painted backgrounds, while others mimic ultra-sleek modern looks with pretend stainless steel appliances and Euro-styled cabinetry. Step2 is the number-one play kitchen maker in the U.S. with eight different designs covering a variety of price points, home décor styles and play pattern needs.

Dream Kitchen Contest — Just in Time for the Holidays
To celebrate creativity in the kitchen for both parents and kids, Step2 is announcing a national contest that will award one grand-prize of a new dream kitchen suite from Frigidaire®, including a refrigerator, dishwasher, over the counter microwave, and oven, as well as a new Step2 play kitchen of their choice. The “Step2 Creative Kids in the Kitchen Contest” is asking families to submit an essay of 250 words or less on how they foster creativity when cooking and have fun in the kitchen together. Second place prize is a Step2 kitchen of their choice, while one third place winner will receive a $50 gift certificate good toward any toy on step2.com. For official rules and to enter, visit Contest.Step2.com.

Tips for Fun in the Kitchen
Not only does time in the kitchen allow for family bonding, kids can also benefit by learning about healthy eating, practicing fine motor skills (chopping, pouring, etc.), problem solving and arithmetic (such as measuring out ingredients), as well as focusing on safety and responsibility. Beery gives the following ideas on how to inspire a lifetime love of culinary enjoyment:

• Divide up tasks. As much as you can, get everyone in the family involved. There’s no reason why even the littlest chef can’t be helping by setting the table, wiping down the counters, or helping to stir contents in a bowl. The more helpers, the more fun!
• Promote problem-solving. Use this opportunity to show your kids what to do when things don’t necessarily go your way (as is often the case in cooking and in life!) Ran out of vanilla too soon? A little water in the bottle can help make it go longer without hampering the cookies too much. Spill the sugar on the floor? Take a minute to tap dance, giggle and then grab the broom.
• Relax and enjoy. The recipe might not turn out exactly how it was supposed to, there may be a few more ingredients on the floor to clean up, and perhaps it takes longer to make dinner than you thought — but nothing can compare to the feeling of accomplishment your kids will have when everyone sits down to eat a meal they helped prepare. Be patient and compliment your child for a job well done!

For more tips and to download original recipes from Barbara Beery, developed especially for parents and kids to cook together, visit Contest.Step2.com.

About The Step2® Company:
The Step2® Company is a family company with brands including Step2®, Infantino®, and Thinkativity® that foster learning and development through creative play in children from birth to school-age years. Step2, based in Streetsboro, Ohio, is the largest American manufacturer of preschool and toddler toys and the world’s largest rotational molder of children’s and home products, including children’s play kitchens, playhouses, outdoor toys and ride on toys, as well as home products such as mailboxes, gardening aids and trash cans. Step2, in partnership with Case Western Reserve University’s Schubert Center for Child Studies, sponsors CreativePlayPlus.com, an online resource to provide parents with the latest research on creative play and child development. Visit www.creativeplayplus.com for more information on this partnered initiative. Visit www.step2.com, www.infantino.com and www.thinkativity.com to learn more about The Step2 Company brands.

About Barbara Beery:
Barbara founded Batter Up Kids Cooking School in1991 and has taught thousands of kids to cook. She is the author of 11 best-selling children’s cookbooks and just launched an educational website exclusively carrying kid-friendly cooking products called kidscookingshop.com.

CONTACT:
Dotti Franks, Vice President, Marketing Communications
dfranks@step2.net; 330-656-0440
Alexis Black, Current Lifestyle Marketing
ablack@currentlm.com; 312-929-0504

Brian McDonald, Step2 VP International Sales, Governor Ted Strickland and Lisa Patt-McDaniel, Director of the Ohio Department of Development

STREETSBORO, OHIO, September 3, 2009 — The Step2 Company, LLC announces its selection as one of 27 Ohio export leaders to be honored recently in Columbus for their successful strategies in global trade. Step2 is the largest toy manufacturer in the U.S. and while 90% of toys sold in this country are imported, Step2 is successfully competing for market share in more than 70 countries.

Since 1986 the Governor’s Excellence in Exporting Awards (e-Awards) has recognized companies of all sizes that show superior performance in exporting. Step2 was chosen from a pool of 11,000 Ohio companies that distribute goods globally. Its selection is not only due to a 30% sales increase from 2007 to 2008 in international business, but how this success translates into jobs within the Step2 Company and for its local suppliers as well. This marks the third time Step2 has been honored with this award having received it previously in 1998 & 2002.

Brian McDonald, Step2 Vice President, International Sales remarks: “It’s an honor to receive this award and reflects the efforts of all of our employees to grow the Step2 brand globally. Our success internationally shows continuing appreciation for Step2’s American-made, high-quality products and recognizes our American work force that competes head to head against all global work forces.”

About The Step2 Company:
The Step2® Company is a family company with brands including Step2®, Infantino®, and Thinkativity® that foster learning and development through creative play in children from birth to school-age years. Step2, based in Streetsboro, Ohio, is the largest American manufacturer of preschool and toddler toys and the world’s largest rotational molder of children’s and home products, including children’s play kitchens, playhouses, outdoor toys and ride on toys, as well as home products such as mailboxes, gardening aids and trash cans. Infantino, headquartered in San Diego, Calif. is a leading designer and international distributor of innovative and original infant, toddler, and preschool products. Featuring fashion-forward designs, the popular product lines include classic creative baby toys and puzzles, innovative soft baby carriers, and simple, no-fuss baby travel systems. New Jersey-based Thinkativity is a leading innovator of electronic and early learning toys promoting inventive play patterns through original musical compositions and stories that inspire children to explore, play and learn. Step2, in partnership with Case Western Reserve University’s Schubert Center for Child Studies, sponsors CreativePlayPlus.com, an online resource to provide parents with the latest research on creative play and child development. Visit www.creativeplayplus.com for more information on this partnered initiative. Visit www.step2.com, www.infantino.com and www.thinkativity.com to learn more about The Step2 Company brands.

CONTACT:
Dotti Franks, Vice President Marketing Communications | dfranks@step2.net | 330-656-0440