History of Lifetime

In the beginning, all the founder of Lifetime Products wanted was a sturdier basketball pole for his backyard. With this in mind, he found and purchased a piece of heavy-duty used pipe, a sheet of plywood, and a basketball rim. The result was a basketball standard for his backyard. That was 1972.

History of Lifetime


In the beginning, all the founder of Lifetime Products wanted was a sturdier basketball pole for his backyard. With this in mind, he found and purchased a piece of heavy-duty used pipe, a sheet of plywood, and a basketball rim. The result was a basketball standard for his backyard. That was 1972.

Seeing the potential that others might also desire a quality basketball system in their yards, he placed an ad in the "Big Nickel," the local free classified newspaper, and made his first sale. The rest — as they say — is history.

Not too many years after selling his first basketball system, he created the American PlayWorld company in 1973, which he based in his garage located in . Gradually this store kept expanding into many more types of playground equipment, and was eventually moved to a bigger location in .

Several years later, the company transformed the Basketball industry with the introduction of the Quick Adjust basketball pole — the first complete basketball system you could raise up and down with a broomstick.

In March 1986, a separate company was created to concentrate specifically on manufacturing adjustable basketball systems. This new company was named Lifetime Products, the name inspired by the goal of building a durable, lasting product.

Today, Lifetime Products, Inc., has applied innovation and cutting-edge technology in plastics and metals to create a family of affordable lifestyle products that feature superior strength and durability. The world's leading manufacturer of folding tables and Chairs, Lifetime was founded as the maker of portable basketball systems that revolutionized the industry with patented technology. With new offerings such as outdoor sheds and utility trailers, Lifetime continues to develop innovative products that outfit the lifestyles of today's Americans.

In the time since those first crucial years in Lifetime's history, the company has grown from having 15 employees in a 32,000 square-foot space in half a warehouse in the Freeport Center to over 1,500 employees and 2.6 million square feet spread over 21 separate buildings.

Our Innovations

  • 1986- Lifetime invents and patents the first basketball system that could be adjusted in seconds
  • 1992- Lifetime invents the first complete basketball system packaged in one box, allowing for mass distribution
  • 1993- Lifetime invents a blow-molded portable basketball base that is airtight and watertight
  • 1995- Lifetime invents the first table with a blow-molded polyethylene tabletop, a picnic table designed to fold flat 
  • 1996- Lifetime invents the Power Lift®, the first one-hand, pneumatic height adjustment mechanism for basketball hoops
  • 1998- Lifetime invents blow-molded polyethylene folding banquet tables
  • 2000- Lifetime invents the first and only folding chair to meet BIFMA standards
  • 2001- Lifetime introduces its line of high-end, professional-quality home basketball systems 
  • 2004- Lifetime introduces basketball hoops with virtually unbreakable polycarbonate backboards
  • 2005- Lifetime introduces its line of revolutionary outdoor storage sheds
  • 2007- Lifetime invents the first of its kind fold-up steel utility trailer
  • 2007- Lifetime introduces its line of residential playground equipment
  • 2008- Lifetime acquires Jumping Jack, LLC, expanding its offerings to include all-in-one tent trailers
  • 2010- Lifetime acquires Dragonfly Innovations, expanding its offerings to include kayaks 
Lifetime Products, Sportswear - Retail, Clearfield, UT
PO Box 160010, Freeport Center, Bldg. D-11, Clearfield, UT 84016-0010