New Way to Play w/ Sylvia Heisel

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Rethinking The Possibilities of the Dog Park

About The Episode

Sylvia Heisel’s always been active in chasing her passions and bringing her ideas to reality, from her illustrious fashion career to her work in technology in fashion to then getting into 3D printing projects with her husband, Scott Taylor.

In 2019, the two of them founded DogPark Production, a company focused on the creation and construction of off-leash play spaces from materials that are not only sustainable and recyclable, but that are actually more engaging and inviting for both dogs and their owners.

DogPark Production started off with the design of 3D printed furniture, as well as other concrete features, to make a more visually appealing play environment that helped bring people and their dogs together in a space that was also safer and cleaner. But they’ve also now expanded to parks overall.

Most recently, DogPark Production turned an antiquated recreational children’s park into a canine amusement park, now dubbed DogWorld. The recently-opened park, in North Carolina, contains private swimming pools, an 18 hole “dogstacle” course, separate areas for different types of dogs, and more adjustments to help make it more dynamic for both humans and dogs. When the dogs have a good time, and we can interact with them in these spaces, it becomes a better escape for us all.

Sylvia and Scott themselves are co-parents to a neighbor dog, Lily, who has been an important part of their lives over the past decade. Lily was part of the inspiration for creating the company, and hopefully other dogs like her can start to experience parks like DogWorld across the country with the help of Sylvia in challenging the status quo.

About The Guest - Sylvia Heisel

Sylvia Heisel first found success with her eponymous women’s fashion line, which was carried in America’s premier independent specialty stores for over 20 years and featured in every major fashion publication of that time. She has spoken about the future of fashion and wearables at CES and pushed the bounds of technology within the industry. Now, she has taken her talents over to the dog world by co-founding DogPark Production with her husband Scott Taylor, allowing her to combine her passion for dogs and design innovation by re-imagining dog parks.

Featured Links

InterviewJack SommerPeople Working w/ Dogs