Springfield Business Journal_2019-02-25

6 · SBJ.NET FEB. 25-MARCH 3, 2019 and $30 for a single-day pass. The center employs 50 people. More than fun It’s not just fun and games at Fritz’s. The venue partners with nonprofit Cherish Kids – a subsidiary of James River Church Inc. – for Cherish Kids Day, which had its second iteration on Feb. 10. The event allows free admission for foster and adopted children. “They contacted us last year, heard about our organization and they heard the numbers,” says Irina Coombes, administrative assistant for Cherish Kids, which provides placement assis- tance in adoptions. In Taney County’s Children’s Divi- sion, she says there are 349 children needing homes and only 29 foster homes currently on the roster. “They wanted to know how they could help,” Coombes says. There were over 700 people in at- tendance for the second Cherish Kids Day event, she says. “We had an amazing turnout,” Coombes says. “It’s been an awesome opportunity. Their partnership is in- valuable.” Cherish Kids is looking at doing an- other event in the fall at Fritz’s. Home School Day is another event where Fritz’s engages the commu- nity by offering a $12 ticket to home- schooled children and their parents. “Once a month, we open up the fa- cility at a reduced price,” Engram says. “Our goal is to have everyone be able to experience Fritz’s Adventure.” Fritz’s also works with Missouri State and Drury Universities for ad- vertising programs and student-ath- lete retreats. “We do some advertising through them, especially at Missouri State,” Engram says. “We give away a family four pack at home games, and part of it is inviting student-athletes down for events.” He says Drury’s baseball team visit- ed last year for a team-building event. “What’s interesting to see is 22 ma- cho athletes squeal like girls when they get to the third level of the climb- ing wall,” Engram says. Future plans for Fritz’s are to ex- pand to new markets. Engram is eye- ing Dallas, Atlanta, Chicago and the San Francisco Bay Area. One of those, in the Bay Area, could be a corporate retreat event venue. “We love metropolitan areas,” he says. Running Wild Fritz’s Adventure attracts 500,000 explorers in its first two years, owners say by Kyle Boaz · kboaz@sbj.net The thrill of adventure doesn’t have an age cap. Fritz’s Adventure LLC aims to bring out the child in each of its visitors. The three-story entertainment cen- ter boasts 80,000 square feet of mazes, tunnels and other play spaces in a sim- ilar vein to St. Louis’ City Museum. The venue opened in November 2016 at 1425 W. Highway 76 in Bran- son across the street from Dick Clark’s American Bandstand Theater and Dolly Parton’s Stampede. Fritz’s founder and CEO Matt En- gram’s Branson-based company, Matt Engram Construction Co., led con- struction work for Fritz’s, in partner- ship with H Design Group LLC for the $10 million project. It’s owned by inves- tor group Fritz’s Adventure-Branson LLC, of which Engram is a member. Its name is inspired by “The Swiss Family Robinson” character Fritz. “He was the epitome of adventure. He was always looking for some- thing new,” Engram says. “We use the phrase ‘find your Fritz.’” Engram says approximately 500,000 patrons have come through the building since its opening. He de- clined to disclose revenues. The vision for Fritz’s originated from a family discussion with En- gram’s sons and wife Amy. “I’m a contractor by trade and I have a family of five boys, and one of my boys’ favorite things to do is come to work with me and run around the job site,” Engram says. The whole idea came from sitting down with his boys and putting ev- erything the family liked do into one building. “We wanted to key in on the sense of discovery,” he says. Adventurous Engram says the entertainment cen- ter is full of challenges and exploration. Fritz’s has a 40-foot rope course, wall climbing, underground tunnels, zip lines, container mazes and a laser maze. “It’s kind of ‘Mission Impossible’- esque, traveling from point A to point B avoiding lasers,” he says of the laser maze. The container mazes are built from salvaged parts, Engram says, with the inspiration for the maze coming from his sons climbing on similar structures on his construction company’s job sites. A World War II-era plane resides 30 feet in the air, allowing users to simulate piloting a flight. “You can move the flaps, pedal and make the landing gear move. And it has air chatter,” Engram says. The venue has a three-tiered out- door climbing wall, dubbed Via Fer- rata, after the climbing technique of Italian soldiers during World War II, and an interactive floor with a projec- tor screen that keys in on different mo- tions. Activities on the floor include soc- cer and a balloon-popping game. The venue’s newest amenity is Fritz’s Aerodium, which opened in June 2018 and provides the feeling of skydiving mere feet off the ground. Participants sit through a “flight school training” program and sign a waiver before attempting the Aerodium. “It’s an outdoor wind tunnel. Anyone can do it ages 4 and up,” Engram says. “We’ve had people call it a skydiving simulator. People typically purchase two minutes. That’s the equivalent to two 10,000-foot skydives.” Fritz’s pricing ranges between $15 BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT Fritz’s Adventure LLC Owner: Matt Engram/Fritz’s Adventure-Branson LLC Founded: November 2016 Address: 1425 W. Highway 76, Branson, MO 65616 Phone: (417) 320-6138 Web: FritzsAdventure.com Email: info@fritzadventure.com Services/Products: Family entertainment center with climbing walls, mazes and a flight simulator Employees: 50 provided by SEE SPARK GO ADVENTURE AWAITS Fritz’s Adventure comprises 80,000 square feet of mazes, tunnels and climbing stations. Customers traverse an obstacle course at Fritz’s.