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| Children/Educational.. |
Obstacle course
Jungle Quest overcomes much to succeed
There are various reasons why Jungle Quest, the children's play company in Littleton, Colorado, should not be successful.
The facility is small and dark and hand-made. Parking is a nightmare. Parents frequently use the nearby Wendy's lot or the Ford dealership because the facility has parking more suitable to a dentist's office than a children's entertainment facility.
It's even a wonder that people can find it. The company doesn't advertise, and for most of its 13-year history the company relied on a "JUNGLE QUEST" taped haphazardly to a front window as the location's only identifier -- only last year did it even get a sign. "Hey, it's like 800 bucks!" said owner Doug Root. "I hate spending money, man."
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Jungle Quest Initial investment: |
And yet this little 3,000-square-foot store manages to attract 30,000 children through its doors every year, all the while building a strong reputation among Denver area parents of children 2 to 12 looking for a unique activity.
So imagine how this place will do with a little sophistication? "If we put it in a good location, with signage and parking, this place is going to go crazy," Root said. That, at least, is what Root and his new franchising partners are banking on as they plan to take Jungle Quest beyond the shadow of the Rocky Mountains. The company is about to open its second location in Colorado -- a franchise -- and sold six franchises through December.
"This place is an icon in the state of Colorado," said Bill Gabbard, a franchising veteran who most recently was director of franchising for Navis Pack and Ship Centers. Gabbard is now president and CEO of Jungle Quest, while Root is the chief operating officer.
Root bought the Littleton facility in 1994. He had studied team-building ropes courses for corporations through Minnesota Outward Bound. He figured children would love a similar program, so he eliminated team building, reduced the size of the ropes and the courses. He then let children roam throughout the facility under the guidance of trainers -- after a short safety video.
Root built everything himself -- the strip lines, the rope swing, the platforms, the rope bridge, the climbing wall, the jungle theme with the fake trees, green walls and nets -- adding amenities as he went along and figured out what kids liked. "It's homemade, kind-of," he said. "I literally painted the walls. I just did the next thing that seemed like a good idea."
Franchises will be far more sophisticated -- a fabricator will build the equipment, then ship it to the facility on a couple of 18-wheelers, Root said. The buildings will be 12,000 square feet, more than twice the size of Root's 5,000-square-foot location. They're also targeting communities with a median household income of about $70,000. Insurance costs are not a major concern, Root says, with premiums at about 3 percent of revenue -- there have been three significant injuries (broken arms, etc.) in 14 years at his facilities.
A 90-minute session costs $11 or $12, depending on the day, and the facility draws a good number of walk-ins. But the company depends mostly on birthday parties, which can cost $200 and up and represents more than half of the company's revenue.
Gabbard points out gleefully that a large child's play chain, Pump It Up, can do 79 birthdays in a month, whereas Root's Littleton facility is frequently on pace to do that many in a single weekend, even though it's not open Sundays. "I never envisioned that birthday parties would be such a big deal," Root said. When he did realized it, he quickly added a birthday party room to his facility.
Jungle Quest is hardly alone among children's fitness and play franchises, which seek to take advantage of parents' desire for more active play options for their children. Numerous small chains are expanding into newer suburbs where there are young families.
Company officials acknowledge that theirs' is not the only fitness-based play franchise out there, but they say there are few chains with ropes courses. The courses, such as a rope bridge or a climbing wall, give kids something to work toward. "It's an achievement-based challenge," Root says. "It speaks to Mom. It was fun. They bounded and they ran. But they achieved something, too."
Cindy Raimer is one such mom. And she doesn't even live in Denver. The Illinois resident visits the city to see her sister. On one trip she looked up fun things to do in Denver, found Jungle Quest, and took her 2-year-old son Addison there. He loved it. Nearly three years later, he begged to return. Addison's favorite obstacle is a rope swing, in which the child's harness is connected to a rope hung from the ceiling that is swung around by a staffer. "He thinks he's Diego," Raimer said, referring to an adventure-loving cartoon character popular among the preschool set.
Addison's grandfather, Bob Piros, had fun along with the children. He, too, wore a harness and climbed the wall and went down the zip line. Piros knows a thing or two about climbing. "I ran an outdoor club," Piros said. He was impressed with Jungle Quest. "They really know what they're doing," he said. "It's a really good experience for the kids."
Root hopes that more parents and grandparents from beyond Denver think the same thing. If so, then Jungle Quest could become the next big child-focused entertainment chain, and Root would earn the title he really wants besides founder the chief operating officer. "Just write down 'genius,'" he joked. "People keep telling me I'm too modest."
