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Draft:Case Lawrence

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Case Lawrence
NationalityUnited States
EducationBrigham Young University (1997), Duke University School of Law (2000)
Occupation(s)Businessman, Political candidate
Known forFounder and CEO of Sky Zone, Republican Political Candidate
Height6’0”
Political partyRepublican
SpouseKerri Lee (m.1994)
Children6

Case McKay Lawrence (born October 2, 1972) is an American entrepreneur, businessman and attorney. Lawrence is the founder of Sky Zone (formerly CircusTrix),[1][2] the largest developer, operator, and franchisor of trampoline parks globally[3][4] and a member the company's Board of Directors.[5] Case in known for pushing the indoor active entertainment industry and experience economy[6] concept forward through continuous innovation, earning multiple awards for himself[7][8][9] and for the brands[9][10][11] he operated. This recognition has earned him a spot as a judge for the annual EY Entrepreneur of the Year Award[12] in the Mountain Region. Additionally, he shares his entrepreneurial lessons and experience by mentoring college students as an adjunct professor of Entrepreneurship at the Brigham Young University Marriott School of Business in Provo, Utah and as a member of the University's President's Leadership Council.[13] On January 4, 2024, he declared his candidacy to replace Representative John Curtis in the U.S. House of Representatives representing Utah's 3rd Congressional District,[14][15][16][17] to expand his impact on community through public service.

Early life and education

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Born in Tucson, Arizona[18] to Laurel Stott and Larry R. Lawrence, a former General Authority Seventy of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.[19] He spent 1991 to 1993 as a missionary for the church serving and teaching people in Budapest, Hungary.[20] During this time he learned to speak the Hungarian language and is still fluent. Case resides in Utah County, Utah with his wife, Kerri (Lee). They have six (6) children.

In 1997 Lawrence graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in American Studies from Brigham Young University (BYU) and in 2000 he obtained a Juris Doctor (JD) degree from Duke Law School.[5]

Professional career

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In the 2000's, after law school, Lawrence worked for Venture Law Group in Silicon Valley,[21] in the middle of the dot-com bubble and was involved in legal work for many emerging online businesses, such as transitioning the original x.com to PayPal for Elon Musk.

Lawrence's first startup was CargoBay, a real estate investing company he started in 2004 that managed office space and catered to small businesses. He ran the company for six years before the Great Recession disrupted the real estate industry, causing CargoBay to fold.[22]

While exploring opportunities back in the legal field, Lawrence happened upon the idea that would become Sky Zone. During a trip to San Francisco with his family, a friend suggested Lawrence visit a local trampoline park. Lawrence loved how the experience combined entertainment, sports, and exercise. He left that trip with the intent to create a trampoline park. His goal was to start a small facility to provide enough money for his family while he found a job practicing law.[2][8]

Lawrence eventually moved his family to Provo, Utah and started CircusTrix instead of pursuing work as an attorney. The first indoor park, SkyWalk, was opened in Madera, California in 2011. The second park, dubbed Defy Gravity, was opened in Durham, North Carolina in mid-2012.[2]

Under Case's leadership as CEO, CircusTrix eventually became the largest developer, operator, and franchisor of trampoline parks globally.[3] Boasting over 320 facilities[23] and more than 10,000 individuals,[24] overseeing leading industry brands such as Sky Zone, Rockin' Jump, DEFY, Superfly, Ryze, and others.

Case has been a key figure in moving the trampoline park industry forward through continuous innovation. He introduced ninja parks (small scale attractions similar to America Ninja Warrior courses), and Cirque de Soleil-style attractions in his parks, and lead the initiative to explore experimentation with social needs programs within the CircusTrix parks, taking a particular interest in supporting individuals with down syndrome because trampoline jumping is a beneficial recreation activity for children with down syndrome.[8][25] Case has helped to pioneer the creation of accessible, local extreme recreation that gets kids and adults off screens and embracing fitness through active entertainment – moving the industry beyond just being trampoline parks.[26] Case supported the G-tramp freestyle trampolining movement[27][28] and other initiatives like it that have helped to fuel the growth of indoor extreme recreation and aerial sports parks in the US from 40 to more than 460 in the span of five years (2012-2016)[29] and the industry continues to expand with new offshoot concepts stemming from Case and Sky Zone.[30] He even offered a first of it's kind endorsement deal for the American Ninja Warrior star Kevin Bull in 2016.[29] Beyond in-park innovation, he gained national recognition for his ability to market to millennials in 2016 from Inc.com.[31]

Lawrence transitioned out of the CEO role in 2019 and took a role on the company's board of directors.[1] Following the early and sustained success under his leadership, government mandates during the COVID-19 pandemic closed many Sky Zone parks for extended periods of time in 2020 and into 2021.[32] Lawrence was not sure that his company would ever open again, especially considering the financial losses that were incurred during that time. CircusTrix eventually did recover from the pandemic and continues its expansion plans.[33]

The CircusTrix corporate identity rebrand of all of its trampoline parks under the Sky Zone brand took place in 2023.[34]

Professional awards

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While Case was the active CEO of CircusTrix (Sky Zone as of 2023) he and the company received many awards, including:

  • EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2017 – Utah Region – Consumer Services[7]
  • Utah Business CEO of the Year Honoree 2019[8]
  • Utah Business Fast 50 Honoree 2018,[35][36] 2019[37]
  • Inc. 5000 (CircusTrix) – No. 1377 (2020), No. 1333 (2019), No. 1790 (2018), No. 1012 (2017)[11][38]
  • Inc. 5000 (Sky Zone) – No. 1709 (2017), No. 652 (2016), No. 273 (2015), No. 152 (2014), No. 180 (2013), No. 588 (2012), No. 2707 (2011)[10]

Adjunct professor

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Beginning in April 2020, Case Lawrence joined the Brigham Young University Marriott School of Business in Provo, Utah as an Adjunct Professor to teach Entrepreneurship.[13] In addition to teaching, Lawrence mentors BYU students with their startups by helping them refine and validate their ideas; and to prepare for and overcome adversity.[39]

References

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  1. ^ a b "USA: Fernando Eiroa Appointed New CEO of CircusTrix - EuroAmusement Professional". www.eap-magazin.de. Retrieved 2024-03-19.
  2. ^ a b c Kinder, Peri (2017-04-25). "Case Lawrence: Building to amaze". Utah Business. Retrieved 2024-03-19.
  3. ^ a b "CircusTrix Acquires Sky Zone, Creating the Largest Indoor Active Recreation and Trampoline Park Company in the World". GlobeNewswire News Room (Press release). 2018-02-01. Retrieved 2024-03-19.
  4. ^ CircusTrix (2018-08-22). "CircusTrix Builds 300th Park, Reinforces Leadership Role in Indoor Recreation Industry". GlobeNewswire News Room (Press release). Retrieved 2024-04-11.
  5. ^ a b "Entrepreneurship Founders - Case M. Lawrence - BYU Marriott School of Business". marriott.byu.edu. Retrieved 2024-03-19.
  6. ^ Scorziell, Luke (2018-03-22). "Ep. 33: The Experience Economy with Case Lawrence". The Edge of Ideas. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
  7. ^ a b "EY Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2017 Utah Region". utahbusiness.com. 2017-07-11. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
  8. ^ a b c d Bicknell, Lindsay (2019-03-07). "2019 CEO Of The Year Honorees". Utah Business. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
  9. ^ a b "Utah's Fast 50". Utah Business. 2018-08-17. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
  10. ^ a b "Inc. Company Profile | Sky Zone Trampoline Park". inc.com. 2024-04-11. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
  11. ^ a b "Inc. Company Profile | CircusTrix". inc.com. 2020-08-11. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
  12. ^ "Entrepreneur Of The Year Mountain West judges". www.ey.com. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
  13. ^ a b "Case Lawrence". BYU Marriott School of Business. Retrieved 2024-03-19.
  14. ^ "Declaration of Candidacy" (PDF). vote.utah.gov. January 4, 2024. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
  15. ^ "Case for Congress". Case for Congress. Retrieved 2024-03-19.
  16. ^ "Utah businessman first to submit signatures for 3rd Congressional District ballot". Deseret News. 2024-02-22. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
  17. ^ Drachman, Matthew (2024-03-22). ""We have gotten away from regular order,"; Case Lawrence shares vision for U.S. House". UVU Review. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
  18. ^ "Case Lawrence". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2024-03-19.
  19. ^ "Elder Larry R. Lawrence". www.churchofjesuschrist.org. Retrieved 2024-03-19.
  20. ^ "LinkedIn". LinkedIn.com. March 19, 2024. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
  21. ^ Pioneering Paths | From Silicon Valley to Public Service With Case Lawrence, 27 February 2024, retrieved 2024-03-19
  22. ^ "January 9 Breakfast Meeting with Case Lawrence". www.acg.org. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
  23. ^ "CircusTrix Pounces on Operator of Indoor Trampoline Parks". WSJ. Retrieved 2024-03-19.
  24. ^ "Provo's CircusTrix expands 'extreme recreation' empire". Deseret News. 2023-12-21. Retrieved 2024-03-19.
  25. ^ Azab, A. R.; Mahmoud, W. S.; Basha, M. A.; Hassan, S. M.; Morgan, E. N.; Elsayed, A. E.; Kamel, F. H.; Elnaggar, R. K. (2022-03-26). "Distinct effects of trampoline-based stretch-shortening cycle exercises on muscle strength and postural control in children with Down syndrome: a randomized controlled study". European Review for Medical and Pharmacological Sciences. 26 (6): 1952–1962. doi:10.26355/eurrev_202203_28343. ISSN 2284-0729. PMID 35363345.
  26. ^ Templeman, Mike. "Entrepreneurs Need To Jump Into The Exploding Fitness Industry". Forbes. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
  27. ^ Ketteler, Judi (2018-08-07). "Kaboom! Cody! Rudi! Young Flippers Embrace Gtramp, a New Sport for the Instagram Set". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
  28. ^ Ketteler, Judi (2019-01-11). "Inside the Rise of GTramp, the High-Flying Sport That Was Born on Instagram". LAmag - Culture, Food, Fashion, News & Los Angeles. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
  29. ^ a b Lee, Nikki (2016-08-23). "The catalytic effect of American Ninja Warrior". American Ninja Warrior Nation. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
  30. ^ Liedke, Matthew (2024-04-02). "Former Sky Zone Franchisee Launches Slick City as Slide-Centric Indoor Park Franchise". franchisetimes.com. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
  31. ^ Page, Bubba (2016-06-02). "Want to Snag Millennials on a Budget? Create Selfie-Worthy Experiences". Inc.com. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
  32. ^ Masunaga, Samantha (2021-11-16). "Fill a room with trampolines and hope for the best? The up-and-down story of trampoline parks". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2024-03-19.
  33. ^ Sky Zone. "Sky Zone Chief Executive Officer Shares Vision and Expansion Plans for Growing Brand". www.prnewswire.com (Press release). Retrieved 2024-03-26.
  34. ^ "Circustrix Changes Name to Sky Zone". www.prnewswire.com (Press release). Retrieved 2024-03-19.
  35. ^ Bicknell, Lindsay (2018-09-21). "Meet Our 2018 Fast 50 Honorees". Utah Business. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
  36. ^ "Utah's Fast 50". utahbusiness.com. 2018-08-17. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
  37. ^ "2019 Fast 50 Honorees". utahbusiness.com. 2019-08-22. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
  38. ^ "Here are the 115 Utah companies listed on the Inc. 5000". Deseret News. 2023-12-22. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
  39. ^ "Bouncing Back from Failure". BYU Marriott Stories. 2022-02-07. Retrieved 2024-03-19.
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