Thrill seeker | A conversation with Jeff Hunnewell, owner of Summit Adventures LLC in the Maine Mall
Photo/Courtesy Summit Adventures
Jeff Hunnewell
Summit Adventures LLC
Founded: October 2010
Employees: 14
Startup costs: $20,000
Projected revenue, year one: $200,000
Projected revenue, year two: $400,000
Contact: (888) 938-6496
Maine Mall, South Portland
www.summitadventurescenter.com
What is Summit Adventures?
We are an extreme-sports, family-entertainment center, offering a variety of stimulators such as a rock climbing wall, bungee trampolines, human hamster balls, laser tag, zip lines and more. We aim to provide kids between the ages of 8 and 14 with a fun place to get exercise, conquer their fears and have fun. The 25-foot rock-climbing wall is a great place for kids to overcome their fear of heights and push their bodies and minds to reach the top. Kids can also reach new heights on the bungee trampoline that can soar up to 15 feet in the air. We also have packages for any type of celebration.
Why did you start the company?
We opened the facility in [the former] Linens N’ Things with the goal of running a year-round business. For the past couple of years, we have used the same type of equipment during the summer, doing business at various events, including the Old Port Festival and the Great Falls Balloon Festival in Auburn/Lewiston. I have always been self-employed doing work in construction, but by opening the Summit Adventures Center, I can do something rewarding all the time. It’s nice to bring smiles to people’s faces and work with various groups in the community, including special-needs groups.
How do you market the business?
So far we have done marketing with radio and television with a 50/50 gift certificate program. We have also done some brief commercials, including a short video on YouTube to introduce some of our equipment. Word of mouth has been our best method. Kids are telling their friends, parents are recommending it to other parents. Since the center opened, we have spent approximately $2,500 on marketing alone.
What are some of the challenges running this business?
Finding a new space for our equipment. We are only on a short-term lease with the mall. The mall has, however, helped us find a new place in the former Filene’s space, which has some big advantages over our current space, like access from the mall, an outdoor entrance and public restrooms. It definitely has been a challenge to find a place where we can become most profitable. We are looking at relocating to a permanent place in less than a year.
What is the ideal place for a business such as yours?
We did spend some time looking for a new space that would accommodate all of our big future plans. Our vision of a 20,000-square-foot facility with 25-foot-high ceilings in the South Portland area proved to be both hard to find and out of our budget. We realized that to get a lease that’s in our budget, we need to look outside of the mall area. We feel our facility is a destination and our customers will come to us providing we have reasonable highway access and plenty of parking.
How do you finance this business?
Most of the financing has been out-of-pocket. A good chunk of our profit comes from outdoor events we do in the summer.
What has been successful about your business strategy?
We have been running our business around the concept that parents are looking for healthy activities for their children. Laser tag, trampolines and rock-climbing are all excellent ways for children to stay healthy. Business has been three times better than expected, due to the fact that parents and their kids walk by us in the mall and see other kids having fun.
What are your goals for the future of this business?
To find a better location and get some additional equipment, particularly some fitness equipment for the older crowd. We also have a bunch of events lined up, including the Old Port Festival on June 12. We are also planning events at Point Sebago, where our zip line was a huge success last summer. We even have plans to do “zip-line weddings,” where the bride and the groom arrive to the ceremony by zip line.
Interview by Kayla Collins
New Ventures profiles young companies 6-18 months old. Send your suggestions and contact information to editorial@mainebiz.biz.
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