Funworld November 2008

FOR LARRY STOTTLEMYER, THE RISE OF ADVENTURE PARK USA HAS BEEN A PATH OF RISKS AND REWARDS. The family-run entertainment center he opened in New Market, Maryland, in 2005 is truly a blend of an FEC and a more traditional amusement park, complete with a roller coaster.

Some areas have been built and themed from scratch by the Stottlemyer family, many of whom have an active role in the park. Inside the main building, everything from large fixtures like the laser tag arena to smaller details like the cabinets surrounding the main office carry personal meaning, as Stottlemyer and his sons handcrafted the features and added A Western theme to each.

With names like “Desert Oasis Mini Golf,” “Hang ’em High Ropes Course,” “Painted Desert Paintball,” and the “Stampede Arcade,” each attraction helps reinforce the Western vibe. The mascots of Adventure Park USA, a cowboy and a gopher, were envisioned by Stottlemyer and brought to life by Custom Creations, a themed environment manufacturer from New Jersey (the firm also helped design and install the park’s miniature golf course and signage).Giovanni Calabrese, owner of Custom Creations, says he enjoys working with the Stottlemyers because they’re down-to-earth and easy to deal with. “They’re very family oriented,” Calabrese says, “which is great, because that’s who your business is about—families. What I find different about Larry’s park is that he allows us to get creative—as long as it makes the park look good. A lot of people don’t do that.”

Branching Out
Stottlemyer began working on the concept for Adventure Park USA when attendance at his previous FEC, a Putt-Putt Golf Courses of America, was outgrowing its location. “We were getting people from 40 miles out so we started talking about building a bigger facility,” he says. “If we don’t build it, someone else will. They’ll find out what a great location this is for a park and put us out of business.”

Making this decision was a big step both personally and financially, and Stottlemyer credits resources like Hank Woodburn, made through Putt-Putt, for giving him the necessary model for operations success. “I now know them well enough professionally to be able to call them and get advice and information on the industry,” he says. “I watched them build facilities similar to this with success.”

This is how Stottlemyer has made decisions and the path he would recommend to anyone getting in the business. Many first-time business owners start without guidance or a plan and spend thousands of dollars on something that doesn’t result in profit, he says. Instead, he advises to “have contacts in the industry who you can call—other managers and facilities in the industry.” He also says it’s important to read magazines and articles on products and methods before investing, and to avoid being persuaded solely by advertisements. “When a new game comes out for the arcade, I don’t go out and buy it because I personally think it’s a great game,” he says. “I wait six or seven months to see what kind of revenue stream the game brings in, and then I purchase it.” While some things require an immediate decision, Stottlemyer runs most ideas past his wife, Angie, who directs Adventure Park’s finances, and gets counsel from others familiar with the business.

Rolling with Success
Another opportunity came about when Stottlemyer’s son, Erik, a co-owner at the park, came to him with the idea of adding a roller coaster to the growing FEC. “My son had talked with Ed Hiller from Ride Entertainment in Maryland, and the next thing you know, they found a revamped roller coaster in Pennsylvania.” Erik then went as far as to mortgage his house to finance the coaster, a 30-year-old refurbished Schwarzkopf Wildcat model. Ever since, the coaster has been one of the park’s most popular features.

Stottlemyers says this investment reinforced the value of not adding too many attractions too quickly. “You don’t want to grow your park so fast that you outgrow your attendance,” he says. “Then you have pieces that devalue the other attractions.”

Practicing his principal of not outgrowing the customer demand, he still knows well-timed additions to an attraction can only keep customers active longer and, thus, more willing to spend money and become engaged and loyal to the attraction.

One way of keeping those customers for longer is Adventure Park’s experiment this year to incorporate a time-play system. The park currently operates as an a-la-carte park, offering pay-as-you go rides and activities, but management is branching out to sell wristbands allowing customers four or six hours of unlimited access to attractions, with the exception of arcade credits. The goal is to raise per-capita 25 to 30 percent with the new feature.

“Our thinking is it’s easier to for us to get parents to pay once when they first walk in the door than it is when kids run out of money on reloadable cards,” Stottlemyer says. “Parents are more aware of the spending when they have to dip into their pockets again and again.” Adventure Park’s pay-as-you go option will remain for those interested in one attraction.

An even bigger development is the option of putting in a waterpark, for which blueprints have already been drawn, complete with a slide, wave pool, and lazy river. “We have 4.5 acres of land laid out, but the investment is around $6.5 to $7 million,” he says. Stottlemyer’s invested in pursuing plans, though, as customers hear rumors of a water attraction and are eager for construction to begin.

“It was always a dream of mine to be able to leave something behind for my children and grandchildren,” Stottlemyer says. This vision is clear, especially with signage and attractions named after those very grandchildren—party rooms bear titles like “Kyleigh’s Confectionary” and “Nate’s Gun & Knife Repair.” And with wise decisions like multiple payment options and by responding to customer needs with expansions like the waterpark, Adventure Park USA is a successful mainstay attraction in Maryland, and a successful model for up-and-coming FECs.