Draft:Case Lawrence

Born in Tucson, Arizona{{Cite web |title=Case Lawrence |url=https://ballotpedia.org/Case_Lawrence |access-date=2024-03-19 |website=Ballotpedia |language=en}} to Laurel Stott and Larry R. Lawrence, a former General Authority Seventy of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.{{Cite web |title=Elder Larry R. Lawrence |url=https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/church/leader/larry-r-lawrence?lang=eng |access-date=2024-03-19 |website=www.churchofjesuschrist.org}} He spent 1991 to 1993 as a missionary for the church serving and teaching people in Budapest, Hungary.{{Cite web |date=March 19, 2024 |title=LinkedIn |url=https://www.linkedin.com/in/caselawrence/ |access-date=March 19, 2024 |website=LinkedIn.com}} 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.

In the 2000's, after law school, Lawrence worked for Venture Law Group in Silicon Valley,{{Citation |title=Pioneering Paths {{!}} From Silicon Valley to Public Service With Case Lawrence | date=27 February 2024 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hP13RgTXRFI |access-date=2024-03-19 |language=en}} 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.{{Cite web |title=January 9 Breakfast Meeting with Case Lawrence |url=https://www.acg.org/utah/events/january-9-breakfast-meeting-case-lawrence |access-date=2024-04-11 |website=www.acg.org |language=en}}

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.{{Cite web |last=Kinder |first=Peri |date=2017-04-25 |title=Case Lawrence: Building to amaze |url=https://www.utahbusiness.com/case-lawrence-building-amaze/ |access-date=2024-03-19 |website=Utah Business |language=en-US}}

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.

Under Case's leadership as CEO, CircusTrix eventually became the largest developer, operator, and franchisor of trampoline parks globally. Boasting over 320 facilities{{Cite news |title=CircusTrix Pounces on Operator of Indoor Trampoline Parks |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/circustrix-pounces-on-operator-of-indoor-trampoline-parks-1517490000 |access-date=2024-03-19 |work=WSJ |language=en-US}} and more than 10,000 individuals,{{Cite web |date=2023-12-21 |title=Provo's CircusTrix expands 'extreme recreation' empire |url=https://www.deseret.com/2018/2/1/20639355/provo-s-circustrix-expands-extreme-recreation-empire/ |access-date=2024-03-19 |website=Deseret News |language=en}} 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.{{Cite journal |last1=Azab |first1=A. R. |last2=Mahmoud |first2=W. S. |last3=Basha |first3=M. A. |last4=Hassan |first4=S. M. |last5=Morgan |first5=E. N. |last6=Elsayed |first6=A. E. |last7=Kamel |first7=F. H. |last8=Elnaggar |first8=R. K. |date=2022-03-26 |title=Distinct effects of trampoline-based stretch-shortening cycle exercises on muscle strength and postural control in children with Down syndrome: a randomized controlled study |url=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35363345/ |journal=European Review for Medical and Pharmacological Sciences |volume=26 |issue=6 |pages=1952–1962 |doi=10.26355/eurrev_202203_28343 |issn=2284-0729 |pmid=35363345}} 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.{{Cite web |last=Templeman |first=Mike |title=Entrepreneurs Need To Jump Into The Exploding Fitness Industry |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/miketempleman/2016/03/21/entrepreneurs-need-to-jump-into-the-exploding-fitness-industry/ |access-date=2024-04-11 |website=Forbes |language=en}} Case supported the G-tramp freestyle trampolining movement{{Cite news |last=Ketteler |first=Judi |date=2018-08-07 |title=Kaboom! Cody! Rudi! Young Flippers Embrace Gtramp, a New Sport for the Instagram Set |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/07/well/kaboom-cody-rudi-young-flippers-embrace-gtramp-a-new-sport-for-the-instagram-set.html |access-date=2024-04-11 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}{{Cite web |last=Ketteler |first=Judi |date=2019-01-11 |title=Inside the Rise of GTramp, the High-Flying Sport That Was Born on Instagram |url=https://lamag.com/sports/gtramp-gravalanche |access-date=2024-04-11 |website=LAmag - Culture, Food, Fashion, News & Los Angeles |language=en}} 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){{Cite web |last=Lee |first=Nikki |date=2016-08-23 |title=The catalytic effect of American Ninja Warrior |url=https://www.americanninjawarriornation.com/2016/8/23/12619194/american-ninja-warrior-gyms-workouts-leading-fitness-revolution |access-date=2024-04-11 |website=American Ninja Warrior Nation |language=en}} and the industry continues to expand with new offshoot concepts stemming from Case and Sky Zone.{{Cite web |last=Liedke |first=Matthew |date=2024-04-02 |title=Former Sky Zone Franchisee Launches Slick City as Slide-Centric Indoor Park Franchise |url=https://www.franchisetimes.com/franchise_news/former-sky-zone-franchisee-launches-slick-city-as-slide-centric-indoor-park-franchise/article_544416ba-f0f1-11ee-80ba-93e32416194b.html |access-date=2024-04-11 |website=franchisetimes.com |language=en}} He even offered a first of it's kind endorsement deal for the American Ninja Warrior star Kevin Bull in 2016. Beyond in-park innovation, he gained national recognition for his ability to market to millennials in 2016 from Inc.com.{{Cite web |last=Page |first=Bubba |date=2016-06-02 |title=Want to Snag Millennials on a Budget? Create Selfie-Worthy Experiences |url=https://www.inc.com/bubba-page/want-to-snag-millennials-on-a-budget-create-selfie-worthy-experiences.html |access-date=2024-04-11 |website=Inc.com}}

Lawrence transitioned out of the CEO role in 2019 and took a role on the company's board of directors. 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.{{Cite web |last=Masunaga |first=Samantha |date=2021-11-16 |title=Fill a room with trampolines and hope for the best? The up-and-down story of trampoline parks |url=https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2021-11-16/trampoline-parks |access-date=2024-03-19 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}} 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.{{Cite press release |last=Sky Zone |title=Sky Zone Chief Executive Officer Shares Vision and Expansion Plans for Growing Brand |url=https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sky-zone-chief-executive-officer-shares-vision-and-expansion-plans-for-growing-brand-302052935.html |access-date=2024-03-26 |website=www.prnewswire.com |language=en}}

The CircusTrix corporate identity rebrand of all of its trampoline parks under the Sky Zone brand took place in 2023.{{Cite press release |title=Circustrix Changes Name to Sky Zone |url=https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/circustrix-changes-name-to-sky-zone-301713865.html |access-date=2024-03-19 |website=www.prnewswire.com |language=en}}

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
• Utah Business CEO of the Year Honoree 2019
• Utah Business Fast 50 Honoree 2018,{{Cite web |last=Bicknell |first=Lindsay |date=2018-09-21 |title=Meet Our 2018 Fast 50 Honorees |url=https://www.utahbusiness.com/meet-our-fast-50-honorees/ |access-date=2024-04-11 |website=Utah Business |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |date=2018-08-17 |title=Utah's Fast 50 |url=https://www.utahbusiness.com/utahs-fast-50/ |access-date=2024-04-11 |website=utahbusiness.com |language=en-US}} 2019{{Cite web |date=2019-08-22 |title=2019 Fast 50 Honorees |url=https://www.utahbusiness.com/fast-50-honorees-2/ |access-date=2024-04-11 |website=utahbusiness.com |language=en-US}}
• Inc. 5000 (CircusTrix) – No. 1377 (2020), No. 1333 (2019), No. 1790 (2018), No. 1012 (2017){{Cite web |date=2023-12-22 |title=Here are the 115 Utah companies listed on the Inc. 5000 |url=https://www.deseret.com/2018/9/19/20653851/here-are-the-115-utah-companies-listed-on-the-inc-5000/ |access-date=2024-04-11 |website=Deseret News |language=en}}
• 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)

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. 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.{{Cite web |date=2022-02-07 |title=Bouncing Back from Failure |url=https://marriott.byu.edu/stories/employee-spotlight/bouncing-back-from-failure |access-date=2024-03-19 |website=BYU Marriott Stories |language=en}}

{{reflist}}

{{Draft categories|

Category:1972 births

Category:Living people

Category:American businesspeople

Category:21st-century American businesspeople

}}

{{Drafts moved from mainspace|date=September 2024}}