Chris LeBreck grew
up in Palatine, IL and lived there until he was 26. He then moved to Wisconsin
where he spent about 20 years and moved back to Illinois in 2005 before opening up his own
business called Airtastic Play Land in 2008. Airtastic Play Land is an open-
play facility with four big party rooms and that’s where they will hold the EFK
classes.
Chris has an
electrical engineering degree from Northern Illinois University and graduated
in 1984. He was in electronic manufacturing and worked for companies such as
Honeywell, Northrop-Grumman, and Phillips where he got into the operating side
of the business. He worked for Plexus and Sanmina – SCI in an operational role.
Why did you
transition into the Airtastic opportunity?
My wife and I walked into a business in northern
Wisconsin that was pretty similar, and it was that was our initial introduction
to the possibility of having something like this in the future. I was at a
point in my life where I could do something different. It ended up being a four
year process before we opened, but we've been open for five years now. We
bought the land and built the building to suit this type of business.
How did you learn
about Engineering for Kids?
I saw it on the website, Franchise.com. We've been
looking for something the last couple years, and it seemed to make sense for
us.
Why did you choose
an opportunity with Engineering for Kids?
We have about 8,000 families in our database to introduce
to Engineering for Kids. Plus, this is a logical extension of our business
offering and it really compliments the existing business we have. We do
parties, and the fact EFK offers camps during the summer and classes during the
school year was great for us. It allows us to better utilize the 17,500 square
feet of space in the building.
Also, STEM is very big in Naperville, Aurora and the
surrounding communities and the Engineering for Kids programs align well with
the goals of the school districts’ STEM initiatives.
Are you involved with any charities or do any community outreach with your business?
Over the last five years, we have partnered with a lot of
schools and community organizations in the area. We've donated thousands of
dollars in free play time over the years to help fund initiatives within the
local schools. Additionally, we've
donated 10,000 pounds of food to the local food pantry and held numerous
fundraising events for organizations such as the American Heart Association and
Pancreatic Cancer Research.
How will you
operate your Engineering for Kids business?
I’m the operator, so right now I’m interviewing teachers
to start classes when we open. My goal is to teach camps through the summer and
go into the communities and open learning centers in all seven of the
communities I own rights to.
What challenges
have you overcome to get where you are now?
The biggest challenge has been the economy. In 2008 when
we opened, that was when it was at its worst. Just surviving the last five
years has been the biggest challenge. Now we feel more comfortable because the
economy is on the rebound, which has allowed us to invest in another business
to compliment what we are already doing.
In the big scope of things, Naperville and Aurora have
140,000 people, so getting 50 to sign up should not be a stretch. I’d like
100-200 kids ideally. I literally have four centers of space available. I’ve
received good feedback about EFK from people in the community so far.
What are your
expansion or development plans? What is your end goal with Engineering for Kids?
Our goal is to have one or two learning centers in the
seven communities we have. My goal is to start people at the Airtastic facility
and move them to the other areas to run their own businesses.
Do you have any
other interesting hobbies or passions?
I have three active boys in
sports, so I am pretty involved with my kids’ activities.
