CyBIZ Lab Students Bring Fresh Strategies to Fort Fun

Winning CyBIZ Lab student teams pictured with Fort Fun owners Jeffrey and Jan McClure.

In February, CyBIZ Lab hosted its second in-house case competition, the Strategy Showdown, bringing students together for a unique challenge: crafting a strategic marketing plan for Fort Fun, a family entertainment center in Fort Collins, Colorado. Fort Fun has been a community staple since 2001, but shifting economic conditions and evolving consumer behaviors have created new challenges. From rising labor costs to post-pandemic revenue plateaus, owners Jeffrey and Jan McClure saw an opportunity to tap into fresh perspectives—and CyBIZ Lab students were ready to deliver.

Participants dove deep into market analysis, revenue trends, and Fort Fun’s existing marketing efforts, working to develop actionable strategies that could increase community engagement and drive year-round traffic. Their task? To present a comprehensive strategic marketing plan, complete with clear objectives, innovative tactics, and a realistic budget.

For Alexis Boord, an agricultural communications major with a business minor, the experience was extremely positive—she had only been working for CyBIZ Lab for one week when the competition took place. Despite being new, Alexis and her team delivered a strong marketing strategy that focused on targeted community advertisements and revenue optimization for Fort Fun’s restaurant. “Until this competition, I had never worked in such a fast-paced environment with a short deadline. But I discovered that when you work as a team in those conditions, the results can be incredible. We all had to trust each other to make quick, thoughtful decisions and to bring all the ideas together into one cohesive presentation,” Alexis shared.

After a full day of research and preparation, students presented their findings to a panel that included Jeffrey and Jan McClure and Fort Fun General Manager Chris Gottlinger. Each of the student teams gave their best effort, proposing solutions that ranged from targeted social media campaigns to seasonal event promotions and Search Engine Optimization improvements. Ultimately, $3,300 in prize money was awarded, with the top three teams receiving $1,000, $800, and $600, respectively. Additionally, the McClures were so impressed with the students’ presentations that they increased the number of Best Presenter awards from six to nine, each receiving $100. Alexis Boord was the recipient of one of those awards.

Alexis Boord received Best Presenter award from Fort Fun owners Jan and Jeffrey McClure.

“We have started to implement a few of their suggestions,” said Chris Gottlinger, Fort Fun’s General Manager. “We have an open dialog with Colorado State University intramurals, we are rolling out a specific student discount in the fall, and we have begun putting together an events calendar and are starting to market those events based on the suggestions from the teams. We’ve also started digging into our Search Engine Optimization strategy after one team pointed out weaknesses we hadn’t considered.”

For students, the Strategy Showdown was more than a competition—it was a chance to apply classroom knowledge to a real business challenge and see their ideas take shape in a meaningful way. “The cool thing about CyBIZ Lab is that we can work with large companies, and those companies trust that we, as students, can make an impact on their business. It was really rewarding to know that they truly valued the solutions we presented and are already implementing them,” Alexis reflected. And for Fort Fun, it was a chance to tap into new energy and strategic insights from a new perspective outside of the business.

Gottlinger shared, “…this was a great exercise for us, and I thought the students did a great job. I look forward to seeing how well their suggestions impact our business in the coming months.” As Fort Fun continues to evolve, the ideas that have come out of this competition may be the key to its next chapter of success.