Whatever Happened To Extreme Sandbox After Shark Tank?

Thanks to the television show "Shark Tank," many entrepreneurs and businesses that may have otherwise faltered have grown and flourished. Even those that appeared on the show and departed without any offers from the Sharks have often seen boosted sales, thanks to the exposure and media attention from being seen on the show.

Randy Stenger is the owner of Extreme Sandbox, a unique concept that is focused on the idea of "Heavy Equipment Adventures In Our Super-Sized Sandbox." Extreme Sandbox opened in 2012 and is based on 10 acres in Hastings, Minnesota, a short distance from the Saint Paul metropolitan area. According to Stenger, the idea for it came about when he and his kids were driving by a construction site and one of the kids said, "Dad, wouldn't it be fun to go play on those trucks" (via Extreme Sandbox).

In 2016 Stenger appeared on the Season 7, Episode 12 of "Shark Tank," to offer 15% equity in his company in exchange for $150,000. While he didn't get exactly what he wanted, Stenger was more than happy with Mark Cuban and Kevin O'Leary's counteroffer of 20% equity in exchange for the same amount of money, to which he quickly agreed. But what became of Stenger and Extreme Sandbox after he appeared on the show?

After Randy Stenger appeared on "Shark Tank" and received the $150,000 he was asking for, he expanded Extreme Sandbox, opening a second location in April 2016 at Tanglewood Resort in Pottsboro, Texas. They also signed a sponsorship deal with the construction equipment company Komatsu America, allowing Extreme Sandbox to use Komatsu equipment.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, businesses shut down and protocols were put in place for social distancing. Extreme Sandbox did its best to accommodate people and to keep its facility as clean as possible at all times. The company also began to host drive-thru events in April of 2020 as a way to get people to come out and social distance.

It looks like even a business dedicated to eternally building new things has a limited ability to grow. In September 2020, Extreme Sandbox relocated their Pottsboro branch to Sachse to better serve customers from the Dallas-Fort Worth area. However, this branch closed on April 10, 2022, as the site was sold by the developer and the lease, consequently, wasn't renewed. On December 30, 2023, Extreme Sandbox announced on their Facebook page that the company would also be closing their Hastings, Minnesota location. As was later explained on their website, this was because they had outgrown their current location. The company statement says that they're looking to relaunch in a new location somewhere in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area at some point in 2025. 

"I will leave you with a simple thank you. Thank you for your patronage, and letting us share our love for everything construction with you. We will see you again soon!" concluded CEO Randy Stenger.

But that doesn't mean the company is currently dormant. Instead, they're offering several types of services that don't require them to give their clients a personal sandbox on their property. When contracted, they will come to clients in the Minneapolis area and help them learn the joys of heavy machinery management.

Extreme Sandbox is taking creative measures to keep the company afloat while they don't have a private lot to operate from. As of this writing, they're offering three different services. The first service is their Heavy Metal Learning offering, which serves up both online resources and on-site courses for those who want to expand their knowledge of heavy machinery and experience equipment training. Then there are mobile off-site courses, which can be as simple as an academy course or as complex as a rodeo put on by the team's experienced operators, demonstrating through various contests the best practices by which to run a backhoe. The company also offers business consultation and speaking engagement services.

While the COVID-19 pandemic put a little bit of a crimp in Extreme Sandbox's business, the company bounced back by holding outdoor events it dubbed the Heavy Metal Dine In, followed by the Heavy Metal Drive Thru. During these events, families could eat from food trucks outdoors while watching heavy equipment do its thing. This venture was so successful, it nudged Extreme Sandbox toward the food service industry. Now, the company owns and operates a restaurant called The Quarry Taphouse in Hastings; it is, of course, a construction-themed eatery. There, customers can order brews, burgers, and other kinds of food while playing in the rock range. When the universe handed them boulders, the Extreme Sandbox team knew how to roll with them.