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Case Lawrence

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Case Lawrence
Born (1972-10-02) October 2, 1972 (age 52)
Tucson, Arizona
NationalityUnited States
EducationBrigham Young University (BA) Duke University School of Law (JD)
OccupationBusinessman
Known forFounder of Sky Zone (formerly CircusTrix)
SpouseKerri Lee (m.1994)
Children6

Case McKay Lawrence (born October 2, 1972) is an American entrepreneur, businessman and attorney. He is the founder of Sky Zone (formerly CircusTrix), the largest developer, operator, and franchisor of trampoline parks globally.[1][2] Additionally, he is an adjunct professor of Entrepreneurship at the Brigham Young University Marriott School of Business.[3][4] On January 4, 2024, he declared his candidacy to replace Representative John Curtis in the U.S. House of Representatives representing Utah's 3rd Congressional District.[5][6][7] In 2025, Lawrence was appointed to serve as Executive Director and Chairman of This is The Place Heritage Park.[8]

Early life and education

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Case Lawrence was born in Tucson, Arizona.[9] He spent 1991 to 1993 as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Budapest, Hungary.[10]

In 1997 Lawrence graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in American Studies from Brigham Young University and in 2000 he earned a Juris Doctor from Duke University School of Law.[11][12]

He resides in Mapleton, Utah with his wife, Kerri (Lee). They have six (6) children.[13]

Career

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After graduating from law school in 2000, Lawrence worked in Silicon Valley for a law firm and was involved in legal work for many emerging online businesses during the dot-com bubble.[14][15]

Lawrence quit working as a lawyer to start his own business in 2004. His first startup was CargoBay, a real estate investing company 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. Lawrence then spent two years negotiating with banks and trying to avoid bankruptcy.[2][12][16][17]

In attempting to recover financially, Lawrence was exploring opportunities back in the legal field. At this time he stumbled upon the idea that would eventually become CircusTrix. During a trip to San Francisco with his sons, a friend suggested Lawrence visit a local trampoline park. Inspired by the experience, he left that trip with the intent to create his own trampoline park. His goal was to start a small facility to provide enough money for his family while he found a job practicing law.[18][19]

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. Lawrence eventually moved his family to Provo, Utah and established his company, CircusTrix, instead of pursuing work as an attorney.[18][20][21]

Under Lawrence's leadership as CEO, CircusTrix eventually became the largest developer, operator, and franchisor of indoor recreation parks globally. Boasting over 320 facilities and nearly 16,000 employees, overseeing leading industry brands such as Sky Zone, Rockin' Jump, DEFY, Superfly, Ryze, and others.[12][22][23] Lawrence gained recognition for his ability to market to millennials in 2016 from Inc.com.[24]

Lawrence transitioned out of the CEO role in 2019 and took a role on the company's board of directors.[22] 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.[25] 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.[26]

The CircusTrix corporate identity rebrand of all of its trampoline parks under the Sky Zone brand took place in 2023.[27]

Beginning in April 2020, Lawrence joined the Brigham Young University Marriott School of Business in Provo, Utah as an Adjunct Professor to teach Entrepreneurship.[28]He currently serves on the President's Leadership Council at the university.[29] In addition to teaching, Lawrence mentors BYU students with their startups.[30]

In January of 2025, It was announced that Lawrence would succeed Ellis Ivory as Executive Director and Chairman of This is The Place Heritage Park.[31]

Professional awards

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While Lawrence was the active CEO of CircusTrix (Sky Zone as of 2023) he and the company received multiple awards, including:

  • EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2017 – Utah[32]
  • Utah Business CEO of the Year Honoree 2019[33]
  • Utah Business Fast 50 Honoree 2018,[34][35] 2019[36]
  • Inc. 5000 (CircusTrix) – No. 1377 (2020), No. 1333 (2019), No. 1790 (2018), No. 1012 (2017)[37][38]
  • 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)[39]

References

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  1. ^ "CircusTrix Pounces on Operator of Indoor Trampoline Parks". Wall Street Journal. 2018-02-01. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2025-06-06.
  2. ^ a b "Case Lawrence wants to disrupt Congress with ... optimism". Yahoo News. 2024-05-24. Retrieved 2025-06-03.
  3. ^ "Entrepreneurship Founders - Case M. Lawrence - BYU Marriott School of Business". marriott.byu.edu. Retrieved 2025-05-30.
  4. ^ "Utah's trampoline tycoon wants to 'Restore the American dream'". Deseret News. 2024-05-24. Retrieved 2025-06-03.
  5. ^ "Utah businessman first to submit signatures for 3rd Congressional District ballot". Deseret News. 2024-02-22. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
  6. ^ Drachman, Matthew (2024-03-22). ""We have gotten away from regular order,"; Case Lawrence shares vision for U.S. House". UVU Review. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
  7. ^ Beal-Cvetko, Bridger; Dec. 22, KSL com | Posted-; A.m, 2023 at 11:03. "Entrepreneur Case Lawrence launches exploratory committee for 3rd Congressional District seat". www.ksl.com. Retrieved 2025-06-03.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  8. ^ "Case Lawrence, new leadership for This Is The Place Foundation". Utah Business. 2025-01-16. Retrieved 2025-05-30.
  9. ^ "Case Lawrence". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2025-06-03.
  10. ^ "Case Lawrence, new leadership for This Is The Place Foundation". Utah Business. 2025-01-16. Retrieved 2025-06-03.
  11. ^ "Entrepreneurship Founders - Case M. Lawrence - BYU Marriott School of Business". marriott.byu.edu. Retrieved 2024-03-19.
  12. ^ a b c "Bouncing Back from Failure". BYU Marriott School of Business. Retrieved 2025-06-03.
  13. ^ "Entrepreneurship Founders - Case M. Lawrence - BYU Marriott School of Business". marriott.byu.edu. Retrieved 2025-06-03.
  14. ^ "Case Lawrence: Building to amaze". Utah Business. 2017-04-25. Retrieved 2025-06-03.
  15. ^ "Bouncing Back from Failure". BYU Marriott Stories. 2022-02-07. Retrieved 2025-06-03.
  16. ^ "January 9 Breakfast Meeting with Case Lawrence". www.acg.org. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
  17. ^ "2019 CEO Of The Year Honorees". Utah Business. 2019-03-07. Retrieved 2025-06-03.
  18. ^ a b Kinder, Peri (2017-04-25). "Case Lawrence: Building to amaze". Utah Business. Retrieved 2024-03-19.
  19. ^ "Bouncing Back from Failure". BYU Marriott Stories. 2022-02-07. Retrieved 2025-06-03.
  20. ^ Shallit, Bob (Apr 15, 2016). "CircusTrix jumps into local trampoline market". The Sacramento Bee.
  21. ^ Templeman, Mike. "Entrepreneurs Need To Jump Into The Exploding Fitness Industry". Forbes. Retrieved 2025-06-03.
  22. ^ a b "USA: Fernando Eiroa Appointed New CEO of CircusTrix - EuroAmusement Professional". www.eap-magazin.de. Retrieved 2024-03-19.
  23. ^ "Provo's CircusTrix expands 'extreme recreation' empire". Deseret News. 2023-12-21. Retrieved 2024-03-19.
  24. ^ Page, Bubba (2016-06-02). "Want to Snag Millennials on a Budget? Create Selfie-Worthy Experiences". Inc.com. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
  25. ^ Masunaga, Samantha (2021-11-16). "Fill a room with trampolines and hope for the best? The up-and-down story of trampoline parks". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2024-03-19.
  26. ^ Sky Zone. "Sky Zone Chief Executive Officer Shares Vision and Expansion Plans for Growing Brand". www.prnewswire.com (Press release). Retrieved 2024-03-26.
  27. ^ "Circustrix Changes Name to Sky Zone". www.prnewswire.com (Press release). Retrieved 2024-03-19.
  28. ^ "Entrepreneurship Founders - Case M. Lawrence - BYU Marriott School of Business". marriott.byu.edu. Retrieved 2025-06-03.
  29. ^ Beal-Cvetko, Bridger; Dec. 22, KSL com | Posted-; A.m, 2023 at 11:03. "Entrepreneur Case Lawrence launches exploratory committee for 3rd Congressional District seat". www.ksl.com. Retrieved 2025-06-03.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  30. ^ "Bouncing Back from Failure". BYU Marriott Stories. 2022-02-07. Retrieved 2025-06-03.
  31. ^ "Case Lawrence, new leadership for This Is The Place Foundation". Utah Business. 2025-01-16. Retrieved 2025-06-03.
  32. ^ "EY Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2017 Utah Region". utahbusiness.com. 2017-07-11. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
  33. ^ Bicknell, Lindsay (2019-03-07). "2019 CEO Of The Year Honorees". Utah Business. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
  34. ^ Bicknell, Lindsay (2018-09-21). "Meet Our 2018 Fast 50 Honorees". Utah Business. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
  35. ^ "Utah's Fast 50". utahbusiness.com. 2018-08-17. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
  36. ^ "2019 Fast 50 Honorees". utahbusiness.com. 2019-08-22. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
  37. ^ "Inc. Company Profile | CircusTrix". inc.com. 2020-08-11. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
  38. ^ "Here are the 115 Utah companies listed on the Inc. 5000". Deseret News. 2023-12-22. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
  39. ^ "Inc. Company Profile | Sky Zone Trampoline Park". inc.com. 2024-04-11. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
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