If you’ve ever had an inkling to ride construction equipment such as bulldozers, excavators, and loaders, then one “Shark Tank” company may be your new theme park destination. Appearing on Season 7 of the hit ABC series — the same season as infamous pitches such as Pavlok and the Splikity Password App — Extreme Sandbox promised a one-of-a-kind entertainment experience by giving visitors a chance to play around in real construction equipment in a massive sand pit. 

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Founder Randy Stenger’s background was in law enforcement, having worked as a police officer for five years before seeking more a stable career change after moving with his family to Minnesota. It was during a brief stint in retail management in 2012 that Stenger got the inspiration for Extreme Sandbox when his children expressed interest in riding trucks at a nearby construction site. Stenger started the business as a part-time endeavor that only operated on weekends before seeing noticeable growth and turning it into a full-time career.

Stenger’s experience on the show was depicted as a largely positive one. While some sharks failed to see the grander vision, the entrepreneur’s infectious childlike enthusiasm, combined with his economical mindset and plans for expansion, were more than enough to convince Mark Cuban and Kevin O’Leary to go in on a deal together — an exceptionally rare pairing on the show. But would that partnership last? And what was the ultimate fate for Extreme Sandbox as a whole? Keep reading to dig up on this one-of-a-kind “Shark Tank” pitch. 

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Randy Stenger came onto “Shark Tank” seeking a $150,000 investment for a 15% equity stake in Extreme Sandbox. His presentation garnered immediate interest from the sharks. Kevin O’Leary was especially drawn in once he saw that visitors could crush cars.

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Stenger informed that the typical customer paid between $300 and $400 depending on the specific experience they sought. The business went from bringing in $144,000 its first year as a part-time operation to $400,000 by year three, with a total revenue of $1 million. This growth was largely thanks to the entrepreneur’s economic mindset, setting the company in the midwest and leasing out the park’s equipment rather than buying them. However, with Stenger reinvesting much of revenue back into the company, he hoped that an investment would accelrate growth. Stenger wanted Extreme Sandbox to be in more major metropolitan areas and believed that each new location would easily bring in $1 million. 

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While the sharks enjoyed Stenger and his idea, not all of them saw the bigger picture. Lori Greiner and Robert Herjavec both struggled to see how the business could successfully scale while Daymond John simply admitted that he wouldn’t add much value. At the end, O’Leary offered the $150,000 for a 20% stake. Mark Cuban jumped in, stating that while he would never normally work with O’Leary, he wanted to go half in on the deal due to their combined network in major areas such as Dallas and Boston. Recognizing the immense value the two would being, Stenger agreed.

Extreme Sandbox and its founder Randy Stenger achieved an incredibly rare victory on “Shark Tank” at the time by getting Kevin O’Leary and Mark Cuban to go in together on a deal. Sadly, this wasn’t to last long. Following the handshake deal see on the show, a period of due diligence typically follows where each party may try — and in some cases fail to — alter the agreement. This seems to be the case for Extreme Sandbox with Stenger explaining in a 2018 Q&A video, “It was a mutual thing, we loved being on ‘Shark Tank,’ we just don’t have them as partners.” It wouldn’t be Mark Cuban’s last time investing in a theme park-type business, however, as the Dallas Mavericks owner would later prove by funding Dino Don’s Animatronic Dinosaurs in Season 12.

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Despite the departure, Extreme Sandbox still saw great success after the show. Its episode aired on January 5, 2016. The website saw a massive spike in traffic, with over 20,000 visitors a day, and the team were getting contacted about expanding the business into a thriving franchise. Stenger also succeeded in his goal to open a second location in Dallas, although its unclear if the location was acquired before or after Cuban left the deal. The company eventually found a new partner in the major construction manufacturer Komatsu as their official equipment sponsor. By late 2016, Extreme Sandbox was on track to hit $1 million in sales.

While Extreme Sandbox is still in operation as of this writing, the focus of the business has seen some significant changes since its time on “Shark Tank” back in 2016. The good news is that, while some of these changes came about due to real world pressures, they have provided new avenues for Extreme Sandbox to grow. 

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The shift came about in 2020 as Randy Stenger and company sought a way to keep the business going in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Their solution was a construction-themed eatery called the Heavy Metal Drive Thru, where guests could safely view construction equipment in operation while enjoying their meal. Following the pandemic, the team expanded upon the idea with similar concepts such as the Heavy Metal Dine In and Quarry Taphouse. These endeavors proved successful enough to allow Stenger to put Extreme Sandbox on hiatus, with the company announcing on Dec. 30, 2023 that it would be closing its original Minnesota location to make way for a new vision. Its location in Texas is also currently closed. 

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Today, Extreme Sandbox’s website is still up and running. A visit to the site will take you to pages where you can learn about their consultation and training services. Additionally, while their main locations have gone dark, the company offers exclusive mobile experiences for groups and corporate events.

It may seem odd at first that the team behind Extreme Sandbox would choose to take a step back after seeing such positive growth. But when looking at founder Randy Stenger’s economic approach to past decisions, this isn’t too shocking, as he likely doesn’t want to be overwhelmed with managing too many operations simultaneously. With that said, what does the future hold for Stenger’s special sandbox? 

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The company assured that its closure would only be a temporary one, estimating that a new and improved location would be ready within one to two years of the announcement. More specifically, team are aiming for a 2025 unveiling in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota. However, Extreme Sandbox’s impact could be far greater than simply entertaining families, but rather acting as a source of hands-on training for future construction professionals. 

Shortly after his “Shark Tank” episode aired, Stegner spoke with Construction Equipment Guide about this potential, stating, “We get asked about that a lot, about using the grounds for training. What we do is primarily an entertainment experience, to allow people to know what it feels like to drive heavy equipment. That said, we are working with outreach groups like heavy equipment camps that give kids as young as 14 the chance to operate heavy equipment.” While Extreme Sandbox itself is likely to remain an entertainment-focused endeavor on its own right, Stegner would eventually launch Heavy Metal Learning, a resource meant to educate future machine operators through engaging content and even comprehensive equipment operation camps and classes. 

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