#Extreme do you wanna play tv

вЂњInsurance and equipment leases are our largest costs,вЂќ he said, adding that the equipment is worth about $350,000.

Still, the overhead to run the business is high, Randy Stenger said. Paul climbs into the excavator for her session at Extreme Sandbox. They worked out a deal with the owner to lease 5 acres.Д«ecause the land is zoned agricultural, the only approval they needed from city officials was an 18-month permit that allows them to operate out of a temporary building.

While searching industrial areas in Hastings, Randy Stenger happened upon a site owned by an excavation company near the cityвЂ™s industrial business area. When you try to tell somebody you want to run a business thatвЂ™s basically like a construction site year-round, theyвЂ™re like, вЂAh, thatвЂ™s not in our zoning code.вЂ™ вЂќ вЂњWe basically tried everywhere in the south metro,вЂќ Don Stenger said. He chose to keep his day job as a retail consultant and also summoned the help of his brother, who works in law enforcement.Д«ecause they both live in Farmington, they wanted to find a location in the south metro.

#Extreme do you wanna play tv

He didnвЂ™t give it much more thought until about two years ago, when he saw a national TV news report on an outfit in Florida that catered to people wanting to operate heavy equipment. вЂњI remember agreeingвЂ¦and wishing we could go jump on the machines,вЂќ said Stenger, 35. One of the boys remarked on how fun it would be to play on the trucks. The business idea first came to Randy Stenger several years ago as he and his three boys drove by a construction site. вЂњHow often do office guys like me get a chance to do stuff like this?вЂќ Rosenblatt said. Hart Rosenblatt, a Minneapolis lawyer, tries out the excavator at Extreme Sandbox. вЂњThese are valuable pieces of equipment,вЂќ she said. вЂњJust try to think of the excavator arm like your arm вЂ“ with three joints,вЂќ Randy Stenger said, moving his arm up and down, his fingers acting like the scoop.Д«efore jumping into the CaterpillarвЂ™s cab, Christopher admitted feeling excited and a bit nervous. She told the Stengers the only familiarity she had with an excavator was through watching the cartoon вЂњBob the Builder.вЂќ вЂњI knew sheвЂ™d be right at home in that,вЂќ he said.ДЄfter signing a waiver, Christopher went through a short safety and instruction session. They later decided to spend an additional $150 to get her inside an excavator for an hour-and-a-half session instead. So when her husband, Bob, saw a Groupon deal for Extreme Sandbox that offered an hour on a skid steer for about $95, he jumped on it. That was the case for Christopher, who used to work in sales for a construction company but wasnвЂ™t allowed to run the equipment. вЂњUnless youвЂ™re a construction worker, most people donвЂ™t get the opportunity to play in these big-boy toys,вЂќ said Randy Stenger, who owns the venture with his older brother, Don.

The company, which opened April 7, bills itself as being the first of its kind in the Midwest. вЂњMaybe thatвЂ™s the tomboy in me,вЂќ she said.Д¬hristopher was among the first customers of Extreme Sandbox, a new business in Hastings that gives people the chance to pay to вЂњplayвЂќ with an excavator, skid steer loader or bulldozer. Paul mother of two young children, passed up a last-minute pedicure and manicure invite from a friend to instead run a 19-ton, 115-horsepower excavator on a recent rainy Saturday afternoon вЂ“ all for вЂњfun and the experience.вЂќ Jeni Christopher really digs heavy machinery.