Let’s Run Around named New Biz of the Year by De Pere chamber

Rich Palzewic

Staff

June 1, 2026

ASHWAUBENON – Wisconsin’s largest family-owned indoor playground has had a memorable first year in operation.

Since opening last fall, Co-owners Mark and Beth Kinnunen said Let’s Run Around Green Bay – which The Business News first featured in its May 5, 2025 issue – has offered thousands of area kids the chance to play inside when Mother Nature is not cooperating outside.

Mark Kinnunen said the milestone year recently earned unexpected recognition from the De Pere Area Chamber of Commerce, which named the business its New Business of the Year.

“It was completely unexpected,” he said. “We were up against some pretty notable businesses in the area that we are very well aware of. I didn’t expect to win at all. We went [to the chamber’s gala] just expecting a fun night. I was really excited to simply be nominated, and then they called our name.”

According to the chamber’s website (deperechamber.org), other nominees for the New Business of the Year were:

• Oakley’s
• Midwest Super Speedway
• Green Bay ER & Hospital
• Orsetta
• The Taqueria
• Four Leaf Communication

A solid first year

With a cold, snowy winter followed by a wet, cooler spring, Kinnunen said Let’s Run Around Green Bay has seen a strong start in its first year of operation.

Located in a nearly 20,000-square-foot facility at 2606 S. Oneida St. in the Village of Ashwaubenon, he said the indoor playground has benefited from steady demand for weather-proof family entertainment.

Kinnunen said the timing worked well, as the business opened at the end of September last year – just ahead of the region’s colder months – helping drive early momentum.

“I would consider us a fairly seasonal business,” he said. “Winter went really well, and we were very busy. I think the overall feedback we got from everybody was great. We made some improvements, added some things customers requested and changed some things around.”

With warmer weather on the way, Kinnunen said he expects a slight dip in Let’s Run Around’s visitors.

“I think things will settle down a bit,” he said. “It will be a good time for us to catch up on some projects in the building, as well as on the side. We’ve adjusted a lot of the efficiencies to fit what our staff is doing, along with what customers expect when they visit.”

Kinnunen said they even made changes to the bathrooms to make them more convenient and efficient.

“At the end of the day, if our visitors would like things added or changed, and we can possibly do that to make things more efficient, safe, etc. – it’s a good idea to try and do that,” he said. “We’ve had a ton of customer feedback – we welcome that.”

With more than 19,000 Facebook followers, Kinnunen said the numbers reflect how quickly Let’s Run Around Green Bay has grown in less than a year.

He said roughly 10,000 of those followers came before opening, reflecting strong pre-launch excitement in the community. 

“We never expected to even hit 10,000 followers, and pretty soon, we were up to 12,000,” he laughed. “We steadily have gone up from there, and then we did these Mother’s Day giveaways and gained like 1,500 more. People were really sharing the news about that.”

Kinnunen said about $7,000 in prizes were donated for the giveaways, with more than 30 local businesses participating.

“It was just Beth and me managing the giveaways, so we actually had to turn away a few businesses,” he said. “It was getting too much to manage, but we are so grateful for everyone who reached out – the giveaways were wildly popular and positive.”

Due to their popularity, Kinnunen said the Mother’s Day giveaways will become a recurring effort going forward.

“We’ve given away free passes, memberships or gift cards in the past, but the Mother’s Day giveaways were by far the biggest ones we’ve ever done,” he said. “We might throw in some other future giveaways as well – maybe like a kick-off to winter, or something like that.”

Kinnunen said the addition of The Kompound inside Let’s Run Around Green Bay – which was also featured in The Business News, in its Jan. 13, 2025 issue – has also contributed to increased foot traffic, drawing in more visitors.

“The Kompound has been amazing to work with,” he said. “They do their thing, and we do our thing – it keeps it easy for both of us. We don’t have to deal with all the intricacies of running a coffee shop because we have zero experience with that. The same thing can be said for the micro market in the building. There’s a guy who takes care of all of that so we can focus on the playground.”