UPDATED MAY 24, 2011: The U.S. Chamber of Commerce on May 24, 2011, presented Red Frog Events with the 2011 DREAM BIG Small Business of the Year Award, sponsored by Sam’s Club®. The award honors the Chicago-based events company, which specializes in the active entertainment industry, for showcasing exemplary business practices in the areas of community involvement, employee development, and customer service.

“Red Frog Events spent the last year on the forefront of our country’s economic recovery,” says U.S. Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Thomas J. Donohue.  “They are a perfect example of a small business that has worked hard and demonstrated smart business practices, while making considerable contributions to both their employees and the economy at large.”
 

From the U.S. Chamber's seventy-five Blue Ribbon Small Business Award® winners, seven regional finalists were selected from across the country. Red Frog Events was the Great Lakes regional finalist.

A pioneer in its industry, Red Frog has received strong consumer response due to the ingenuity and creativity of its three signature race series: Great Urban Race, Warrior Dash, and Beach Palooza. In addition to having created events mixing running, mud, pig roasts, music, and beer, Red Frog is a civic leader, having given generously through donations to 24 charities in 2010. Red Frog’s Joe Reynolds and Ryan Kunkel spoke to Free Enterprise.

You have an interesting and inspirational story involving a TV show. Tell us about that and how you got started.
Architect and founder of Adventure Joe Reynolds: I was watching the Amazing Race in May 2007 and was inspired by what I thought could be a really cool event for a lot of people to try, not just the people on the TV show.

You seem to really focus on having a fun working environment for your employees. How does that benefit your company’s bottom line?
Joe: I wanted to create a work environment that felt like home to me, and I wanted to hire people who felt like my family. We have a unique office environment, from the tree house to the rock climbing wall. We call it the Red Frog family, and that’s not something we just plaster on our website. That’s something we take very seriously. I trust that if I have a project that needs to be done, any single Red Frogger would be happy to stay here through the night to help me finish it.

Red Frog hosted 24 Great Urban Race events and 9 Warrior Dash events across the country in 2010. What is your biggest organizational challenge?
Vice President and Master of Monkey Business Ryan Kunkel: Planning successful, smooth events is filled with challenges. You have to expect the unexpected and be flexible and be able to adapt, whether it's weather or permitting issues. We have to adjust and roll with it and have fun along the way. We have to be meticulous but also not take ourselves too seriously.

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