Bring the video party to your house
GameTruck pulls up; lets 16 players compete at a time
A unique twist on the standard party or special event recently arrived in Charlotte. Kisha Meekins, 37, and her husband Dwayne, 39, have made their home in Ballantyne with their children, Maxwell, 9 and Mason, 8, and they brought with them a bright green truck your kids may already know about.
The Meekins, and their new south Charlotte based business called GameTruck, can provide a birthday the kids will talk about for years. Keep your house clean and free of the chaos associated with parties, thanks to the Meekins family and their franchise.
Order some pizzas, throw in a cake, and let GameTruck take care of the rest.
“As my husband comes up on retirement from the Coast Guard, we were trying to figure out if there was something else we wanted to do,” said Kisha Meekins. “I had been a teacher for 12 years, and had never thought about owning my own business.”
When Kisha and Dwayne thought about where they wanted to retire, Charlotte was near the top of the list. Charlotte was an up-and-coming city with economical potential and family friendly communities.
Coming from Virginia, Meekins and her family thought Charlotte was the ideal place to relocate and start a new business.
“We’re a video-gaming family, and during the time we were deciding what we wanted to have for a business, our son decided he wanted to have a video-game birthday party,” she said.
In early 2011, Kisha and Dwayne did the research and found GameTruck. Almost immediately they knew that was the business for them.
“It’s not a high-maintenance business with a lot of overhead,” said Kisha Meekins, and that was a feature they loved.
Launched in November 2011, the GameTruck of Charlotte has made a name for itself.
A standard GameTruck party consists of two hours of play for ages 6 and up; 16 players can compete in the truck’s interior. Just like at home, GameTruck parents can look through the library and take out what they deem unacceptable for their kids. And Kisha or Dwayne supervise the parties. “We prompt a safe, cooperative video game play. We encourage the use of kind, supporting words. We’re all there to have fun,” said Kisha Meekins.
The GameTruck Company, with headquarters in Tempe, Ariz., wants to also cater to corporate events, charities and educational programs. One example is a space-based program where the solar system is stimulated in 3D in the GameTruck’s interior. This program is a fieldtrip for after-school programs or summer camps. Dwayne is still working and active in the Coast Guard in Virginia and commutes to Charlotte every weekend to help Kisha run the business. “There are a lot of different elements,” said Kisha Meekins. “We just started in November, there’s a lot that we hope to do, including working in the community as much as possible.”
Dana Blake is a freelance writer for South Charlotte News. Have a story idea for Dana? Email her at dana@babyelandaily.com.
GameTruck rolls into Warren
GameTruck, a patented mobile video game theater concept featuring flat-screen HDTVs, comfortable seating, a high-quality sound system and the latest video game consoles, debuted in Warren in December 2011.
The owner of GameTruck is Ken Levey, who left a 25-year career in the stock market to open GameTruck. After 25 years as a trader, the business had changed so much that Levey decided to pursue new opportunities.
“The prospects weren’t so great in the stock market anymore so I decided to take my life into my own hands and become a business owner,” Levey said. “GameTruck is such a fun concept and that really appealed to me after years as a trader. We’ve done really well so far with birthday parties and corporate events, and we’re looking forward to adding some educational events for schools and daycares this summer.”
GameTruck offers a premier party experience for both children and adults in an interactive, multiplayer environment that accommodates 24 players. Self-powered, climate-controlled GameTruck trailers are outfitted with comfortable seating, four to as many as eight flat-screen HDTVs, enhanced sound systems, more than three dozen of the latest multiplayer video games and all the major video game consoles (XBOX360®, Nintendo Wii™ and Playstation®3). A GameCoach manages each event, promoting fair, interactive play.
Since it was founded in 2006, GameTruck has grown to 60 franchisees operating 80 GameTruck rigs in 150 territories across 23 states and Lagos, Nigeria. Expansion is underway in Canada and Trinidad and GameTruck expects to add 30 new franchisees and 60 new territories in 2012 alone, with long-range projections for 200 to 250 units covering the U.S. and Canada.
GameTruck Aligns With Make-A-Wish®
TEMPE, Ariz., May 16, 2012 — GameTruck Licensing, LLC is now a proud sponsor of Make-A-Wish and its mission to grant the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions. GameTruck—the original and only patented mobile video game theater—joins other well-known national corporations in their efforts to support the Make-A-Wish vision of granting every eligible child’s wish. GameTruck franchise owners will participate in more than 500 Make-A-Wish chapter events throughout the year.
“We are extremely excited to support a great organization like Make-A-Wish,” said Scott Novis, founder and CEO of GameTruck. “GameTruck already focuses on making kids’ dreams come true every day, and this is the perfect way for us to raise the bar. This alliance allows us the ability to get involved with volunteer opportunities, event participation, donating GameTruck experiences and cause marketing promotions.”
“For Make-A-Wish, companies like GameTruck are essential to fulfilling our wish-granting mission,” said David A. Williams, president and chief executive officer of Make-A-Wish, America. “GameTruck goes above and beyond to create wish experiences that make life more enjoyable for wish kids and their families.”
About GameTruck
GameTruck offers a premier party experience for both children and adults in an interactive, multiplayer environment that accommodates 16 or more players. Self-powered, climate-controlled GameTruck trailers are outfitted with comfortable seating, four to as many as eight flat-screen HDTVs, enhanced sound systems, more than three dozen of the latest multiplayer video games and all the major video game consoles (XBOX360®, Nintendo Wii™ and Playstation®3). A GameCoach manages each event, promoting fair, interactive play. Since it was founded in 2006, GameTruck has grown to 60 franchisees operating 80 GameTruck rigs in 150 territories across 23 states and Lagos, Nigeria. Expansion is underway in Canada and Trinidad and GameTruck expects to add 30 new franchisees and 60 new territories in 2012 alone, with long-range projections for 200 to 250 units covering the U.S. and Canada. GameTruck is the owner of U.S. Pat. No. 8,029,368 issued October 4, 2011.
About Make-A-Wish
Make-A-Wish grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy. According to a 2011 study of wish impact, most health professionals surveyed say a wish come true can affect their health outcomes. Kids say wishes give them renewed strength to fight their illness, and their parents say these experiences strengthen the entire family. Based in Phoenix, Make-A-Wish is one of the world’s leading children’s charities, serving children in every community in the United States, its territories and in 47 countries on five continents. With the help of generous donors and more than 30,000 volunteers worldwide, Make-A-Wish grants a wish somewhere in the world every 23 minutes. It has granted more than 280,000 wishes since its inception in 1980. Visit Make-A-Wish at www.wish.org and discover how you can share the power of a wish®.