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    Fort Knox FMWR ‘Shark Tank’ second season performs swimmingly

    Fort Knox FMWR ‘Shark Tank’ celebrates successful second season

    Photo By Eric Pilgrim | Outdoor Recreation specialist Sylvia Cote (left) conducts a lively interview with...... read more read more

    FORT KNOX, KENTUCKY, UNITED STATES

    08.22.2025

    Story by Eric Pilgrim 

    Fort Knox

    FORT KNOX, Ky. — “Annnnnd that’s a wrap!”

    The second season of Fort Knox Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation’s project-pitching Shark Tank concluded Aug. 15 with three winning ideas rising to the surface. Eight presenters offered seven fresh ideas for six FMWR leaders to judge.

    One presenter, Danielle Yates, pitched her idea for an ice cream stand at the Fort Knox Water Park during the summer months that would provide cool treats on hot days. Calling her idea The Cold Standard, Yates grabbed all the sharks’ attention early.

    One of the sharks, Child and Youth Services chief Rayceil Oggs, said everyone worked hard to surpass the standard set during the 2024 inaugural season. And it showed.

    “The presentations were well prepared. We asked really tough questions, and the contestants provided really good answers,” said Oggs. “This experience gave the presenters an element of success and allowed us to grow the MWR team.”

    Modeled after the popular ABC reality TV show of the same name, FMWR nonsupervisory employees are given the opportunity to put their ideas to the test in front of a panel of five division chiefs and FMWR director Randy Moore, who said the show is designed to give frontline employees an opportunity they normally wouldn’t have.

    “It came out of internal strategic planning sessions on how we could get the workforce more involved in decisions on how we reinvest in ourselves, and how we spend money on capitalization,” said Moore. “How do we give them a voice? That was what was most critical for me.”

    The FMWR team sets aside $50,000 each year for capital improvements. Deciding how to spend those funds becomes the responsibility of the sharks.

    Moore said the second reason for the initiative was to capitalize on opportunities to develop the leadership and managerial skills of employees eager enough to go through the process.

    “These presenters are all frontline staff who don’t get an opportunity to participate in these kinds of decisions, at all,” said Moore. “Now they have a voice.”

    Moore said he and his division chiefs learned a lot from their first attempt in 2024, and everyone agreed the experience was something they wanted to continue and improve upon. While attending a National Recreation and Park Association conference in Atlanta in the fall, he and Chris Dent sat through a seminar by the city of Fort Worth, Texas about a Shark Tank that they developed.

    “We stole good ideas from their seminar,” said Moore.

    One of those was identifying mentors for each project so presenters had immediate feedback throughout the process before setting foot on stage to deliver their pitches.

    “We handpicked the mentors who would work with the staff members throughout the year to help them help them develop their projects,” said Moore.

    The judges had criteria they were looking for, including the uniqueness of a program, its benefit to the community, and profit margins if there are any: profitability being one of the biggest driving forces.

    “Our grade sheet included questions like, ‘Is there a return on investment for the project?’,” said Dent, chief of Recreation Division and another shark. “Our winning project has the ability to generate revenue.”

    Yates captured the top spot with her Cold Standard ice cream idea.

    Not every project was about profitability, however, said Dent. In fact, the other two winners won’t generate monetary profits. Second place went to Savannah Beresh and Anja Brouillard for their School Age Center art smart board idea.

    Beresh and Brouillard, both Child and Youth Program assistants, work together at the center, so it was natural for them to join forces on two projects that included playground misting machines.

    After standing before the sharks to pitch both ideas, it became clear that the misting machines had built-in issues with investment versus return. The sharks determined that labor costs for the machines would be too high to make the project viable.

    Beresh and Brouillard’s returned to the stage later to pitch their smart board idea. They requested one about 65 inches that would expand children’s art capabilities. That idea struck pay dirt.

    The sharks were so impressed with the concept they decided to fund the purchase of two smart boards.

    “I’m so excited about this! I can’t wait to get these smart boards,” said Brouillard. “We see so many opportunities where we can use them as a learning tool for the children. That’s what we really want in the center.”

    Second place went to Brenna Johnson and Matthew Galloway, who envisioned solar-powered workstations on an outdoor space of Balcombe Recreation Center for customers to take advantage of while enjoying the weather.


    Yates said her idea changed shortly after she watched the first season in 2024. She originally planned to develop the idea of a pedal pub on post, so those interested could enjoy leisurely tours. Her children had a different idea.
    “Once I saw it wasn't going to work, I realized I needed to switch ideas and find something that I could make work,” said Yates. “My youngest son is absolutely obsessed with ice cream. He would eat it 24/7 if he could, and so I asked them, ‘What do you like to do when you're at the pool other than swimming?’

    “All four of them answered, ‘Eat ice cream.’”

    Yates said the entire experience from start to finish was so rewarding, she is turning her attention to encouraging coworkers to follow in her footsteps.

    “I’m hoping that maybe this can help encourage others to participate in future seasons,” said Yates. “The sharks challenged me to think bigger about how I could impact Soldiers, Families and the community.”

    NEWS INFO

    Date Taken: 08.22.2025
    Date Posted: 08.22.2025 15:24
    Story ID: 546286
    Location: FORT KNOX, KENTUCKY, US

    Web Views: 14
    Downloads: 0

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