Swell Spark...Who are they? Ever taken a date or work outing to Breakout KC? If so, this is just one of the partner companies run by the talented folks at Swell Spark. Their tagline speaks volumes - "Creating Extraordinary Shared Experiences."

CEO, Matthew Baysinger, is creating award-winning experiences across the United States with top-rated entertainment brands. These include Blade & Timber, Breakout/Get Out, and Sinkers Lounge. 

Founded on the core values of Joy, Service, Action-Oriented, Grit, and Eager, Swells Spark has certainly been a brand to take entertainment up a notch. Since 2015, Breakout KC has become the only escape room in the United States to be ranked as one of the top-five experiences by both Trip Advisor and USA Today. Breakout is the only escape room company to have two different locations named on USA Today's Top 10 list (Breakout KC in 2016, Breakout Lawrence in 2017). Also, Breakout is one of only two escape room companies with two locations ranked in Trip Advisor's top 10 USA Escape Rooms (Breakout KC and Breakout Waikiki).

Including the time that Swell Spark operated as Breakout Global, it has grown to over 200 employees across five timezones and served half a million customers in less than three years. In 2016, Baysinger hosted President Barack Obama and his family at the Honolulu location of Breakout Waikiki.

Owner Matthew [Matt] started his career in athletics and education and previously worked as a high school guidance counselor at a prep school in Kansas City. Matt quickly realized that having summers off wasn't for him, so he began dreaming ideas of how to spend his downtime. In 2014, he founded Mass Street Soda and KC Soda Co., began Breakout KC in 2015, Blade & Timber in 2017, and Sinkers Lounge in 2022. His operation group, Sinkers Lounge, oversees ten stores from Honolulu to Nashville, with many more on the way. 

Much growth also generates complexity and challenges, especially as the environment changes constantly. Knowing he needed a support community to help with these complexities, Matthew joined Acumen.

"Acumen has helped me realize that business can be an incredible vessel to love and serve people. I joined Acumen the week before the world fell apart in 2020. My first meeting with Dan Cooper was less than 24 hours after being forced to lay off nearly 250 staff members due to pandemic-related government regulations. In such a turbulent time, it was an incredible blessing and opportunity to be surrounded by folks who care about me, understand business far better than I do, and want me to succeed. I've realized time and time again through Acumen that the sky is the limit when it comes to understanding business, and I am grateful to have found a supportive community that has made such an immeasurable impact on my business and family in the last two years."

Matthew says he relates to Acumen's core value of "Challenge" because, as a young entrepreneur actively trying to become a great leader, he is continually challenged to understand the next level of growth he hopes to unlock for his companies. He says, "Growth comes through challenge, and my peer group challenges me on a regular basis."

His goal is to continue creating facilities and events to help gather people for shared experiences that make it easy for people to have fun.

Matt has three young children, and he loves traveling and spending time outside. His most cherished outdoor activities are riding his bike, working out with friends, playing volleyball, and hiking with his wife, Emily. 

If you haven't, check out Swell Spark's many event locations and venues with your company, friends, or loved ones!