FIX = Forward Innovation Xchange “An innovation nation is a country that is committed to constantly reinventing the nature of its innovation capabilities to improve the lot of humanity” (Kao, 2007, p.14). The United States is falling hard and fast beneath the learning curves of other nations, and our current schools are not preparing students with the necessary skills to face emerging market expansion, automation, and a more competitive global labor force. While older generations retire from a more comfortable life of abundance from the post-war boom, younger generations will inherit such predicaments as over-populated jails, poor health-care systems, oil dependency, overflowing landfills, aging infrastructure, and resource depletion. To remain competitive in a shifting global economy, our children must acquire the ability to innovate and the agility to reinvent a more promising future (Kao, 2007).

1. FIXSM 1
Running Head: FIXSM BUSINESS PLAN
FIXSM Business Plan: Thesis Capstone 2008
Design Management at Pratt Institute
Tiffany Feeney, Benjamin Knight, Maren Maier,
Danielle Penn, and Maya Schindler
Pratt Institute: School of Art and Design
Mary McBride, Jackie McCormack, & Denise Tahara
DM 673
April 1, 2008
All Rights Reserved © 2008

2. FIXSM 2
Table of Contents
Contents ………………………………………………………………..……………… 2
Executive Summary ………………………………………………………...…………..3
Company Overview ……………………………………………………………..……...6
Product and Service ………………………………………………………………..…..10
Environmental Analysis……………………………………………………………..….20
Market and Industry Analysis ……………………………………………………….…29
Marketing Plan …………………………………………………………………….…...44
Operations Plan ………………………………………………………………………...52
Development Plan ……………………………………………………………………...63
Management Plan ………………………………………………………………………69
Competitive Advantage ………………………………………………………………...80
Financial Plan …………………………………………………………………………...82
Funding ………………………………………………………………………………….89
Appendices ………………………………………………………………………..……..93
References ……………………………………………………………………………...133

3. FIXSM 3
Executive Summary
“An innovation nation is a country that is committed to constantly reinventing the nature
of its innovation capabilities to improve the lot of humanity” (Kao, 2007, p.14).
The United States is falling hard and fast beneath the learning curves of other nations,
and our current schools are not preparing students with the necessary skills to face
emerging market expansion, automation, and a more competitive global labor force.
While older generations retire from a more comfortable life of abundance from the post-
war boom, younger generations will inherit such predicaments as over-populated jails,
poor health-care systems, oil dependency, overflowing landfills, aging infrastructure, and
resource depletion. To remain competitive in a shifting global economy, our children
must acquire the ability to innovate and the agility to reinvent a more promising future
(Kao, 2007).
Forward Innovation Xchange, (FIXSM), a subsidiary of Creative Crumbs, Inc., offers a
mobile summer program that inspires creativity and innovation, and empowers youth to
contribute to a sustainable future. It was born out the belief that the failure to nurture
creative intelligence in the American education system weakened our ability to compete
in the global market.
FIXSM travels around the country in search of untapped creative talent, challenging
participants to re-imagine the world around them. The program ventures into
communities with a portable lab in tow, bringing participants ages 13 to 17 from across

4. FIXSM 4
the United States together with local participants to incubate innovative solutions for
local challenges. Using its dynamic curriculum formula,
Awareness + Transformation = Innovation
FIXSM deploys its high-tech mobile lab to immerse participants in local issues, exposes
them to concepts of design and sustainability, and stimulates creative leadership.
Collaborative, hands-on activities encourage them to think about economic, social, and
environmental issues in new ways. Equipped with technical and digital resources, the
Innovation StationTM, the FIXSM program’s mobile lab, helps students build prototypes,
develop patents, document their work, take risks, and share ideas with other participants
across the country. FIXSM participants gain recognition for their work in an annual
competition, called the InnoventionTM, and are given a chance to build on their successes
beyond the program through internships and other career opportunities, and with
scholarship money to fully develop their ideas under patent protection.
Research suggests that students are increasingly turning to the growing 11 billion dollar
camp industry to find pre-college, travel, and community-based programs. FIXSM will
market its specialty summer program as an innovative camp experience, incorporating
travel, adventure, community service, and college exposure all in one. Digital media will
act as one of the FIXSM program’s main marketing vehicles, using innovative interactive
campaigns on and offline, to build awareness about the program. Online engagement will
serve to inspire dialogue, collaboration, and action amongst youth, spreading sustainable
change from community to community. Other forms of marketing include traveling
exhibits, community engagement at local competitions, participant-generated video

5. FIXSM 5
commercials, as well as FIXSM branded viral interactive brain-teaser games about
sustainability that get passed around online from user to user.
FIXSM has identified an opportunity to re-imagine the summer camp experience and build
a competitive advantage around mobility, flexibility, and accessibility. By breaking away
from the stationary camp model, FIXSM is able to spread innovative thinking to
communities across the country, hone in on local and global challenges to design
solutions, and reach a wider audience. While most travel tour and pre-college camps cater
to wealthier demographics, FIXSM ensures accessibility to participants with varying
socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds who have an interest in creative problem solving,
curiosity, adventure, and humanitarianism spirit. The curriculum is designed with
flexibility as a core attribute enabling it to be easily tailored to the needs of each program
theme. Finally, the use of digital technology as a means to encourage collaboration and
community action is another key component underutilized by other camps. The FIXSM
online forum and use of video technology promote idea exchange between program
locations nationwide, with access well beyond the summer.
The FIXSM management team consists of five core members: Tiffany Feeney, Benjamin
Knight, Maren Maier, Danielle Penn, and Maya Schindler whose management
experience, education, professional networks and design related expertise lend strong
leadership to the program. Each member has a Masters Degree in Design Management
from Pratt Institute. Cumulative professional expertise includes college recruitment and
admissions, communications management at the United Nations, filmmaking, multi-

6. FIXSM 6
media marketing, advertising, public relations, online publishing, graphic design, web
development, and sustainable supply chain management. Finally, each member is an
experienced camp counselor or camp director from a range of camp sub-segments
including travel, religious, pre-college, and specialty camps.
FIXSM will rely heavily on grants and donations to execute its five-year growth plan. In
the first year, the company must secure at least $133,000 to cover start-up expenses and
operational needs for its initial summer program. Estimates project that FIXSM will gross
$80,774 by 2012, and will continue to generate enough revenue in subsequent years to
support ongoing operational and administrative expenses. At the five-year benchmark,
FIXSM will introduce a long-term fundraising timeline to finance its expansion plan and
secure additional locations, raising approximately $50,000 to $100,000 in funds per year.
FIXSM intends to apply for grants from private and public not-for-profit organizations,
and will aim to exceed its conservative annual funding goals in support of an endowment
for scholarship funds.
Company Overview
Creative Crumbs, Inc., founded in 2008, is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization
offering innovation and education initiatives, including mobile residential summer
programs, school and after-school workshops, and national competitions. Its subsidiary,
Forward Innovation Xchange (FIXSM), is a mobile residential summer program
headquartered in New York, NY. FIXSM will roll out its first beta test summer program in
the Tri-State area in 2009. The short-term growth strategy includes an aggressive

7. FIXSM 7
expansion plan to nine main regions in the United States within fifteen years (Northeast,
Tri-State, Mid-Atlantic, South, Midwest, Rockies, Southwest, West, Northwest). After
five successful years with the summer program, FIXSM plans to offer extracurricular
programs and educational workshops to high schools. Long-term growth plans involve
international expansion of the FIXSM summer program and programs for younger age
groups.
Mission Statement
FIXSM is an adventurous summer program whose mission is to spark interest in creative
thinking and inspire innovation by immersing participants into local communities,
challenging them to solve problems, and instigate positive change.
Vision Statement
FIXSM hopes to prove the value of creativity in classroom curriculum, the importance of
tapping into every child’s full learning potential, and the crucial role innovation plays in
incubating stronger, more ambidextrous minds prepared to face the challenges of the
future.
Business Objectives
The ultimate FIXSM goal is to become a national leader, educator, and incubator for
innovation, inspiring education policy makers to reinvigorate the American education
system, making it more suitable for the current global environment. The company hopes
to grow into a mid-sized not-for-profit with a $3 million dollar endowment by the year

8. FIXSM 8
2015 to be used as scholarship money and investment funds for education and innovation
initiatives. FIXSM will set its scholarship ratio above the national summer camp industry
average of 10 percent in order to include as many participants as possible from various
socioeconomic, racial, and ethnic groups. A major objective of the FIXSM summer
program is to include participants who might not otherwise have considered design as a
career choice or may have never been exposed to design disciplines due to
socioeconomic reasons. The company also hopes to build a large and vibrant community
of creative youth who band together across America to design a more environmentally,
socially, and economically sustainable future.
Program Objectives
1. To build a strong professional and educational network across colleges, universities,
industries, and government, leading toward innovation through solidarity.
2. To secure a strategic partnership with the Cooper Hewitt Design Museum, an arm of
the national Smithsonian Institute.
3. To enroll 180 participants from 2010 to 2014, and double enrollment every five years.
4. To allocate 15 percent of company revenue towards scholarship money for program
fees.
5. To expand the online community and arrange licensing deals with media companies
for advertising.

9. FIXSM 9
Growth Objectives
Phase 1
1. Beta test at Pratt Institute - summer of 2009
2. Program commencement - summer of 2010
Phase 2
1. Curriculum workshop launch in high schools - 2013
2. National InnoventionTM - summer of 2014
4. Program expansion to nine regions across the United States- 2025
Phase 3 (2014 and Beyond)
1. Program extension to younger age groups
2. International program expansion
3. Curriculum accreditation for college credit
Program Goals
1. To have fun.
2. To redefine design, innovation, sustainability, and creativity in the minds of our
stakeholders.
3. To build a strong culture that encourages risk taking and failure, spawns out of the box
thinking, and values the entrepreneurial spirit.
4.To give youth a versatile skill set by making the creative process tangible and
applicable to all professions.

10. FIXSM 10
5. To foster different types of thinking, such as auditory, visual, kinesthetic, abstract,
analytic, and logical.
6. To instill an understanding of cause and effect, life cycles, and long term effects of
material choices on a local and global scale.
7. To promote inter-localization: illustrate that localizing problems is as important as
highlighting global challenges.
8. To inspire action through results-oriented and creative, sustainable problem solving.
9. To encourage ownership and responsibility of personal and professional choices.
10. To create future leaders who will FIX problems and positively influence others
everywhere they go.
Product and Service
Program
FIXSM is an adventurous summer camp on wheels, inspiring creativity and innovation,
and empowering youth to contribute to a sustainable future. The program session will
transpire over a two-week period and travel from community to community across the
United States, immersing participants between the ages of 13 and 17 in an environment
where they can incubate untapped creative talents and explore solutions to local
economic, social, and environmental challenges. Each program is designed to address a
theme specific to the needs of a given region, such as waste, energy, water,
communication, food and agriculture, mobility, urbanization, education, poverty,
homelessness, disease, and obesity, among others.

11. FIXSM 11
The program is intended to attract students with a knack for creative problem solving,
curiosity, adventure, humanitarian spirit, entrepreneurial courage, and an interest in
making a positive difference in the world. Designed in two-week modules, FIXSM
exposes participants to concepts of design and sustainability using a dynamic curriculum
formula:
Awareness + Transformation = Innovation
The goal is to inspire creative leadership by building awareness around an issue,
encouraging transformation in thinking and approaching to the issue, and designing a
final innovation project that attempts to solve the issue, instigate positive change, and
attract the resources necessary to accomplish these goals. The students will exit the
program with video presentations for distribution to all stakeholders, including the
community, as well as viable products and services for potential patents and prizes.
Curriculum
Awareness
The Awareness stage assesses the knowledge level of participants, exploring what they
know, think, and feel about the particular program topic. Program directors will then
guide a series of activities allowing participants to explore the topics in greater detail,
drawing big pictures that create an intimate familiarity with the topic. Based at university
campuses, FIXSM will provide participants with exposure to leading academic institutions
and serve as professional experts and a gateway into the community. Students will

12. FIXSM 12
partake in adventurous field trips, research and mapping exercises, and enjoy guest
lectures from a variety of disciplines to help build awareness around the program theme.
Transformation
The fifth through eighth days will focus on transformation, which is the pivotal link
between awareness and innovation. FIXSM will teach participants to turn their
preconceptions on their heads and re-imagine problems with the help of holistic thinking,
life cycle analysis, and out of the box exercises. It will force participants to ask how
products, systems, and processes can be transformed to serve sustainably, and to examine
the effects of transformation. Through hands-on design activities and real-life application,
participants will learn about the origins and outputs of materials and processes, and
understand life cycle approaches to the design choices they make. Students will also learn
for every problem there are a myriad of solutions of which none are finite. The program's
inter-disciplinary approach encourages the cross-pollination of ideas, requiring mental
ambidexterity ranging from kinesthetic and visual learning to critical and abstract
thinking.
Innovation
The climax of the program takes place between the eighth and fourteenth days when
groups create exciting innovative projects that tackle the issues relating to the program
theme, and find solutions by reinventing new processes, products, or programs. Groups
will have the opportunity to build prototypes, patent their ideas, and test their
entrepreneurial courage through close collaboration with professors and industry

13. FIXSM 13
professionals. They will also document their innovations in multi-media presentations,
culminating in a mini film festival at the end of the program where participants must
persuade the audience to the validity and viability of their idea. In the spirit of
competition by collaboration, FIXSM will also offer a national InnoventionTM where
participants will showcase their work, compete for scholarship money, internships,
mentorship opportunities, and possible patent protection. The public will vote on their
favorite film clips through an online poll hosted on the FIXSM website, inspiring online
activism and disseminating awareness about the power of innovation for a sustainable
future. FIXSM believes that participants deserve recognition and a chance to build upon
their accomplishments beyond the program.
Program Features
FIXSM has identified an opportunity to reinvent the summer camp around mobility,
flexibility, and accessibility. By breaking away from the stationary camp model, FIXSM is
able to spread awareness, inspire transformation, and foster innovation in communities
across the country, hone in on local issues, and reach a wider audience. This also gives
FIXSM the freedom to involve the community and incorporate their participation into
every aspect of the program. To aid this promotion, FIXSM will use mobile labs,
technology, college campuses, and industry experts as central features of the camp
experience. These components combined with the program’s agility will keep FIXSM on
top of the competition.

14. FIXSM 14
Mobile Lab
All fieldwork will make use of the FIXSM program’s mobile-lab, the Innovation
StationTM. The lab is an eco-friendly mobile vehicle that simultaneously acts as a hi-tech
mobile field station and design studio. This design studio, in conjunction with the campus
studio location, will serve as incubators and idea playgrounds, encouraging collaborative
environments where students can brainstorm, execute ideas, take risks, learn how to take
criticism, justify their work, and constructively analyze their peers inspiring healthy
competition.
Equipped with technical and digital resources, the Innovation StationTM accompanies
participants on dig days (field trips) to assist them with building prototypes, develop
patents, document their work, gather information and share ideas with other participants
across the country. The FIXSM curriculum will offer a holistic approach to education
combining the analytical and contextual skills of the current academic classroom with the
creative and experiential skills of the design studio.
There will be an Innovation StationTM available at every summer session dedicated
exclusively to the activities of that summer’s curriculum. As FIXSM expands into other
regions, the number of labs will increase, and each program’s participants will be able to
interact, share, collaborate, and compete in healthy design competitions hosted by FIXSM.
Participants and the local community will assist in the design of the Innovation StationTM
for each region. This will generate enthusiasm and serve as the connecting thread

15. FIXSM 15
between summer programs across the country, increasing community commitment and
brand awareness.
Technology
Advanced technological resources will position FIXSM at the cutting edge of innovation
and inter-connectivity. FIXSM recognizes that today’s youth are highly tech-savvy and
use digital media as a means to socialize, collaborate, and express themselves. FIXSM will
tap into this generational undercurrent, broadcasting the importance of innovation
through social networks, blogs, and videos. It will use these trends to add celebrity to
innovation and encourage empowerment through the collaboration and dissemination of
ideas.
Each child will be equipped with an open-source laptop conceptually similar to those
offered by the One Lap Per Child (OLPC) initiative. Laptops will operate on the FIXSM
networking platform, and be used by participants to do research, document findings,
evaluate work, collaborate with peers, and stay connected to family and friends.
Specifically, the laptops will allow participants to collaborate between FIXSM programs
nationwide with similar program themes. Participants will also be able to follow the
progression of other program activities, get updates about upcoming events, access
information about exemplars and staff, connect with alumni, publish their work, and track
projects long after program completions. This online activism will facilitate local
innovation work, raise awareness, and encourage long-term community participation.

16. FIXSM 16
College Campuses
FIXSM programs will be held throughout the summer on participating college campuses
in various regions across the United States. The college will provide room and board, as
well as access to campus facilities and faculty. The campus experience will familiarize
participants with college lifestyle and allow them to interact with peers, faculty, and real
college students, therefore gaining further insight into college life and about the types of
colleges they will want to attend.
Community
The community plays a vital role in the FIXSM program. Partnerships between the
program and community members will expose participants to real life scenarios and
demonstrate the power of community alliances. Community members will be encouraged
to participate in the innovation process and offer input towards final presentations at the
program’s mini film festival and through online polling. This inter-localization of global
challenges will teach students that one-size-fits-all solutions to problems do not work,
because they must be tailored and scaled to fit each community’s needs. Finally,
community exposure will help participants learn to appreciate diverse cultures.
Program Benefits
The benefits of FIXSM extend to many stakeholders, most notably guardians and students.
Students gain knowledge, empowerment, friendship, introduction to college life and
career possibilities, community service, enjoyment of learning, and a sense of
entrepreneurship. Guardians will see children expand and develop skills, strengthen

17. FIXSM 17
leadership abilities, increase awareness about the impacts of their choices on the global
community, and grow into better consumers, triple bottom line innovators, and societal
leaders.
As a result, their children will be better prepared for college and beyond, leaving the
program with the self-confidence and skills necessary to maneuver successfully in
today’s business climate. As FIXSM builds a strong network of corporate, government,
and non-profit partners, it will offer participants exposure to recruiters at top companies
and organizations. With each success, they will brag to all their friends and younger
siblings, which will spark a catalyst effect, spreading sustainable values, attitudes, and
actions.
Colleges and universities, schools, teachers, and investors also benefit from the FIXSM
summer programs. Colleges selectively collaborate with summer programs that will help
them gain exposure to strong future college applicants and become associated with its
positive brand identity. Teachers profit from curriculum and workshops that can be used
to stimulate students in the classroom. Investors benefit from students who gain
experience in their particular and or related field of business, thereby building stronger
employment prospects and business leaders for the future.

18. FIXSM 18
Program Features and Benefits
Features Description Benefits
Curriculum Interdisciplinary modules Awareness, Transformation,
teaching holistic thinking Innovation
and creative leadership
Mobile Design Studio/ Eco-friendly, mobile lab to Open and collaborative
Hi-Tech Field Station assist with hands-on design environment encouraging
exercises, dig days risk-taking and building
confidence
Technology FIXSM network, one laptop Connectivity and open
computer per participant, source collaboration
and digital equipment
College Campus Program location base Exposure to professionals,
within a selected college campus
community; guest lectures environment, and college
with faculty and experts students
Mobility Nimble program moving Increased frequency and
from community to reach, more opportunity for
community offering community partnerships and
solutions and education making a tangible solutions
tailored to each
community’s needs
InnoventionTM Annual innovation Opportunity to win

19. FIXSM 19
competition held at the end scholarship money,
of each summer designed internships, patent
for that summer’s protection and further
participants, and an annual prototype development
national competition made work with experts
Online Innovation StationTM An online community for Access to like-minded
information gathering, students, completed works,
sharing, and social works in progress, program
networking, promoting partners, and information to
activism, self expression, global sustainability
and fame initiatives
Proprietary Rights
The following applications will be filed with the United Sates Patent, Trademark, and
Copyright offices in 2008 and 2009.
• Copyright protection for FIXSM Curriculum - 2008
• Servicemark protection for FIXSM - 2008
• Trademark protection for Innovation StationTM and InnoventionTM - 2009
• Trademark protection for the mobile design studio/field station, Innovation
StationTM - 2009
• Patent Protection for mobile design studio/field station, Innovation StationTM -
2009
In addition, FIXSM will secure all proprietary rights of its participants through patent and

20. FIXSM 20
copyright protection.
Product Extensions
The FIXSM summer program will be the first of several product offerings from Creative
Crumbs, Inc. Locations will multiply each summer and beginning 2010 operations will
begin in New York and expand nationwide over the next ten years. FIXSM will add one
program at a new college or university every three years. In the second year of operation,
FIXSM will launch a comprehensive website and inaugurate its social networking
component. By the third year of operation, an educator’s component will be opened on
the site, offering curriculum materials for teachers, successful teaching tips, professional
contact lists, and a calendar of events. Product extensions to the summer program include
curriculum workshops for high schools throughout the year, offerings to younger age
groups, international expansion, and college credit accreditation for the FIXSM
curriculum.
Environmental Analysis
“…we must develop a compelling vision and a blue-print for action that will
reinvent the way we educate our children, marshal our resources, pursue our
research projects, communicate and share our discoveries, and conduct ourselves
in the world community” (Kao, 2007, p. 5-6).
By examining current economic, socio-cultural, environmental, and technological trends,
it is evident that the world is at a crossroad. For nearly a century, the Industrial Age has

21. FIXSM 21
dominated the world as western countries built powerful economies on foundations of
efficiency, linear thinking, and exploitation. These old frontiers, though effective at the
time, have left younger generations around the world with a handful of increasingly
negative predicaments, such as environmental degradation, resource depletion, increased
poverty, climate change, and oil dependency. As globalization and as global powers shift,
these predicaments introduce many uncertainties as well as an array of new opportunities.
Economic Trends
Forces such as material abundance, resource scarcity, a more competitive global labor
force, and powerful automation technologies, are pushing the world into a new frontier.
As Daniel Pink, a leading expert on economic transformation and business strategy, states
in A Whole New Mind: Why Right Brainers Will Rule the Future, “We are moving from
an economy and a society built on the logical, linear, computer-like capabilities of the
Information Age to an economy and a society built on the inventive, empathic, big
picture capabilities of what’s rising in its place, the Conceptual Age” (Pink, 2005, p.1).

22. FIXSM 22
Figure 1: Concept illustration of progression from Agricultural Age to the Conceptual
Age. A Whole New Mind. Pink, D. (2005).
To remain competitive in the new Conceptual Age, today’s children must acquire the
ability to innovate and the agility to reinvent a more promising future. Human capital is
the primary element of a national success strategy, and without the proper investments in
a strong labor force, countries will not be equipped to keep up with the shifting needs of
the new economy. In the United States, the statistics are alarming, demonstrating that it is
falling hard and fast beneath the learning curves of other nations.
The Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), conducted in 2006, ranked
United States performance among 15 year-old students in Science Literacy 21 out of 30,
and 25 out of 30 in Mathematics Literacy of all Organization for Economic Co-operation
and Development (OECD) countries (National Center for Education Statistics, n.d.).

23. FIXSM 23
Similarly, the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), revealed
a decline in the performance of American students from grades 4 to 12 in comparison to
those in other countries (Wu, 2005). A report, entitled Tapping America’s Potential,
states if current trends continue, more than 90 percent of all scientists and engineers in
the world will be living in Asia by 2010. Additionally, America’s shortage of homegrown
talent will be more magnified as the country’s 76 million aging baby boomers begin to
exit the workforce in 2011 (Kao, 2007). These statistics are associated with the lack of
stewardship in properly educating America’s workforce the future needs.
Education
The present education system in the United States, designed to meet the particular needs
of industrialization, uses an intellectual model pre-occupied with rationalist ideas, linear
thinking, and efficiency. Many pedagogy and curriculum experts agree that this system is
long outdated. The extensive administration of standardized tests, and the renewed
emphasis on testing fueled by the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLBA), create classroom
environments where teachers discipline rather than teach, showing students how to take a
test rather than how to learn.
Though performance on standardized tests may increase with the help of NCLBA, many
teachers complain they cannot incorporate supplemental or creative lesson plans into
their curriculum because they are too busy preparing students for higher test scores. This
has been one of the most effective ways to suppress creativity, marginalizing an
important skill for the new economy and limiting the full potential of every child. As Ken

24. FIXSM 24
Robinson, Professor, and Great Britain’s Secretary of State for Education and
Employment, states, “We are educating people out of their creative
capacities…completely ignoring the extraordinary creative capacities of children and
their ability to innovate” (Ted Talks, 2006).
In addition, Americans in the top 5 percent income bracket earn 13 times as much as
those in the bottom 5 percent, and the gap between the upper and lower classes is
widening increasingly. These economic trends often push upper class students into
private schools, leaving lower-class students in schools that do not satisfy their needs
because all of the good teachers are attracted to these higher paying private schools,
affecting the performance of the students and the allocation government funding to the
public sector thus further widening educational discrepancies (Griffin-Good, 1999).
In response, more colleges and private and not-for-profit companies are forming new
schools and programs that are addressing the needs of the lower performing schools.
Teachers qualified with the new skill sets will be in high demand, adjusting their style of
teaching to include a more hands-on, specialized curriculum that involves the use of
technology as support (Griffin-Good, 1999). Curriculum theorists at leading American
and international universities are advocating for these changes and for an approach to an
education curriculum more suited for the needs of the 21st Century.

25. FIXSM 25
Business Trends
Corporations are entering the diplomatic arena by virtue of their wealth and power.
Today, more than half of the largest economic entities in the world are corporations. Non-
governmental groups attempt to take on policies, including education and social
innovation but languish because of slow government processes and bureaucracies.
Businesses are equipped to step in and help in areas where the government is slow to
respond. In the future, both governmental and non-governmental initiatives will work in
tandem to help students develop and strengthen a new set of aptitudes
Figure 2: Concept illustration of progression of man: Primitive to modern-day. A Whole
New Mind. Pink, D. (2005).
Socio-Cultural Trends
Shifting temperaments amongst younger generations, known as Millennials, may also
contribute to new opportunities for the future. In the TIME magazine article titled, Being
13 In America written July 2005, a poll of 501 teenagers revealed that 13-year-olds are
growing up in a world “more connected, more competitive, [and] more complex than the

26. FIXSM 26
one their guardians had to navigate as kid” (Gibbs, 2005). The recent years of war,
terrorism, and economic uncertainty are creating an indelible mark on teenagers, and
forty-six percent believe “that by the time they reach their guardians’ age the United
States will be a worse place to live than it is now” (Ibid).
Millennials exhibit strong family values and a high sense of virtue, instilled in part by
highly protective “helicopter guardians” who hover over their children through college
and even beyond (Howe, 2007). As Millennials mature, they also exhibit increasing
confidence, participation in community outreach programs, an increased interest in
America’s political agenda, and a strengthened voice in public discourse. This is in part
due to new vehicles of connectivity and communication, where “kids are transforming
technology itself into a group activity, powering up their IM and e-mail servers as soon as
they touch a computer, making themselves the most 24/7 peer-to-peer connected
generation in history” (Ibid).
These social tools help to develop strong team instincts and tighter peer bonds, ingraining
collaborative skills into the everyday life of Millennials. By eroding the competitive and
individualistic drive associated with Generation X, this group will “take a longer view of
the future and have faith that their generation can make the world a better place, not only
for themselves, but for their children” (Ibid).

27. FIXSM 27
Environmental Trends
With the growing awareness of environmental degradation and resource depletion,
businesses are clamoring to change their operations. “Whether it's GM unveiling an all-
new electric concept car last week, or Whole Foods markets becoming nearly ubiquitous,
or the rise of sustainable development, there is no doubt that there is an increased desire
on the part of businesses and consumers alike to go green” (Strauss, 2007). The green
revolution presents opportunities for students entering the work force to offer companies
insights that can help shape and design new products and processes that are more
environmentally friendly, policies that can increase efficiencies, produce higher returns
on investment, and generate greater customer satisfaction. A growing number of colleges
are now offering sustainability based programming at both the undergraduate and
graduate level.
Technological Trends
The presence of rapid technological innovation offers increased speed and access to
information, resources, and people reciprocating an increase in the capacity of an
individual to make positive changes. Connectivity is at an all time high, weaving people
and cultures together from around the globe through video gaming, TV and movie
viewing, 3D online virtual worlds, blogging, Instant Messaging and social networking.
As of 2007, an estimated 71 percent of the North American population was online,
representing 18 percent of worldwide usage (Internet, 2007). (see Appendix B, Figure 1).

28. FIXSM 28
The popularity of social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook continue to
grow among teens, with monthly page views in the billions (Freiert, 2007). Web 2.0 and
social platforms are shaping a new paradigm that promotes collaboration and exploration.
In addition, open source technology offers free and equal access to technological
applications, creating new opportunities for creativity and innovation, particularly in
education. A new phenomenon, called virtual schooling, has increased to 82 online public
schools in 19 states, according to Technology & Learning magazine (Carr-Chellman,
2006). U.S. News and World Report recently observed, “Across the country, e-learning
has changed from a technological curiosity to an integral part of rural public school
education, offering more class options to students” (Ibid).
Circumstances such as the new economy, corporate involvement, the Millennial
generation, environmental stewardship, and digital technology present potent vehicles to
help steer away from the current global predicaments. However, the root of massive
change lies in an educated and motivated workforce undeterred in exercising creativity
and innovation. As John Kao stresses in Innovation Nation, we must undergo a national
re-examination of the way we educate our children, enabling new generations of students
to discover their unique strengths and abilities and use their creative talents to meet the
challenges of the 21st century.

29. FIXSM 29
Market and Industry Analysis
United States Summer Camp Industry Overview
The summer camp industry is large and diverse, with increasing enrollments annually. At
the simplest, this industry is composed of day and residential camps classified by
affiliation: agency/municipal, religious, independent for profit, and independent not-for-
profit. In the United States, day camps end in the evening and generally include children
ages 4 to 17, while residential camps extend overnight and include children ages 7 to 17.
Both camp segments can be broken down into a number of sub-segments, including but
not limited to specialty, travel, community service, and academic.
Summer Camp Industry Sub-segments
Camp Segment Description
Specialty Residential These camps specialize in areas such as applied arts,
entrepreneurial business, environmental study, music,
science, math, engineering, technology, and gaming.
The purpose of a specialty camp is to engage students
in specialty interests.
Teen Travel Tour and This segment consists of outdoor expeditions,
Outdoor wilderness adventure, cultural awareness, leadership,
cross-country touring, and language immersion both
internationally and domestically. The purpose is to
expose teens to different cultures around the world
gaining different experiences and life benefits.

30. FIXSM 30
Community Service Community service programs allow kids to get
involved both locally and internationally as they
engage in service projects within under-served
communities.
Academic and Academic camps and pre-college programs conduct
Pre-college academic classes at colleges that offer college prep in
areas such as science, math, general academics,
technology, the arts, and business. Their purpose is to
expose 14-17 year olds to the college life experience,
prepare them for life after high school, and entice
interests in varying academic disciplines and
extracurricular activities
(Summer Solutions, n.d.).
Summer Camp Industry Size
According to the American Camp Association (ACA), summer camps are a growing $11
billion industry, serving approximately 11 million children and adults. Presently, there
are more than 12,000 day and residential camps in the United States, of which
approximately 7,000 are residential summer camps (ACA Media, n.d.) (see Appendix A,
Figures 1, and 2).

31. FIXSM 31
Summer Camp Industry Growth Rate
Summer camps in general experienced an increase in enrollment in 2006, according to
the ACA 2005/2006 National Survey of ACA camp community members. Over 48
percent of camps indicated that summer enrollment in 2006 was at its highest or higher
than summers in the past five years (Bialeschki, 2007). When participants were asked
about enrollment in specialized programs, the increased interest in specialized activities
was 10 percent higher than reported in the previous year’s survey (Ibid). According to the
ACA, 53 percent of camps are also reporting that the greatest growth is among teen
campers (ACACamps.org, 2005). Lastly, teen travel tour programs have proliferated in
the last decade, offering diversified tours to further reaching corners of the world (The
Camp Experts, 2006).
Two important triggers for increased summer camp enrollment are steadily increasing
levels of disposable income and busier adult lives, as both guardians work outside the
home. As a result, summer programs have increased in demand as a means to supervise
and educate their children. The condition of the camp industry is predicted to be “…quite
strong [and] so long as children are born and parents must work to support the family this
will continue” (National Camp Association, n.d.).
Summer Camp Industry Trends
According to summer camp admissions director Jeffrey Shumlin, “We have noticed a real
trend toward doing things that are meaningful and moving away from indulgent
adventures” (Strieb, 2007). The summer camp industry has diversified as a steady growth

32. FIXSM 32
of specialty camps have been designed to offer programs that meet specific needs. The
role of summer camps has been changed to address the new global economy, bringing
diverse groups of people together to enjoy activities and each other (Faris, n.d.). Today’s
competitive college application process also encourages students to strengthen skills by
attending specialty summer camps (Adams, n.d.).
Target Market Overview
The key stakeholders of FIXSM are students, guardians, teachers, partners/sponsors, and
local communities. While guardians and children make their purchasing decisions for
summer camps together, the child is usually regarded as the main influencer of the
decision-making and the primary customer of the industry.
The FIXSM program’s primary target is students in grades eight through eleven, who plan
to enroll in four-year colleges and universities, and enjoy engaging in summer programs.
The type of participant who would excel at FIXSM has a natural curiosity, creative
capacity, humanitarian spirit, and a diversity of interest including but not limited to art
and design, science, math, and technology.
The FIXSM program’s secondary target includes guardians of students. FIXSM seeks adults
with an interest in travel, culture, technology, and humanitarianism. These guardians are
highly invested in their children’s education and encourage exposure to new people,
places, and things.

33. FIXSM 33
Tertiary target market members include high school administration, such as teachers,
guidance counselors, and principals. Others include private partners and corporations,
non-profit organizations, angel investors, local communities, government organizations,
and universities and colleges.
Primary Target: Students
Market Size
Current size of United States student population ages 13 to 18:
• 20.8 million = Number of students grades 8-11 enrolled in public and private
schools throughout the United States in 2007 (National Center, Fast Facts, n.d.)
• 3.3 million = Number of high school graduates in the United States in 2007 (U.S.
Census Bureau, 2007)
• 15.3 million = Enrollment number at undergraduate degree granting institutions in
the United States in 2007 (Ibid)
• 466,000 = Number of science and engineering college undergraduates in the
United States in 2005 (Science and Engineering, 2008)
• 45,000 = Number of students enrolled in 4-year art & design schools in the United
States, with many thousands more enrolled in summer and continuing education
programs (AICAD, n.d.)
• 1,493,861 = Students between grades 8-11 in the Tri-State Area (National Center,
State, n.d.)
• 1,390,454 = Number of enrolled undergraduate students in Tri-State Area (Ibid)

34. FIXSM 34
Market Growth
According to the College Board’s Projected Social Context for Education of Children,
1990-2015 conducted by Richard Krop and Georges Vernez:
(see Appendix A, Figures 3, and 4).
• Projected growth rates for population ages 0-24 from 1990 to 2015 is 15 percent,
from 88 million in 1990 to 102 million in 2015.
• Projected growth rates for 15-17 year olds from 1990 to 2015 is 20.8 percent, the
largest of all segments 0-24.
• The number of high school graduates is estimated to increase from 3.1 million in
2003-4 to 3.3 million in 2016-2017.
• Students earning associate’s degrees will likely increase 9 percent overall from
2004-05 to 2016-17 and by 26 percent overall for bachelor’s degrees in the same
years (National Center, Projections, n.d.).
Demographics
The program seeks out students from a wide range of socio-economic profiles as well
racially and ethnically diverse backgrounds. FIXSM targets participants who may not
otherwise be exposed to design or sustainability issues regularly, with particular attention
paid to recruitment in underserved communities. Each program will enroll students from
across the country but will always ensure participants from the community are also
represented. Overall, the consumer market will likely be predominantly regional with a
majority of applicants from the Tri-State, Upper Midwest, and West Coast areas. The first
program will take place in New York City.

35. FIXSM 35
Psychographics
FIXSM seeks ‘Millennial’ students that describe themselves as creative, inquisitive, and
not generally accepting of the status quo. They want to understand how things function,
and do so, by exploring and researching ideas to better understand them. They are self-
motivated, self-initiated, and self-aware and can be easily pushed to question the facts
surrounding a given situation. Students in this group possess innate curiosities, see the
world from a more holistic viewpoint, and can understand an even broader view when
exposed to one (J. Tyack, 2008).
Many teens today are seriously looking for opportunities to learn more about themselves
and the world they live in. According to TIME magazine’s article, Being 13 In America,
“Millennials” are now making more decisions, taking fewer orders, feeling empowered
and entitled to do great things. As such, they often take full advantage of the
opportunities offered to them and have faith their generation can improve the world
(Howe, 2007). They also have higher academic standards for themselves academically
and use technology, both inside and outside the classroom, encouraging collaboration and
group participation.
Secondary Target: Guardians
The FIXSM secondary target includes guardians of Millenials, also from a wide range of
socio-economic, racial, and ethnic backgrounds. This group, known as Baby Boomers,
holds seventy-five percent of the U.S. wealth and accounts for the highest earnings in the
country (Klaassen, 2007). They spend more in virtually all categories and dominate the

36. FIXSM 36
market for the most consumer goods and services purchased, reaching a market share of
$2.6 trillion in 2007.
Boomers are the first fully educated generation in history, as a result, they hold education
and news readership in high regard (MarketResearch.com, 2002). They also fuel growth
in the travel industry, with their keen interest in the adventure travel categories, spending
more, and staying longer wherever they go. Boomers are Internet savvy; over half use
interactive computer services, and a third make purchases online. Finally, Boomers
believe the world can be changed and have introduced institutions such as the Peace
Corps and campaigns to end world hunger (Ibid).
Tertiary Target: Educational Institutions
FIXSM will target reputable colleges and universities in every region of the United States
who offer facilities and services to summer programs. In particular, FIXSM seeks
institutions that have an affinity toward sustainability and innovation programs, and those
that are open to developing initiatives on campus and with communities. FIXSM will also
target schools and after-school programs across the country that value supplemental
programming and are focused on engaging students in practical hands-on experiences.
Consumer Market Research
Surveys
An online research study of 305 high school students, ages 13-17, and from diverse race,
ethnic and geographic origins revealed the following:

37. FIXSM 37
• Over 50 percent are members of volunteer organizations and participate in
community service activities.
53.5 percent stated their main reason for selecting a new camp is for the exposure to
new experiences.
• 42.9 percent use their computer for 3-5 hours a day
• 99.6 percent plan to go to college
• 92.5 percent recycle
• 82.1 percent participate in community service
• 75.9 percent Instant message
• The following types of programs are the most appealing to them:
1. Outdoor/Leadership
2. Academic/College Prep
3. Performing Arts
4. Art and Design
5. Travel
Community Service
• The three most important attributes of a new summer program were:
1. Hands on, creative and results oriented (89.9 percent)
2. Spurs creative thinking and stretching the mind (86.9 percent)
3. Gives you the freedom to explore, tinker, and make things (85.9 percent)
(see Appendix H, Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 for more survey information).

38. FIXSM 38
Focus Group
In a focus group of 10 students ages 13-17, representing a lower socio-economic status,
all participants indicated they would be interested in a summer program that used their
creative abilities to help solve local problems in fun and innovative ways. All participants
also indicated there are problems in the world that need fixing, agreeing the world could
only be made a better place through collaboration.
(see Appendix I, Exhibits 1-10).
The following conclusions can be drawn from the survey and focus group.
Participants of summer camps are unlikely to change summer programs unless:
 They get too old to participate
 They are persuaded by family members, friends, teachers, or community leaders
 They can no longer afford to attend
Summer program participants are highly interested in new, hands-on activities that
produce quantitative and qualitative results, in addition to the collaborative and friendly
environment that camps offer.
Competitive Environment
The summer camp industry is highly saturated and competitive forcing camps to offer
new “wows” to attract and retain their customers (Ronan, 2007). There are low barriers to
actually enter the market, however reputation is a critical factor in camp survival, and as
such, older camps have a leg up when introducing new programs.

39. FIXSM 39
Summer camps compete on quality, program type, and price. Since the differentiating
factors between camps are often intangible and emotional, value is a top criterion for
purchasing decisions. Customers are generally willing to pay a higher price for value and
a great experience, so to attract and retain customers and build credibility for new
customers, camps must offer exceptional programming led by highly qualified and
amiable staff.
Brand awareness is on of the largest challenges for new entrants. Most often, the reasons
customers do not buy into services are they are unaware that they even exist (S. Herman,
2008). It is essential for summer camps to make it clear to their customer base “what they
offer, their price point and the type of student body that populates their programs” (Ibid).
Technology helps spread the word about programs to a large population via websites and
online marketing. This is where target customers are now researching and comparing
programs.
Customer loyalty is a large revenue generator in the summer camp industry. Word of
mouth and repeat customers offer camps a large portion of their enrollment,
demonstrating that the ability to achieve a status of high credibility is extremely
important. Strategic partnerships with schools, museums, and local communities are
invaluable ways to gain trust and credibility more quickly.
High capital start-up requirements, slow projected growth rates, and insurance and
medical regulations pose additional barriers to entry. Partnership dependence with local

40. FIXSM 40
colleges and universities also pose as potential problems. School timelines and summer
availability are based on specific academic schedules and as a result, planning must occur
two to three years ahead for these types of partnerships. To mitigate these barriers to
entry, FIXSM will dedicate generous time and innovative marketing campaigns, build
strong strategic alliances that increase the program’s credibility, and properly manage
finances while adhering to a strict long-term financial plan.
Competition
Direct Competition Indirect Competition Future Competition
Other camps and Year long school-related Kids going to school
pre-college programs programs year round
Domestic and international Summer employment Increase in summer
sustainability programs programs
Internships Similar programs that
are affiliated with a
credible institution
School sponsored programs
Vacation

41. FIXSM 41
Direct Competitor Analysis
Based on an examination of the summer camp market, the list below is a representation
of FIXSM competitors, highlighting strengths and weaknesses of each program sub-
segment. They are considered direct competition in terms of program content, features,
and benefits.
Competitor Analysis
Program Program Description Strength Weakness
Teen Travel Tours Putney Offers diverse Serves affluent
and Outdoor programming that customers with
Students learn about
Camps immerses students program fees
other cultures in
in new cultures and reaching $10,000.
developed and
environments, Collaboration with
developing countries
includes language host country and
and bring back their
learning, global community is
findings/solutions to
action, personal limited to length of
present to guardians
exploration, program, offering
and faculty.
leadership, and with no
community service. opportunity for
long-term change.
Community Habitat for Humanity Thirty-two years of Participants are not
Service Participants immerse operation and a involved with
themselves in strong network of design and
disadvantaged construction projects strategy.
communities and help around the world. Collaboration is
rebuild homes. Enrollment is limited to the
offered to anybody. length of the
program, offering
no follow-up for

42. FIXSM 42
long-term change.
Environmental/ Foresight Design This group “seeks to The program is
Sustainability Initiative improve and sustain localized to one
Its Urban Sustainable the quality of life in region, and is
Design Studio fosters the urban targeted to college
dialogue and action on environment level and older
sustainable innovation through smart participants.
in Chicago. design, without
sacrificing the needs
of future
generations.”
Science, Math, Mines Engineering Curriculum is based This program only
and Engineering Design Summer Camp on college-level targets college-
A week-long engineering courses, level participants
engineering camp with integrating technical and does not
hand-on engineering and teamwork skills integrate
design projects. to solve open-ended sustainability
problems. related theory and
practices.
Technology FIRST Robotics Programming offers This program does
Competition great motivation for not integrate
Annual robotics students of all ages sustainability
competition and to expand their related theory and
research facility minds and generate practices. It is
promoting interest in passion for purely an academic
engineering and technology and exercise, and does
technology. discovery. not incorporate real
life scenarios.
Academic and Odyssey of the Mind Encourages This program does
Pre-College A creative problem- spontaneous creative not integrate

43. FIXSM 43
Programs solving competition for problem-solving in a sustainability
middle school and high competitive and fun related theory and
school students. environment. practices. It is
purely an academic
exercise, and does
not incorporate real
life scenarios.
Pre-College Enrichment Has an international Programming is
Programs Summer programs reputation for only offered in
offering a wide range providing high traditional
of college-level courses quality programs. It disciplines. There
for high school offers exposure to are no innovative
students. distinguished design or
professors at Ivy technology related
League schools. courses, nor any
attention to
sustainability.
Positioning and Opportunity
FIXSM positions itself as a hybrid summer program that straddles multiple camp sub-
segments. As is evidenced by the above list of the program’s closest competitors,
programs that use creativity and innovation to solve local problems in sustainable ways
have not yet penetrated the camp market. FIXSM has identified an opportunity to combine
these concepts with adventure, education, and service, packaging its program in a unique
way.

44. FIXSM 44
By breaking away from the stationary camp model, FIXSM reinvents the summer camp
experience around mobility, flexibility, and accessibility. Traveling from community to
community, the program can reach a wider target audience and tailor programming to
specific needs within each community. Most importantly, FIXSM capitalizes on digital
technology, an underutilized tool in many camps, using it as a central thread for
connectivity during the summer and beyond. While many competitors part with students
upon program completion, FIXSM intentionally builds online tools and initiatives that
keep participants involved, encourage collaboration with other innovators, and enable
them to build upon a lifelong dialogue to fix the world.
Marketing Plan
FIXSM plans to generate excitement and buzz about innovation around the program by
creating fun, participatory, and interactive marketing tools. Its ultimate goal is to spread a
viral sense of enjoyment in community collaboration and positive change among youth in
America.
Target Market Strategy
The primary target customer of the FIXSM summer program are students ages 13 to 17,
who are ambitious, engage in extra-curricular activities, and push themselves
academically. They participate in community outreach projects for extra-curricular and
college prep purposes and are web, computer, and gadget savvy using these tools for
informational, social, and collaborative purposes.

45. FIXSM 45
The secondary target customer of the FIXSM summer program are guardians of 13 to 17
year olds who hold education in high regard, have a proficiency in technology, value
design and innovation, and make environmentally and socially conscious purchasing
decisions. Teachers and school administrators looking to supplement curriculum with
sustainability education fall into the tertiary target customer category.
FIXSM plans to mirror its fun and innovative programming in online and offline
marketing that uses interactive and engaging tactics specifically targeted to both the
primary and secondary target markets. It will tailor its marketing messages to highlight
specific opportunities offered in the program, such as peer collaboration, heightened self-
awareness, strengthened innovative and critical thinking skills, literacy in social,
environmental, and economic sustainability, and overall exposure to colleges and new
careers. More importantly, it will do so using democratic processes, allowing its target
audience to participate in shaping the message along the way. (see Appendix C, Figures
1, 2, 3, 4, and 5).
Channel Strategy: Competitors
The following are a list of traditional marketing tools used by competitors in the summer
camp industry:
• Camp fairs
• Camp referral companies (i.e. The Camp Experts)
• Meetings and appointments with prospective campers
• Direct mail

46. FIXSM 46
• School visits (teachers and guidance counselors)
• Word of mouth (referrals)
• Alumni presentations
Channel Strategy: Online
FIXSM will use online reach to target primary customers through an informative website
equipped with a fun online social community. The student section will include an
interactive and collaborative platform with information, real-time maps, research, a
database of past projects, and access to fellow program participants and alumni. It will
offer information on special upcoming contests and events in each location and will list
career information and job opportunities. Prospective participants and guardians can
access this information as well as the online InnoventionTM video gallery that hosts the
final project commercials and links to competition information and judging. Visitors of
the site are invited to suggest program themes and locations, and vote on their favorite
project. The teacher’s section will offer access to curriculum models, the FIXSM
program’s student project database, industry professionals, and upcoming FIXSM
sponsored events and contests.
Beyond the website, the FIXSM program’s online presence will consist of viral marketing.
Participants will have a chance to disseminate InnoventionTM video commercials online,
spreading their ideas about sustainability and innovation using their own voice. These
videos will populate the FIXSM website as well as other video host sites spreading virally
as they challenge youth to join and become agents of positive change. Viral gaming will
complement participant-generated commercials, presenting branded material to

47. FIXSM 47
customers in fun and innovative ways, revealing content through interactive games,
puzzles, and brainteasers. In addition, these games, puzzles, and brainteasers will be
downloadable for handheld mobile media devises allowing users to remain active while
on the go. Desktop widgets will keep users up to date on the latest in sustainability news,
FIXSM program events, and relevant local community happenings.
Other online channels include interactive email blasts, Search Engine Marketing (SEM),
and a presence on frequently visited social communities such as YouTube, Facebook, and
MySpace. In order to increase awareness, drive traffic to the website, and maintain
continued contact with alumni, FIXSM plans to use interactive email blasts that disperse
program information and lists of upcoming events in colorful and clever ways, and
engage in SEM to increase visibility of its website in search engine results. Finally,
FIXSM will create user profiles on YouTube, Facebook, and MySpace to promote
program projects and events.
Channel Strategy: Offline
Offline reach will include community participation and engagement at local
competitions, program exposure through the Innovation StationTM, school visits, specialty
mailers, brochures and other print collateral, fundraising events, and strategic
partnerships with groups like the Cooper Hewitt Design Museum of the Smithsonian
Institute, Nissan, Pratt Institute, and local universities and colleges to increase exposure
through cross promotion and sponsored advertising.

48. FIXSM 48
The InnoventionTM, the final presentation of participant work that will be hosted and
judged in the specific program location, marks the finale of the FIXSM summer program.
Inventive posters made from biodegradable paper will be used to invite local community
members to participate. The Innovation StationTM, will also offer a fresh approach to
marketing, acting as a traveling road show and advertisement, peaking curiosity in local
communities, at camp fairs, school and university events, and special calendar events like
Earth Day, Breast Cancer Awareness events, Aids Walks, and more. The public will be
asked to help design the bus exterior to increase community involvement, and a strategic
partner, such as Nissan, will sponsor and brand the event to increase credibility and
visibility.
Visits to local schools and school workshops will help spread awareness to teachers,
principals, and students. Targeting teachers who have access to large groups of students,
serves as a critical way to spread the word from a reliable source to both students and
guardians. Teacher trust and support with allow FIXSM to gain further program credibility
and offer opportunities to form strategic alliances with local schools.
FIXSM plans to reach prospective participant homes with a number of eco-friendly
activity book mailers, puzzles and inventive brochures embedded with seeds that
highlight program activities and direct potential customers to explore the content rich
website to gain additional information. By offering unique mailers and materials, FIXSM
will inform groups about the program and do so in a memorable and thought provoking
way.

49. FIXSM 49
Fundraising events and dinners are another way to showcase the program’s work,
strengthen relationships between the program and its sponsors and donors, raise
awareness of program initiatives, and raise scholarship money to allow FIXSM to offer the
program to as many interested prospective participants as possible. These fundraising
events will utilize local materials and will be designed to leave as little behind as
possible. Inviting potential investors on special trips into local communities is another
way to bring sponsors closer to the issues, offering eye-opening, emotional, and
educational experiences. FIXSM will use the above events to harness the reputation of
corporate sponsors and extend reach and credibility to the program while also educating
groups on various social, environmental, and economic problems.
Leveraging strategic partnerships and volunteer contributions by the staff will allow
FIXSM to support its marketing goals. Carefully selected partnerships will be used to
sponsor products, such as laptops and materials, offer exhibition space and event venues,
provide access to industry professionals and house program participants. The list of
potential strategic alliances includes the United Nations, Cooper Hewitt Design Museum,
One Laptop Per Child, Care2, and Pratt Institute, where our beta test program will launch
in 2009. College and university campuses selected as the program’s host site will be
chosen based on specific criteria including accessibility, quality of faculty and staff, and
extent of sustainable initiatives.

50. FIXSM 50
Positioning
A key differentiator at FIXSM is the application of design and creativity to produce
innovative solutions to problems, delivering the curriculum in a fun and open
environment. The program's inter-disciplinary approach to programming offers
participants a wide range of experiences from science and medicine to business and the
arts using creativity, technology, and the local community as tools. Many programs today
fail to offer holistic courses that utilize creative talents to appeal to the demands of future
careers. American writer and business management expert, Tom Peters, has predicted the
end of the MBA as a prestigious mark of accomplishment in business. He notes,
“The Big Three, creativity, innovation, [and] design,” have been ignored
by business schools and goes on to say “The MFA is the new MBA”,
quoting Daniel Pink. Peters believes that “If you can't beat the Chinese on
cost, if you can't beat Wal*Mart on prices, then what's the option? Only
one! INNOVATION! And ain't it a shame that the MBA Deans don't teach
innovation…anywhere . . . as a . . . Core Course” (Peters, 2006).
The FIXSM curriculum supports the “Big Three” and positions itself to give guardians an
opportunity to consider the real demands of the future when making educational
investments for their children.
Product/Service Strategy
FIXSM has developed a versatile service strategy that underscores the program’s unique
summer experience. Elements of the strategy include expert staff, partnerships with

51. FIXSM 51
similarly aligned companies and organizations, unique curriculum models (Awareness +
Transformation = Innovation), interesting program locations, and strategic online and
offline promotions. Customer service, a central part of the FIXSM service strategy, will be
provided year round both online, through a web tools platform that submits requests
instantly, and offline through a call center, supported by well-trained staff including
former program participants who can answer questions anyone may have about the
program.
Pricing Strategy
The FIXSM summer program’s registration fee is $1500 per week. The pricing strategy
will remain competitive in the industry compared to similar programs. Low cost
marketing strategies, volunteer work, supporter donations, and non-billable contributions
by the staff will allow FIXSM to support its marketing goals. FIXSM also intends to
minimize costs by forming partnerships and long-term contracts at discounted rates with
institutions, corporations, and local vendors. FIXSM expects to raise prices reasonably in
the future as enrollment and the influx of applications increases.
FIXSM compares to industry averages in the following segments:
• Traditional Overnight/Sleep Away camps - range from $1700 (2 weeks) to $10,000
(eight weeks) (public and non-profit are generally less at $200-$1500 a week)
• Specialty camps - $1000 per week, based on location and activity
• Travel Tour Programs - $5000 for 3 weeks, depends on trip length, destination, and
housing ($700-2000 a week)

52. FIXSM 52
• Outdoor/Wilderness adventures- $1000 per week, based on location and activity
• Community Service Programs - $1000 per week, price varies depending on trip
length, destination, and housing
• Academic/Pre-college Programs - $1000 per week, based on location and activity
(Tips on Trips and Camps.com, 2007)
Operations Plan
FIXSM will implement an ambitious operations plan supporting the organization’s
commitment to innovative programming and superior value. Its scope of operations
requires careful execution and planning for future growth, and building a strong
operations plan at the outset will facilitate seamless integration as FIXSM expands to new
locations.
Operations Strategy
FIXSM will win in the marketplace on the dimensions of quality, flexibility, and service,
while remaining competitive on the dimensions of timeliness and cost.
Quality
To help distinguish the quality of FIXSM programming from any other camp, FIXSM will
integrate its innovative culture into all internal systems and processes. It will emphasize
open source collaboration and breed an entrepreneurial environment at every level of
operations. The Innovation StationTM design studio model will build risk-taking and idea
sharing into the physical setting. Similarly, the online platform will foster inclusion,

53. FIXSM 53
providing participants in the local community, and the public with a chance to offer their
voice in shaping future programming. FIXSM can easily measure and maintain program
quality using this open environment by sending ongoing feedback loops and
questionnaires to participants, sponsors, staff, online users, and community members
throughout the year.
Flexibility, Mobility, Accessibility
To maintain flexibility and mobility, FIXSM must build a lean and nimble operations
model that can easily move from location to location and support the organization’s
aggressive expansion plan. To do so, FIXSM will subcontract all operational needs that
fall outside management and program expertise. This is critically important, since a
mobile program such as FIXSM will require focused attention to expanding production
needs. In particular, strategic partnerships with universities and high schools will help
divest the organization of fixed assets that would otherwise tie it down to one location.
This reduces the program’s physical plant and equipment to everything that fits onto its
mobile lab, creating a summer program that can pick up and move to any location at any
time. Designed for multi-purpose use, including a design studio, computer field station,
and traveling exhibit, the FIXSM program’s Innovation StationTM helps maximize
efficiency and mobility.
Service
FIXSM is wholly committed to providing superior service to its stakeholders. The program
guarantees low teacher to student ratios and access to the best and brightest minds

54. FIXSM 54
associated with each program theme. Partnerships with universities also expose
participants to future college life in an environment that is stimulating, fun, and safe. The
web tools platform helps provide superior customer service by using real time
communication. Users can submit requests instantly and speak to well-trained staff
operating the organization’s call center. The FIXSM website also encourages guardians
and the community to participate in regular dialogue beyond typical customer service
issues. Additionally, the website functions as a key vehicle for internal service needs,
facilitating market research, recruitment processes, alumni connections, and resource
database tools.
Overall, the FIXSM program’s unique operations model differentiates it from traditional
camps. Its program’s positioning around innovation places it at the cutting edge of
summer programming, finding new methods and avenues to deliver its service. By
promoting flexibility and mobility, FIXSM gains a competitive advantage over most
camps in the marketplace that tend to operate under a static model. This mobility also
affords the program higher visibility and wider market reach, creating an opportunity to
cast a wider net for untapped talent throughout every corner of the United States. Key to
its success is the program’s ability to stay flexible without sacrificing quality, always
maintaining an innovative competitive edge.
Scope of Operations
Start-Up Operations
The organization will solidify production needs during beta testing in the summer of

55. FIXSM 55
2009. In 2010, it will ramp up the business to two, two-week sessions, each with two
groups that cap off at twenty students per session. Based on sales forecasts, FIXSM will
reach full capacity starting in 2011, offering three sessions each with two groups of
twenty students. Every three years, FIXSM will add a new location, expanding to ten
regions in the United States within 20 years. For every launch in a new location, FIXSM
will start the first year with two sessions and increase to full-scale production during the
second year of operation. (see Appendix D, Figures 1, and 2).
Production Capacity
Summer Number of Sessions Number of Students*
2009 1 session 20 students
2010 2 sessions 80 students
2011+ 3 sessions 120 students
*Two groups of twenty students per session
Ongoing Operations
FIXSM will operate seasonally, working with limited personnel from October through
April and increasing to full-scale operations during the summer months. September and
October will focus on program staff recruitment and development. November through
February will focus on participant recruitment, fundraising, and marketing. March

56. FIXSM 56
through May will focus on preparing and planning for summer programs. (see Appendix
D, Figure 3).
Subcontracting
In an effort to maintain its operational flexibility, as well as minimize costs and maximize
efficiencies, FIXSM will subcontract all tasks that fall outside its core competencies. The
distribution of operational needs are as follows:
Operational Needs
In House Sub Contract
Administration Registration software and registration
fulfillment
Operations/production Payment
Marketing Location, facilities, room and board
Human Resources and Recruitment Web design, website support, and server
maintenance
Fundraising Transportation
Program Development Accounting and investment services
Teaching Legal services
Customer Service Expert lecturers

57. FIXSM 57
Production Needs Per Location
The figures below represent production needs for full-scale operation in 2010. Please
note production will double with every new location.
Locations and Facilities
Facilities Amount Cost
Office space 1 permanent office in $900 per month
Brooklyn, NY
University room and board 25 dorm rooms $59,903 per summer
University facilities 2 classrooms, 1 office $1,000 per summer
Transportation 1 bus, 4 vans $5,040 per summer
Equipment, Technology and Inventory
Equipment Amount Cost
Innovation StationTM Bus 1 per location $70,000 grant
OLPC Computers 50 per location $300 per computer,
$15,000 total
Office supplies Permanent office $3,800
Office supplies Program office $5,000
Personnel
Staffing will correspond to seasonal demand. FIXSM will begin with three permanent staff
members on its management team, increasing to four in 2013. Benefits packages are

58. FIXSM 58
awarded only to fulltime permanent personnel, and worker’s compensation to all
personnel for the duration of employment. Each new staff member will participate in
curriculum and safety training sessions conducted before commencement of every
summer program. Finally, FIXSM will comply with NY State Board of Health age
requirements for camp directors and counselors, and maintain the minimum student to
camper ratios.
Permanent Staff
Permanent Staff Position Cost
Executive Camp Director 1 Full-time $55,016
Programming Director 1 Part-time $13,750
Marketing and Outreach 1 Part-time $13,750
Director
Grant Writer 1 Part-time $20,020
Seasonal Staff
Seasonal Staff Amount Cost
Residential Director 1 per summer $1,830
Residential Advisor 4 per summer $6,500
Teacher 4 per summer $12,800
Medical Professional 1 per summer $10752
Student to staff ratio is 1:5.

59. FIXSM 59
Staff As Needed
As Needed Amount Cost
Guest Lecturers 4 per summer $1,000
College interns 4 per summer Small stipend
Volunteers 50 for community festival
and InnoventionTM
Strategic Partners
FIXSM will work closely with strategic partners to advance credibility and decrease costs
through discounts or product sponsorship deals.
Partners
Partner Partnership Opportunities
Universities Package deal including facilities, room and
board
Museum: Cooper Hewitt Design Museum Sponsorship opportunities, fundraising
partner
Nissan Design Center Sponsorship and new product development
for mobile lab
One Laptop Per Child Sponsorship and computer technology
partner
Community Volunteers Collaborators and economical
supplemental workforce

60. FIXSM 60
Legal Environment
FIXSM will comply with all federal and state staffing requirements, workplace
regulations, and safety standards. Permits and licenses will vary state by state and will be
submitted one year in advance. In 2008, FIXSM will submit its paperwork to the NY State
Board of Health, which oversees all summer program operations within the state. It will
comply with NY State Board of Health age requirements for camp directors and
counselors, and counselor to student ratio.
Permits
Staffing Permits Compliance
Children’s Camp Fee Determination Form DOH-2249
Schedule
Children’s Camp Facility and Staff Form DOH-367
Description
NY State Central Register Database Form LDSS-3370
Check
NY State Prospective Children’s Camp Form DOH-2271
Director Certified Statement
NY State Division of Criminal Justice Forms LDSS-3370 and DOH-2271
Services Sex Offender Registry
FIXSM will work with universities to submit health permits and conduct facilities
inspections. All summer programs will employ a NY State licensed health professional as
mandated by the state. The program will also maintain immunization and health records

61. FIXSM 61
for all participants and staff. Each student must supply written documentation of a recent
year’s physical exam and meningococcal meningitis vaccination.
Regulations and Compliance
Health, Workplace, and Environmental Compliance
Regulations
NY State Department of Health Permit for Form DOH-3915i
Operating a Camp
NY State Sanitary Code Inspections twice a year
NY State Board of Health Medical Plan Plan must be submitted to board of
health
NY State Immunization Requirements Meningococcal meningitis
Safety is an important element in any summer program, and FIXSM will enforce strict
guidelines to ensure physical, mental, and emotional security for its participants and staff.
In each location, FIXSM will submit a written Safety Plan that includes procedures for
maintenance of facilities, provisions for training staff members and orientation of
campers, supervision of campers, campsite hazards, fire safety plan, emergency
procedures and drills, severe weather evacuation, safety procedures for program
activities, and licensed lifeguards for all water-related activities.

62. FIXSM 62
Safety and Compliance
Safety Compliance
NY State Board of Health Written Safety Form DOH-2040
Plan
NY State Board of Health Written Plan must be submitted to board of
Transportation Safety Plan health
Insurance
Rates are specific to a non-profit summer program servicing 120 participants with six-
week camper days in New York State. All figures are based on twelve months of
operation, totaling $10,000 in the first year, and will fluctuate as the summer program
expands to new locations.
Insurance
Insurance Time Period Cost
Umbrella Insurance Annual $4,000
Camper Medical Insurance Seasonal $650
Personal Property Insurance Annual $1,032
Auto Insurance Annual $3,000-4,000 for Buss
$1,500-2,000 for Vans
General Liability Seasonal $7,000-10,000
Worker’s Comp Annual $544
Disability Insurance Annual $309

63. FIXSM 63
Miscellaneous Production Needs
Product/Service Time Cost
Software registration 12 month online registration $4,000 initial installment
management system and credit card processing $250 monthly service fee
service
Web development and Pro bono support $50,000
support
Trademarks and copyrights Pending, or purchased $500
Transportation 6 months lease for vehicles, $840 per week
drivers, and gas
Accounting and investing 12 months including $5,000 per year
endowment
Legal services As needed Pro bono
Development Plan
FIXSM will conduct a beta-test at Pratt Institute in the summer of 2009 and launch its first
official program in the summer of 2010. In an effort to maximize participation and
market reach, FIXSM plans to develop its business in three key phases: Phase I will
expand the summer program throughout the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic. Phase II will
expand the summer program to build a network across all nine regions of the United
States, introduce the national InnoventionTM competition, and launch workshops
integrated into the high school system. Phase III will offer summer programs for younger