Ninja Nation is a business based on the  American Ninja Warrior TV show. People of all ages can go to test their skills on an obstacle course, and train to enhance those skills.

On Dec. 2,  Ninja Nation Glendale celebrated its grand opening at 6760 W. Deer Valley Road, Suite M101.

The Glendale Independent caught up with franchise co-owners Jeff Parkinson and Josh Lamstein for a question and answer session:

Name: Jeff Parkinson

Age: 43

Business: Ninja Nation Glendale

Name: Josh Lamstein

Age: 54

Business: Ninja Nation Glendale 

What is the nature of your business (franchise)?: We provide a world-class obstacle course arena that allows for kids and adults to play, train and compete in the sport of Ninja. We create a welcoming environment that enables someone experiencing the sport for the first time or the individual looking to competitively train to have an amazing experience. We offer classes, camps, birthday parties and drop-in options. 

In addition to our arena, we offer a mobile course that we set up for schools, churches, retail shopping centers, community centers and similar locations, which enables people to experience the Ninja Nation magic at any location.

What are the hours?: Mondays through Thursdays: 4-7 p.m. Fridays: 3-7 p.m. Weekends: 10 a.m.-7 p.m.

What made this location in northern Glendale ideal for Ninja Nation to expand to? The West Valley has experienced significant growth over the past five years and is densely populated with families that are looking for unique kid-centric experiences. The community feels neglected at times as most concepts start East of Phoenix and eventually migrate West. We felt there was significant demand for a concept like ours in this area. 

 What unique things about the Ninja Nation concept that has allowed it to catch on in the Valley and nationwide? Parents are constantly looking for opportunities to remove their kids from a screen and keep them active. While there are plenty of retail facilities that cater to youth entertainment, we feel like many of them lack imagination. On the back of the American Ninja Warrior media success, the sport of Ninja Warrior is one of the fastest growing youth sports in America. Many have tried to capitalize on that growth by creating courses within a gymnastics facility or building a dedicated space on a small scale. Before Ninja Nation, no one had built the "wow" factor. Watching someone walk into our facility is our favorite part, they're in awe!

What made you choose this line of work and why is it important or interesting to you? We both have kids of our own and want the same thing for them as every other parent does, which is to be healthy, active and happy children. Having had the opportunity to watch our respective kids experience Ninja Nation themselves, it was clear to us that the concept was a hit. Additionally, we had a personal relationship with members of the corporate team and thought highly of their vision and execution to date and wanted to be a part of the mission. 

 What separates you from your competition? The biggest component is the gym and "wow" factor that was previously mentioned. In a similar way to how Top Golf transformed the mundane driving range, Ninja Nation is helping to democratize the sport of Ninja. We're not simply about the experienced individual. We're about the shy kid who doesn't want the pressure of organized sports, the energetic kid who is looking for an engaging outlet to burn off steam, the kid who wants to have the coolest birthday party at his/her school and everything in between. There are no other facilities offering ninja warrior obstacles that are comparable to ours.

 What civic groups, clubs, organizations or causes do you or your business support or plan to support? Not every child is going to be able to experience Ninja Nation. While we aim to price our services to appeal to a broad audience, it's not going to be accessible for everyone. That said, we don't want anyone to be excluded from experiencing the fun and excitement that our concept offers. Our mobile unit gives us the opportunity to bring Ninja Nation to anyone. We plan to offer mobile events for schools and organizations that would not otherwise have the budget to do so, in addition to hosting similar groups at the facility. 

 What advice would you give to someone contemplating starting their own business? Have a deep connection with the product you're selling. Starting a business is incredibly challenging and if you're not passionate about your offering it's unlikely that others will be either.