Par for the course

Daniel Huiet, a 2008 Wright State University marketing alumnus, is no stranger to hosting a great time. His three recent business endeavors — Level Up Pinball Bar, Wild Axe Throwing and Great Escape Game — are popular entertaining destinations for patrons looking for a team-building challenge or a fun date night.

“I’ve been busy,” said Huiet. “That’s a bit of an understatement.”

Recently, Huiet poured his time and energy into his latest business adventure, On Par Entertainment, an entertainment venue featuring a full kitchen, 102 self-pour taps, karaoke, duckpin bowling and 27 holes of mini golf. The business also includes five high-tech darts lanes, pool tables, shuffleboard, a 16-person foosball table, VIP seating and a heated patio.

Huiet said the goal of the new business is to allow guests to escape reality by having fun.

“It’s really unique and has all sorts of things you’ve never seen before,” he said. “It’s been our third month in business and it’s been great.”

The 33,000-square-foot entertainment facility is located across the street from The Greene in Beavercreek.

A self-described serial entrepreneur, Huiet said he has made hundreds of business mistakes over the years and failed occasionally, but he has always learned from them.

“I never thought negatively about business,” he said. “There is no failure in life; there are just lessons to be learned.”

Last semester, Wright State MBA students taking a marketing strategy course provided Huiet a situational analysis of two of On Par Entertainment and Wild Axe Throwing.

“It was actually really amazing,” said Ali Murtzaza, a Master of Business Administration student. “He answered all of the questions we had.”

Kendal Goodrich, Ph.D., professor of marketing and chair of the School of Supply Chain Management, Marketing and Management, said it is great to see Wright State students having an impact on a business during a group analysis.

“The students can often come in from a third-party marketing perspective and come up with some things that the ownership might not have considered,” said Goodrich.

The collaboration also allowed Huiet to pass along to students the useful lessons he learned at Wright State and as a business owner and hear some fresh marketing ideas from graduate students.

“It was pretty good. I got some great ideas from it,” he said.

Huiet hopes the partnership with the MBA Program will continue and promises to help business and entrepreneurial students believe in themselves.

“If you have a dream just chase and do it now,” said Huiet. “If you think you can do it, you can do it.”

Huiet’s inspiring message resonated with Murtaza.

“If a Wright State grad can be somebody like him maybe I can walk in a similar path,” said Murtzaza.