How Pivotal Indoor Range Made the Numbers Work: A CFO's Take on Modernization
When Bryson and his business partner opened Pivotal Indoor Range, they had a clear division of labor. His partner brought a decade of Military and Instructor experience. Bryson brought the financial discipline to the table.
And when it came to evaluating the EV-R system, that financial lens created exactly the kind of scrutiny you'd expect from someone writing the checks.
Here's what happened when they ran the numbers.
"The Barrier to Entry is Kind of Steep"
Let's start with the obvious concern. When you're funding a new facility, every dollar matters. And modernization systems come with a price tag that can make any CFO pause.
"The number one thing that was a big consideration for me was the cost," Bryson told us in a recent interview. "Obviously being on the financial side, the barrier to entry is kind of steep."
This is the conversation we have with almost every range owner. The upfront investment feels like a risk. Especially when you're new.
But Bryson didn't stop at the sticker price. He ran projections.
Running the Three-Year Projection
Instead of looking at the cost in isolation, Bryson modeled what the system would do for revenue over a three-year subscription period.
"After you run the numbers and after you project an increase of sales over the duration of the product... the numbers did jive."
So what made the numbers work?
Two things: premium pricing and ammo velocity.
Premium Pricing: Customers Pay More for a Better Experience
Pivotal runs 10 lanes total. Eight are traditional Motorized pully lanes. Two are EV-R lanes.
And those two EV-R lanes? They charge a premium for them.
"Our Evolve range lanes are at premium, so we charge a little bit more for those lanes," Bryson explained.
This is a critical point that a lot of range owners miss. When you offer a differentiated experience, you can price it differently. Customers aren't comparing your EV-R lane to your static lane. They're comparing it to other entertainment options in the area.
And when you give them interactive games, score tracking, and mobile app integration, they're willing to pay for it.
Ammo Velocity: The Hidden Revenue Multiplier
But premium pricing was only part of the equation. The bigger discovery came after they opened the lanes to customers.
"We've had customers not utilize their full hour on the EV-R range because they've ran out of ammunition."
Read that again. Customers are burning through their ammo so fast that they're cutting their range time short.
This is what we call ammo velocity. When shooters get caught up in the competition and the games, they're not pacing themselves through a box of 50 rounds. They're going hard. They're trying to beat their score. They're trying to beat their friend.
And they're buying more ammo to do it.
Bryson understood the importance of this metric immediately. "We have a different line item or UPC code for the range ammunition that's used on the EV-R lanes," he said. "Tracking ammunition that is used on the Evolve lanes is a very important metric to utilize."
When you can measure the delta between static lane ammo sales and EV-R lane ammo sales, you can see the ROI in real time.
Watch: Why EVR Target Systems Are More Cost-Effective
The Gamer Demographic: "We Grew Up on Video Games"
Pivotal's target demographic skewed younger. Millennials. Weekend shooters. People who grew up with controllers in their hands.
"We grew up on video games, and having that be a part of the shooting experience was really attractive to us," Bryson said. "We knew it fit a lot of the shooters that we have come in and that frequent our business."
The interactive ability coupled with record keeping creates investment. When shooters can track their scores over time and see their improvement, they come back. They get invested.
And invested customers become repeat customers.
Why Live Fire Mattered
One of the biggest differentiators for Pivotal was the ability to use live ammunition and personal firearms.
"The fact that they could use live fire ammo and not a laser system was pretty big," Bryson explained. "I did some research on what other companies were out there, and the vast majority of them had a proprietary weapon system that had to be used with their projection system."
For their instructors, this was non-negotiable. Training needs to happen with the weapon the customer actually carries. EDC (everyday carry) integration was essential.
The EV-R system delivered on that without forcing customers into a proprietary ecosystem.
Customer Feedback: "Nobody's Been Upset with the Premium Price"
After a couple months of operation, Pivotal had a clear read on how customers were responding.
"Once people get behind it and actually use it, nobody's been upset with the premium price that they pay," Bryson said.
The key was education. RSOs (Range Safety Officers) had to walk customers through the system and calibrate it correctly. But once shooters experienced it, the value was obvious.
The only negative feedback came from a small slice of highly advanced tactical shooters. "Maybe your SWAT team member or someone like that, maybe the product's not good for them, but for the weekend shooter and the normal guy... 100% had nothing but good feedback."
Long-Term Strategy: Doubling Down on EV-R
When we asked Bryson about the future, his answer was clear.
Pivotal is currently working with a structural engineer to evaluate adding a second level to the facility. If they can double their lane count from 10 to 20, they would dedicate 10 lanes to the EV-R system.
"If we are able to work through some of our square foot issues, we would for sure grow on the Evolve side."
That's not the decision of someone who's uncertain about ROI. That's the decision of a CFO who's seen the numbers work.
Watch: How to Upgrade Your Shooting Range in 2026
The Partnership Model: More Than Just Installation
One of the things that stood out in our conversation with Bryson was the relationship he built with our team.
"They were extremely nice, giving us business advice, things that worked for them over there, things that didn't work," he said. "It was really nice to pick his brain (Alex). He's been in the industry for a long time and gave us insight from their perspective as well."
This is how we approach every installation. We're not just dropping equipment and walking away. We're helping you think through the business model, the pricing strategy, and the metrics you need to track.
Because technology only works if it turns a profit.
The Bottom Line: The Numbers Did Jive
Bryson came into the evaluation process with healthy skepticism. He looked at the cost. He ran projections. He modeled scenarios.
And the math worked.
Premium pricing gave them margin. Ammo velocity gave them volume. Customer satisfaction gave them retention.
If you're a CFO or a range owner trying to justify the investment in modernization, the Pivotal case study gives you a roadmap. Track the right metrics. Model the revenue levers. And don't just look at the upfront cost—look at what the system generates over time.
Ready to run your own numbers? We're offering a SHOT Show incentive for ranges that sign contracts by June 1st. Click here to view the 48-month subscription pricing sheet or schedule a financial consultation with our team.
