A family in Colorado invented their own winter attraction and turned it into a million-dollar business - here's how

• Mike Farny has always been a tinkerer, but his best upcycling project turned out to be an incredibly lucrative business.
• The Farny family owns and operates Ice Bumper Cars (IBC) International, which supplies ice bumper cars to 25 ice rinks in the country in eight states.
• IBC International had $1 million in gross revenue in 2018; Farny projects sales to hit $1.5 million in 2020 and $2 million in 2021.
• Part of this is a new revenue share program in which IBC International will partner with rinks, providing cars free-of-charge for a share in the revenue that the cars produce at those facilities.
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In December 1920, brothers from Massachusetts patented their bumper cars and created the Dodgem Company. Since then, kids of all ages - and plenty of adults - have reveled in the thrill of driving without a license and bumping into family and friends without fear of recourse.

Now, a century later, a family-owned company in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, has taken these classic cars and put them on ice, creating a product that not only delivers all of the fun of the original bumper car but also provides a new revenue stream for ice rinks around the country.

Currently, 25 ice rinks in the country in eight states own a fleet of ice bumper cars from Ice Bumper Cars (IBC) International, which is 90% of the company's business. The company also has a fleet of 16 rental cars; this option appeals to holiday popup rinks like the one in Bryant Park, New York City, and at the Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention Center in Denver.

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In 2018, IBC International had $1 million in gross revenue; sales in 2019 are expected to be around $700,000, but since the company paused sales in the first quarter of 2019 to execute the redesign, that's not unexpected. Farny is projecting sales to hit $1.5 million in 2020 and $2 million in 2021.