Step into the CEO seat at Apex Manufacturing
Step into the CEO seat at Apex Manufacturing.
An eight-week simulation set inside a Des Moines, Iowa manufacturer. Every decision ripples across the company.
- “He built this place. He can no longer see what's coming.”
- “Four hundred families. One company. One decision.”
- [soft ambient tone] A gray-haired executive lifts a pair of glasses toward his face.
- [narrator] He built this place. He can no longer see what's coming. He slowly draws the glasses away from his face and they dissolve in his hands.
- [mechanical hum, distant machinery] Slow dolly down a long aisle of CNC machines. Late-shift workers in high-vis vests cross through pooled amber light.
- [narrator] Down on the floor, every hour costs something this company doesn't have. Starting Monday, that bill is yours.
- The aisle keeps unfolding under amber pool lights.
- [muffled, tense underscore] Close-up debate around the mezzanine table. Faces lit hard from one side.
- [narrator] Four hundred families. One company. One decision. They're waiting on the new chair to make it.
- A finger jabs the table. A folder slides across it. Nobody speaks aloud.
- The CEO stands at the office glass, back to camera, looking down on the dark factory below.
- [narrator] He stands with his back to the floor he built. The line keeps moving. The clock is already running.
- The plant floor breathes below in pooled amber light.
- [underscore swells, then drops] High-angle camera pulls back across the entire plant floor — a constellation of amber pool lights in the dark.
- [narrator] The chair turns. The plant is waiting. Step in. You're the CEO now.
- The constellation of amber lights holds, then fades to black.
What Apex is
A serious simulation that grades judgment, not recall.
An 8-week cinematic CEO simulation.
Step into the seat at a 2,400-person Des Moines automotive supplier. Every weekly decision ripples across finance, operations, and culture.
17 fully-voiced characters with memory.
Board, union, customers, and your executive team — they remember what you decided in week 2 when they push back in week 6.
Research-backed pedagogy and AI transparency.
Every rubric, every grade, every citation is open. Students always see how — and why — they were evaluated.
Three simulations
Pick your scenario.
The Future of Work at Apex Manufacturing
Eight weeks as the new CEO of a 2,400-person Des Moines automotive supplier. Robotics financing, union pressure, Gen Z talent shortage, debt covenants — all in one course.
Prairie Precision Manufacturing
Eight weeks as VP of Operations at a 340-person, third-generation Iowa family-owned ag-equipment supplier. Co-authored with founding community-college and manufacturer partners. Iowa 260F-eligible.
Heartland Micromolding, Inc.
Eight weeks as the new COO of a 250-person, family-owned specialty micro injection molder in Ankeny, Iowa. Medtech customer consolidation, FDA Class III readiness, a private-equity offer, and a cleanroom contamination crisis. Iowa is not just farm equipment.
Built for higher ed
Serious about pedagogy. Serious about transparency.
15-citation research foundation
Pedagogy grounded in 15 peer-reviewed sources on situated cognition and case-based learning.
See methodologyAI transparency by default
Rubrics, weights, and AI reasoning are visible to students and instructors at every step.
How grading worksFERPA + Privacy Mode
Anonymous enrollment, no PII required. Built for institutional procurement.
Compliance detailsThe Cast
17 people are watching your every move.
Hover any face to hear them. Each one has an agenda — and a memory.
Week 1 cold open
It's 3 a.m. The phone is ringing.
Turn the narrator on for a calm walk-through of the moment your students walk into as the new CEO of Apex Manufacturing.
Apex Manufacturing — 3 a.m.
An incoming call from Victoria Hartwell, Board Chair. Press play to hear the moment your students walk into.
- “Welcome to your first morning in the chair.”
- “Our competitors are ramping their automation investments… we are not interested in caretakers.”
- “I expect a comprehensive proposal by the end of this week — bold, data-driven, and yours.”
Featured story
“Step into the seat at a 2,400-person Des Moines automotive supplier — every weekly decision ripples across finance, operations, and culture.”