Biz Buzz: Idaho Falls couple opens foam party business

Holly Cruz and Sidney Wynn, owners of Foam King Rentals, pose for a photo in front of their foam pit. See how it works in the video player above. | Rett Nelson, EastIdahoNews.com

Do you want to know what’s happening in the eastern Idaho business scene? We’ve got you covered. Here is a rundown of this week’s business news across the valley.

BIZ BRIEF

IDAHO FALLS

Local couple wants to help you have fun with a foam party

Kids having fun inside the foam pit. | Rett Nelson, EastIdahoNews.com

IDAHO FALLS – If you have a family reunion or other occasion coming up this summer and you want to spice up the party atmosphere, a local business may be able to help you.

Holly Cruz and her boyfriend, Sidney Wynn, opened Foam King Party Rentals in May. Cruz tells EastIdahoNews.com they’ve had parties booked nearly every weekend since they launched, and customers have responded favorably.

“The customers we’ve had have recommended us. We had one party that was scheduled for four hours, and he decided he wanted to do five hours. He recommended us to all of his friends and family and hopefully, to his wedding,” Cruz says. “It’s been a really positive experience. Everybody’s loved it.”

A foam party consists of an inflatable 13-by-13-foot pit that is 3 feet deep. It has a bouncy floor, similar to a bounce house. A solution is mixed with water inside the pit, and a giant fan blows air on it, creating a bubbly foam that quickly fills up the pool. See what it’s like in the video player above.

It’s typically inflated outside, which means it’s ideal for warm weather. Wynn comes to your home to set it up and mans its the entire time so there’s no hassle for customers. It takes about an hour to set up and take down, and it’s sanitized after every use. Disco lights are available for those who want to host a party at night.

Cruz says they’ve rented bounce houses for several occasions over the last several years and originally wanted to open their own bounce house rental business. They ultimately decided on foam pits after discovering there were lots of bounce house rentals in the area.

“We wanted something different that wasn’t in the area and this is what we found,” says Cruz.

Foam parties were a popular trend in the 1990s, Cruz says, and she remembers going to several foam parties when she was in high school.

Cruz says it’s rewarding to see the smiles on people’s faces as they host these parties.

RELATED | New soup and sandwich shop opens inside the Grand Teton Mall

Wynn is the former owner of Nay’s Soup Salad Sandwich inside the Grand Teton Mall, which recently closed down. He runs Foam King full time. Cruz is also involved. She works full-time at Joshua D. Smith & Associates, a mental health clinic in Idaho Falls, while pursuing a master’s degree in social work.

RELATED | First mental health clinic in eastern Idaho celebrating 30 years of business this month

One of their biggest events so far has been the Priddaho celebration in Pocatello last month. They’ll be hosting a party at The Mint Bar in Roberts next month.

Cruz says they’re hoping the business will continue to grow. They’d like to book more parties and work with more customers throughout eastern Idaho.

The cost to rent the foam pit is $100 an hour. To learn more or book a party, contact Cruz or Wynn through the business’s Facebook page.

Foam Pit Facebook page

BIZ BITS

Hospice wins customer experience award

POCATELLO – Alliance Home Health & Hospice is proud to announce they are the recipient of Pinnacle Quality Insight’s 2021 Customer Experience award. Qualifying for the award in the category of hospice, Alliance displays a continued dedication to providing best-in-class senior health care services.

Throughout its seven-year history of serving the community, Alliance has placed a strong emphasis on ensuring the individual needs of every patient are met. Over the course of 2020, a sampling of Alliance’s customers and their families have participated in monthly telephone interviews that include open-ended questions, as well as the opportunity to rate Alliance in specific categories. Every month, Alliance has gathered its real-time survey results to gain a better understanding of the patient’s needs and make improvements when necessary.

By qualifying for the Pinnacle Customer Experience Award, Alliance has satisfied the rigorous demand of scoring in the top 15% of the nation across a 12-month average. Clients have the opportunity to achieve this best-in-class distinction on a monthly basis in many categories designed to accurately reflect each patient’s experience.

Alliance Home Health & Hospice has a location at 1655 1st Street in Idaho Falls and 230 West Lewis in Pocatello. It also has a Twin Falls location at 1096 North Eastland Drive.

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