Horizon West company offers foam-tastic fun

Looking for something different for your child’s birthday party or your next outdoor gathering with friends? How about a foam party?

Business partners Stephen Herron and Shane Stults are the guys behind Florida Foam Factory, a new company created during the pandemic — at a time when people were worried about large groups being in close contact inside.

Foam Factory can produce a 6-foot-tall mountain of foam to your yard — accompanied by a deejay and a fun musical playlist.

“The idea for starting a foam party business came about because my father and I are both magicians and last year, because of the pandemic, any kind of gig that we had already booked to go and do a magic show got canceled, just like all entertainment,” Herron said. “All these magicians are out of work, and this company started making these foam cannons and marketing them to out-of-work magicians.

“What’s cleaner and safer than being outside and covering kids in foam and soap?” Herron said. “And this is a great way to do parties in a time when you really can’t go and do parties and do it safely.”

His father started a similar business in Kentucky, and it was such a huge hit that he suggested Herron try it in Florida.

Herron is a magician and former Walt Disney World cast member, and Stults is a retired U.S. Air Force veteran. Both families live in Horizon West, and the two handle the office in the Central Florida area. The husband-and-wife team of Brian and Brenda Porter — a retired Air Force veteran and a gymnastics and dance instructor — are foaming it up in the Tampa area.

“Both of us thought, ‘What a great area to open a business like this,’” Stults said. “We think we bring a special personality, and all of Stephen’s experience in entertainment (is a bonus).”

Once event hosts show Herron where the party will be set up, they are free to enjoy themselves and Florida Foam Factory does the rest. Herron sets up the music equipment and foam cannons, and he is the deejay at each event.

Various playlists are available, depending on the age of the partygoers, Stults and Herron said. And they can turn the foam green, red or blue for partiers who want to stray from the regular white.

“It’s not just for kids,” Herron said. “We can do parties for teenagers, graduation parties; this can be for college kids, this can be for adults.”

Glow parties also are available, and the Foam Factory sets up in the evening and brings UV lights that glow green.

“It’s super popular with the teenagers and adults, and it gives it a party/club atmosphere wherever you’re at,” Herron said.

Another idea, they said, is to hold a full-scale gender-reveal party with pink and blue foam.

One of their earliest clients is a local childcare facility that has booked a party this week and another in October.

“Other entertainment places around the country that do the foam parties are really limited because most places have seasons,” Herron said. “We get to do snow parties in Florida when it’s 80 degrees out in December — and it’s something that we can come to your Christmas party and it’s foam but it’s also like its snow.”

Stults and Herron warn party patrons: “You will get wet. It’s not like you’re jumping in a pool, but the foam is being mixed with the water and shooting out of the cannon at high speeds. So, we recommend wearing something you don’t mind getting damp in.”

They said the foam solution is hypoallergenic and plant-based and is safe for people with even the most sensitive skin.

“You could have a pet party and have all your neighbor pets come and play,” they quipped.

They currently are working on an adopt-a-pet event in the Winter Garden, so folks will be able to see some furry friends at play.

Foam parties start at one hour and can be booked for longer. Costs vary depending on the length of the party.

“It is very fun and very cool, and in the Florida heat, it’s a great way to cool off,” Herron said.