Trampoline business plans to expand into Cape

Next month, Ultimate Air Trampoline Park is expected to secure a property that would allow it to expand the Jonesboro, Arkansas-based business to include a new indoor trampoline center in Cape Girardeau.

Buddy Caubble, one owner of Ultimate Air, said Wednesday the company is excited to be pursuing the expansion.

“We’ve got a building we’re supposed to close on on Feb. 17,” he said. He declined to name the location of the property until the deal is completed.

He gave several details regarding the plans for the proposed center, however.

“It’s going to be a 35,000-square-foot building, and inside that building, we’ll have about 12,000 square feet of trampolines and attractions,” he said.

The facility, he said, will be similar to their existing one in Jonesboro, in which the jumping area looks almost like a gymnasium, but with trampolines instead of a court floor.

Patrons in Jonesboro can purchase one of several hourly pass options and then jump freely or participate in games, fitness routines or other exercises.

At the Cape Girardeau location, Caubble said they plan to have a similar operation, with fitness classes at various times throughout the day to accommodate the schedules of parents and working people, as well as children.

He said spaces will be designated for younger children, “for people worried about their toddler bouncing around with 18-year-old kids. It should be fun for all ages.”

The new facility also will house a laser maze and rentable rooms for parties, he said, and patrons or corporations will be able to rent anywhere from one room up to the entire facility if desired.

Caubble said once the owners are able to close on the building, they expect renovations to last roughly three months.

After that, he said, receiving and installing the actual trampoline components could take another 90 to 100 days.

The facility is expected to be open sometime before the year’s end.

Ultimate Air opened in Jonesboro almost a year ago, Caubble said, and has done well enough to pursue expansion properties not only in Cape Girardeau, but also in Stillwater, Oklahoma, and Maui, Hawaii.

“It’s done fantastic,” Caubble said. “We’ve been very pleased. It has answered a need that Jonesboro had.”

And the company is betting Cape Girardeau has that same need.

“Cape and Jonesboro are a lot alike,” Caubble said. “It’s not what you’d consider a huge metropolitan market like a St. Louis or a Little Rock, [Arkansas,] but there’s a regional draw. The people around there go for hospitals and shopping, and as far as our business model is concerned, that’s what we were looking for in terms of family entertainment.”

Cape Girardeau is also a college town like Jonesboro, which is home to Arkansas State University, and Ultimate Air’s home location offers student promotions to attract that demographic.

College-age or even high-school-age people also may be interested in staffing the facility once it opens, Caubble said.

He said the Cape Girardeau location likely would employ 60 to 65 people, mostly on a part-time basis.

“That’s the other thing we’re real happy to bring to the area,” he said. “We’re just excited about the opportunity to come to Cape.”

tgraef@semissourian.com

(573)388-3627