Open for Business: Sky Zone

Sky Zone
Sky Zone trampoline park opened Dec. 26 at 2765 S. Kansas Expressway. The 19,000-square-foot building, built in Kansas Plaza for roughly $1.6 million, is outfitted with near wall-to-wall trampolines, a dodgeball court, basketball hoops and a landing area with 10,000 foam cubes. Low-impact aerobics and toddler classes will start soon, said Sky Zone Manager Vicki Ables. “If you can walk, you can jump,” she said. “I had an 80-year-old grandmother jumping the other day and then a birthday party for an 18-month-old.” With roughly 50 employees, Ables said customers can book a spot online or walk in to sign up for jump times, which start every 15-30 minutes. Rates range from $9 for 30 minutes to $22 for two hours. With corporate headquarters in Los Angeles and over 70 parks around the country, Ables said a Tulsa-based franchise group owned by Larry Haskett, Bryan Hendershot and Andy Gray brought the patented concept to Springfield. The parent company charges a $60,000 franchise fee and 6 percent royalties. Hours: 4–8 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, noon–11 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m.–11 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m.–8 p.m. Sunday. Phone: (417) 771-3883. Web: SkyZone.com/Springfield

Bank of Little Rock Mortgage
Bank of Little Rock Mortgage on Nov. 11 opened its first branch outside of Arkansas at 3745 S. Fremont Ave., Unit D, in the Bradford Woods Office Condominiums. After 16 years in business and 10 branches in central Arkansas, Bank of Little Rock Mortgage hired Springfield lending veteran Kent Kelso to lead the four-employee office. “If you look at the demographics of Little Rock compared to Springfield, they are almost identical,” said Kelso, who has 24 years of residential lending experience and spent the last year as branch manager of USA Mortgage. At the first of the year, the Bank of Little Rock Mortgage opened a branch in Tuscaloosa, Ala., its second across Arkansas state lines. Bank of Little Rock, founded in 1987, started its mortgage division in 1998. Hours: 8:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Phone: (417) 720-4901. Web: BLRMortgage.com

Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market
A week after a Neighborhood Market in Springfield marked the 500th opening companywide, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE: WMT) brought its next concept to Clever: a 12,000-square-foot store. With a shopping experience centered on pharmacy, fuel and grocery items, the Clever store opened Jan. 14 at 414 N. Elm St. with 30 full- and part-time employees. Originally billed as a Wal-Mart Express, officials have rebranded the small-scale retail outlets to the recognized Neighborhood Market name, said Wal-Mart Communications Director Anne Hatfield. About a year ago, following a launch in three pilot markets, the Bentonville, Ark.-based company operated 20 Express stores, typically in towns within 30 minutes of another Wal-Mart store. Corporate officials had been scouting land in Sparta, but Hatfield said the company decided not to pursue those plans. Hours: 7 a.m.–10 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 8 a.m.–9 p.m. Sunday. Phone: (417) 583-2421. Web: Walmart.com

Send new business info to sbj@sbj.net.