When Greg Olbrich and Mohammed Zia opened a Sky Zone trampoline park in Alhambra earlier this year, they didn’t expect to become the top Sky Zone in the country in less than a year. Sky Zone embraced its role as a true attraction for locals and visitors alike, and they have grounded their business in the community by supporting causes and efforts that support youth and the community at large. You can find them sponsoring the Lunar New Year Festival’s kids zone, school events, and more. This smashing success earned them the recognition of “Best New Business” at the 2024 Alhambra Chamber of Commerce President’s Awards. We spoke with Greg to learn more about what makes Sky Zone number one.
AA: Tell us about yourself and what got you into trampoline parks.
Greg: I’ve got a son, he’s 16 years old. He loves trampoline parks, he was my inspiration. I would be sitting in trampoline parks around my hometown, thinking “gosh, kids love this stuff. They get off their devices, they go get some exercise, and they go home tired and they get a good sleep that night. Parents must love that.” I know I did. We are strong believers that the most fundamental aspects of a child’s growth and development are rooted in active play. It’s so important for kids to have this kind of an outlet these days. It’s even more important with all the pressures they have with social media and school, that they’re able to find somewhere where they can be themselves and get a good workout. To have that balance in life is so important. That, to me, is one of my biggest loves and passions for opening a Sky Zone, it’s just to give kids an outlet to be themselves and have a blast.
AA: Why did you choose to open a trampoline park in Alhambra?
Greg: This was an area that had a high desire and high need to bring an event or an active family entertainment venue like this to the area. There’s just been a gap. In Alhambra, there are parks, there are a couple smaller venues that you can have events at, but not really places to bring the family somewhere — in air conditioning — were they can go, have fun, get off their devices, have parties, have events, have a dodgeball tournament. There was just a big gap and we love that we were able to fill it and everybody’s been so welcoming.
AA: What do you think goes into your success, coming out of the gate swinging?
Greg: We got out into the community and out on social very quickly. Getting into the Lunar New Year Festival, sponsoring the Kids Zone in February was huge. We gave away a ton of free tickets, we talked to just about everybody that came by, they were all so excited and engaged. I think it’s really just putting yourself out there so people know you’re coming, what you’re offering. If you go to our park, we have nine party rooms and all the modern attractions like slides. These are the most amazing, non-water slides. Big sports courts where you can do basketball and soccer. We’ve got the traditional bouncy area, but we also have a toddler zone. We cater to a lot of different ages. It’s modern, a fully-stocked fuel zone. It really offers a comprehensive set of products and services that cater to just about everybody. Between that and your social organic and paid advertising, we did a lot of fundraisers and donations with local schools. Just getting ourselves out there and then once folks come in, you show them the time of their lives. We are number one and I hope we can maintain that status, but that’s not what we wanted right out of the gate necessarily, we just wanted to be able to bring this wonderful opportunity to life in this community that so desperately wanted it.
AA: What are your goals for Skyzone?
Greg: Getting out there in the community, getting involved, being good neighbors. It’s all about trying to bring more folks to this wonderful city – this is the “Gateway to San Gabriel Valley.”
