Necessity creates opportunity for SWFL children's party gear entrepreneur

As a father of two, Christopher Johnson has thrown his fair share of kids’ birthday parties. And after disappointing experiences renting bounce houses and slides for his daughters’ birthdays, he took matters into his own hands.

He and a friend bought out another company in Naples and grew it into SWFL Amusements, a party equipment rental service that offers everything from inflatables for kids to mechanical bulls and DJ services. “If you need it for a party, we’re there to help and supply you with it,” says Johnson.

Photo by Mark Wemple

His years working as a surveyor at his family’s Cape Coral land surveying firm, Harris-Jorgensen, gives him an edge when it comes to setting up the rentals. With intimate knowledge of local neighborhoods, parks, and terrain in general, he knows how to handle most locations and the best spots for setting up the waterslide, bounce house or inflatable obstacle course.

Taking down the rental equipment is much more challenging, especially since it’s just Johnson and his co-owner doing all the work. “We have a waterslide that when it’s wet it’s probably over 1,000 pounds, and it’s just me and him rolling that thing up and trying to get it on a trailer,” he says.

But he learned about the importance of being hands-on while working at Dairy Queen in high school, where management “just wanted to show up and tell everybody what to do,” he says. “That’s not how I roll. … Being a leader doesn’t mean that you don’t get your hands dirty. You’ve got to get in there, and you’ve got to really work.”

His grandfather, John Harris, who founded Harris-Jorgensen, has been a longtime mentor. “He’s taught me everything, and he leads by example,” says Johnson. “He’s the first one in, last one out. He shows you what to do and helps out everybody that he can, so I’d like to live that same life.”