Page 12 - 2024 Westchester County Economic Development Guide

10
WESTCHESTER COUNTY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT GUIDE
EverFoam
Eco-Friendly Party Decor Yonkers-based EverFoam offers an innovative, reusable alternative to helium balloons.
Watching her children at
play with a helium balloon inspired Westchester-based entrepreneur Traci Jones to fill an unmet need.
“As they played, it occurred to me that it would be great if the balloon was reusable,” says Jones. “I started doing research and the idea for EverFoam took off from there.”
Required to operate MRI machines in the
healthcare sector, helium is a nonrenewable
element that is experiencing a global supply
shortage. EverFoam’s balloons are filled with
a so foam that does not deflate, allowing event planners to repeatedly reuse the decorations. “EverFoam provides
a solution to dwindling helium availability by providing innovative alternatives, and to build products that delight event planners and party decor retailers, while driving down use of critical helium reserves,” says Jones.
“Both WIN and Element 46 have provided me with a remarkable display of support, significantly contributing to the success of my business.” —EverFoam Founder Traci Jones
e company was part of the Fall 2022 cohort of e Element 46 Tech Accelerator Powered by Cela Innovation. Learn more about Element 46 on page 18.
Jones is also a member of Westchester Innovation Network (WIN), an initiative by e Business Council of Westchester to help entrepreneurs bring their ideas to life through the support of its diverse business ecosystem in Westchester County. Its network is composed of small and mid-sized companies, professional services firms, and non-
Jones received a $5,000 BCW WIN Champion Award for her innovation.
profits along with some of the most well-known brands in the world, like IBM, PepsiCo, MasterCard, Heineken, Danone, Morgan Stanley, and Regeneron. In late 2023, Jones received a $5,000 Business Council of Westchester WIN Champion Award for her innovation.
“Both WIN and Element 46 have provided me with a remarkable display of support, significantly contributing to the success of my business not only through valuable networking opportunities but by connecting me with key industry players and potential clients and facilitating a dynamic delivery of knowledge and expertise. rough these programs, I have been able to enhance Everfoam’s visibility within the community.”
An ‘Ideal’ Match
As part of her participation in WIN, Jones was matched with DNK Events for a Montefiore holiday party at an event space in Mount Vernon where EverFoam hung its models of reusable balloon stars among single use balloons. “I got some valuable feedback from DNK Events’ CEO Dwayne Brown in terms of how he felt the décor fit in with some of his single-use party decorations...and he was thrilled that he would be able to repurpose the stars for other events.” Jones said that she will continue testing her products with DNK Events until she is ready for low-volume production. “Dwayne is my end customer and target market. He was my ideal match to provide advice and feedback.”
Looking ahead, “in 2024, our number one priority is to secure a solid manufacturing partnership that will allow us to produce our products in high volumes.”
To learn more about becoming an Innovation Partner or joining the WIN program, please contact Luiz Aragon at laragon@thebcw.org.
EverFoam’s reusable, environmentally-friendly ballon designs
© Courtesy of Everfoam