Air mattress could cushion local economy

A Lewisville company could bring more jobs to the area because of a new type of air mattress.

The company, Red Fox AirBeds, recently put its air mattress to the test on the Salmon River, in Idaho.

Jessica Court is a river guide in Salmon. She said she has been doing this for nine years but has never gone down a river with an air mattress.

Court and a few others used a Fox AirBed to travel on Class 3 rapids.

“The first time we got on the air mattress, we thought it was going to be tipsy, but when the four of us got on the bed, we were like, ‘Woah, we can’t tip this over,'” Court said.

“We were kind of rough on it; we let it dry out in the sun. It baked all afternoon, and then they slept on it every night,” she said.

Co-owner Kris Stowell and Bo Porter said the company is putting its skills to the test.
They want to prove competitors wrong.

“We want an air mattress that didn’t leak. We want it to look good and be the most comfortable air bed out there,” Stowell said.

Stowell said the protective cover made of vinyl makes them different than the rest.

“This cover will prevent some of the most common punctures found in air mattresses,” he said.

The protective covers are made in a Lewisville warehouse, while the airbeds are manufactured overseas.

Fifteen employees make up the company, and more jobs could be coming to the area if they’re successful.

The beds start at about $230. To find out more about them, go to http://foxairbeds.com/.