FOR THE LOFTHOUSES, FLOAT-MAKING IS A FAMILY AFFAIR 

As the fragrant Rose glorious entrance through the cheering crowd-lined boulevard in Pasadena, Chris Lofthouse and his son will most likely be standing together on a corner – in awe of the B-2 bombers soaring above and the emotional stories known only by a few about what went into creating more than half The father-and-son tradition is one that Lofthouse often shared with his father, who founded the Phoenix Decorating Company in 1983. Today, Lofthouse is the president and chief Pasadena company, which is the largest professional Parade.

While the company has grown exponentially in the past 30-plus years – it will Colorado Boulevard on Jan. 1 – becoming a large company was never the family’s intention.

“Our approach has always been that we buckle down and put out a good product, and we do it for a good reason,” says Lofthouse. “We have grown because of it, because of those reasons.” Hearing the stories be hind why their clients want becomes a special part of the process for everyone working on the Phoenix “There’s a lot of emotion,” he says. “We listen to the clients’ reasons for being in the parade and we try to give them the best experience. We want them to celebrate on New Year’s morning.” Some of the stories that have touched Lofthouse the most over the years are for reasons related to behind-the-scenes accomplishments and the challenges related to the unique reverse-engineering Other stories have a more personal appeal. The Donate Life Float, for example, has for about 12 years