It took 15 months for Coast Spas to find Patricia Diamente, the woman who will replace outgoing CEO Don Elkington, who helmed the company for 22 years. Diamente worked 15 years in consumer bath products and has largely spent her career managing companies, working in sourcing and procurement, branding, operations, manufacturing and retail. “[The board]…
Austin LampkinGeneral Manager, Family Leisure – San AntonioSan Antonio, Texas For Family Leisure of San Antonio, we focus heavily on TV commercials as our main form or advertising. We run 10 to 12 special promotions a year with thousands of TV spots for each sale. Like with most advertising, you feel like half of it…
In 2007, Chris Robinson was profiled in the first issue of SpaRetailer. At that time, he had already worked 20 years at Lucite. Now Robinson is retiring after 39 years with the company. He began his career working at the Remington Arms division of Dupont in 1980. He had a hunch Dupont would sell that…
Doug RobinsonOwner, Virginia LeisureChesapeake, Virginia Prices are going up quickly. I sell four manufacturers’ hot tubs, and two of the four have had significant [freight] price increases. That makes it even more imperative that when we buy spas, we buy them by the truckload. If we buy them half truck and send them LTL…
“One of our favorite products right now is the Spa Frog @Ease, whether it is in-line or a floater. It gives the customer and us peace of mind that you have something working for you in the hot tub to make maintenance even easier. It’s been an easy sale and makes customers happy.” Kara Rowlen,…
Doug Robinson Owner, Virginia Leisure Chesapeake, Virginia Doug Robinson began his industry career in sales at Orlando’s Rec Warehouse in 1992, eventually becoming a regional manager and moving to Virginia Beach. As Rec Warehouse met financial difficulty, Robinson began to dream of being his own boss. He opened Virginia Leisure in Chesapeake, selling outdoor…
Rohan Mehta Arctic Spas Durham co-owner Whitby, Ontario We sold trampolines, and they were amazing. We had enough showroom to have a couple on display; we kept an inventory in our warehouse that customers could pick up and assemble themselves. They were great to have in the showroom as kids would be occupied bouncing and…
Rene Huston Patio Pleasures Pools & Spas Owner/Vice President of Finance, Sales and Marketing We use Evosus. Before investing in Evosus, we used a very basic POS software but we outgrew it. Evosus seems to serve us well based on our business size. I especially like its inventory management capabilities, the purchase order process, the integration…
What do you think the government’s role should be in governing small businesses? “Hold [small businesses] accountable to professional standards and certifications, but don’t handcuff them so they can’t afford to operate.” “Small business is the backbone of our employment system in the United States. Over the last 30 years, small business is responsible for over…
Brian Quint Aqua Quip president and CEO Nine in Seattle/Tacoma metro Hot Tub TV There was a time where anybody with any viable business plan could get a half-hour show on public-access television. I remember two ladies who did an edgy show called “Hot Tub TV” for one half-hour a month, where they would interview…
Bill Renter Best Hot Tubs president Farmingdale, Westbury and Windham New York We have stores that are busy in spring and summer, and another location that is busy in fall and winter. This evens out seasonality to reduce stress in the offseason. Make sure your overhead is reasonable, and in the event of another…
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