a typical shoot layout.

Transcription

NIAGARA HOT TUB
PREMIUM POOLS AND SPAS
TROPICAL POOL & SPA
LCL SPAS & BILLIARDS
DEEP BLUE POOL & SPA
SEASONAL WORLD
THE POOL DOCTOR OF RHODE ISLAND
POOLS AND SPAS UNLIMITED
ARVIDSON POOLS & SPAS
MASTER SPAS OF WESTERN MICHIGAN
WE CALL THEM RETAIL STARS, BUT TO THEM IT’S THE
CUSTOMERS WHO SHINE THROUGH. THESE RETAILERS
HAVE TAKEN CUSTOMER SERVICE CLICHÉS AND REVAMPED
THEM TO FIT THEIR STORES AND THEIR CLIENTELE.
HOTSPRING SPAS OF MUSIC CITY
ADVENTURE HOT TUBS & POOLS
ALL ABOUT SPAS & LEISURE LIVING
INTERNATIONAL HOT TUB CO.
SPASCAPES
CEDAR WORKS SPAS
BLACK PINE SPAS & BILLIARDS
40 | SpaRetailer July/August 2011
SPARETAILER.COM
| 41
NIAGARA HOT TUB / TROPICAL POOL & SPA / DEEP BLUE POOL & SPA / THE POOL DOCTOR OF RHODE ISLAND / PREMIUM POOLS AND SPAS / POOLS AND SPAS UNLIMITED / LCL SPAS & BILLIARDS / ARVIDSON POOLS & SPAS
MASTER SPAS OF WESTERN MICHIGAN / HOTSPRING SPAS OF MUSIC CITY / ALL ABOUT SPAS & LEISURE LIVING / INTERNATIONAL HOT TUB CO. / SPASCAPES / CEDAR WORKS SPAS / THE POOL DOCTOR OF RHODE ISLAND
PREMIUM POOLS AND SPAS / BLACK PINE SPAS & BILLIARDS / SEASONAL WORLD / ADVENTURE HOT TUBS & POOLS / MASTER SPAS OF WESTERN MICHIGAN / ALL ABOUT SPAS & LEISURE LIVING / INTERNATIONAL HOT TUB CO.
PREMIUM POOLS AND SPAS
NIAGARA HOT TUB
St. Catharines, Ontario
NIAGARAHOTTUBS.COM
A Culture of Service
Debbie Goch, Mike Goch, Zirka Cupolo and Rachelle Kroeker
NIAGARA HOT TUB
OWNERS
Mike and Debbie
Goch
BRANDS CARRIED
Hot Tubs:
Master Spas
Swim Spas:
Michael Phelps
Signature Swim Spas
by Master Spas
Chemicals:
EcoOne, SpaLife,
AquaBrand,
Lawresons
Accessories:
The Covana, Leisure
Concepts
Saunas:
Sauna Tec, Finnleo
MIKE GOCH BEGAN WORKING at his friend’s hot tub store to fill some free time.
When he and his wife, Debbie, saw the need for a hot tub retailer in St.
Catharines, they decided to give ownership a shot.
“I’m not one to take chances,” says Debbie Goch. “But we did it and we’ve
never looked back.”
Mike has continued with his job, but Debbie quit her banking job to run the
store full time and, since it opened in 2000, it has thrived. Her banking background
gave her a heart for customer service that carried over to the hot tub business.
“We knew we only wanted to have one store,” Goch says. “So if we were going
to do it we were going to treat our customers well, take very good care of them and
do it right without getting too big and not be able to give it that personal touch.”
Even though they wanted to keep things small, they still grew, moving to several
larger units over the years. In fact, they are expanding by combining the unit they
are in with the one next door.
Coming off their two best years yet, Goch says there isn’t one thing she can
pinpoint that prompted the success, except for the entire staff’s willingness to go
above and beyond for their customers.
“We don’t have a high staff turnover,” she says. “I think customers appreciate the
knowledge and the experience that they are getting when they come into our store.”
Goch says customers often will come in and ask for her by name, only to realize the
employee standing in front of them is just as knowledgeable as she, the owner.
“[Customers] know that I breathe and sleep this business,” Goch says. “So
my heart and soul is going into it. That’s why they are going to want to talk to
the owner, but within a couple of minutes they know that they are getting the
same customer service and experience they were getting with me [from another
employee].”
Referrals are Niagara Hot Tub’s greatest form of advertising, but Goch has
found another advertising source that has been successful.
“Every year we put together a flier that offers a preferred discount to employees
from big companies in the area, like the fire department, police department, the
local casino, GM,” Goch says, adding that she is particularly proud Niagara Hot
Tub has grown to the point that they are able to give back to the community.
Not having worked in the hot tub industry before, Goch had to start from
scratch when they opened the store, but she learned as much as she could and is
still studying.
“I love to read every article I can gather,” she says. “You always have to be up
on your game because there are all these things that are going to be changing in
the industry.”
Quispamsis, New Brunswick
PREMIUMPOOLSANDSPAS.CA
KELLY HARE BEGAN helping out her husband,
Tim Hickey, when he started a stamp-concrete
business. As that business grew, he began
building pools. And as he built more pools,
more customers began asking about hot tubs.
“We started selling Rotospa from our home,”
Hare says. “And then it grew from that to
taking on Arctic Spa and opening a store.”
The store is only two years old, but referrals
are already its No. 1 source of leads.
“We have spent a fair chunk of change
on advertising, but I don’t really find any one
works better than another,” Hare says. “But the
one that works the best for us is word of mouth.
Then they know what to expect when they
come in the door, and they’re here because they
want to be here — because someone sent them.
Then the relationship with them is much better
right from the beginning.”
Hare says that the relationships they build
with their customers is likely the reason its
customers tell everybody to come there, “as
opposed to the place up the street.”
“We really try to get to know our customers,”
Hare says. “I know their dogs’ names, their kids’
names, what kind of hot tub they have, how
often they use it and how much they like it.”
As the company grows, Hare hopes to keep
things simple so they can
continue to provide that
PREMIUM POOLS
AND SPAS
one-on-one attention.
OWNERS
“We like having few
Kelly Hare and Tim
employees and one crew to
Hickey
send out to put pools in,”
she says. “We like to have
BRANDS CARRIED
Hot Tubs:
control of every crew and
Arctic Spas, Rotospa,
have my husband on each
Bullfrog Spas
job; that’s something we’ll
Swim Spas:
Arctic Spas
probably always do.”
Chemicals:
Dazzle, Arctic Pure
SPARETAILER.COM
| 43
TROPICAL POOL & SPA
Photos by Focal Point Studios
Prince George, British Columbia
TROPICALPOOL.CA
Outclassing
Geographic Hurdles
KAREN AND DAVE DENNISON had been retired for two years when they started to get
the business itch again. The couple previously owned and operated several other
businesses, and as their children began to graduate and leave home, they wanted
to try their hand at something new: selling Beachcomber Hot Tubs. So in 1997,
they purchased Tropical Pool & Spa, which had been serving Prince George and
the surrounding areas for 20 years.
Ten years prior to buying the business, Dave had bought a Beachcomber hot
tub while Karen was away on a business trip. The $5,000 purchase didn’t make
much sense to Karen at first, but it grew on her.
Dave Dennison, Derek Devlin, Deanna Devlin,
“After I got in and saw how my family enjoyed it, I didn’t begrudge
Verdine Mojolsness
it at all,” Karen Dennison says. “So when this [business] came up,
we knew that it was a quality product and we knew that we totally
had enjoyed ours, so it would be a fun business.”
TROPICAL POOL &
Within five years of purchasing Tropical Pool & Spa, the
SPA
Dennisons had outgrown the location and inventory space.
SATELLITE STORES
“The building we were in really wasn’t designed well for a hot
Chetwynd, BC
tub store,” Karen says. The hot tubs ended up being stored in the
Quesnel, BC
Vanderhoof, BC
building’s basement as well as in the yard at their home. “You’d get
Burns Lake, BC
ready to deliver a hot tub and then you wouldn’t know whether it
Ft. St. James, BC
was in [the store] basement or at your house because everything was
Mackenie, BC
so jammed.”
Houston, BC
Smither, BC
So, in 2002 they purchased a new building and brought on a
partner, Verdine Mojolsness, who brought expertise to their service
OWNERS
department. Karen says people might think they are over-inventoried,
Dave Dennison;
but for the volume the store does and its remote location, she’s glad
Deanna and Derek
they have the space to keep as much as they do on hand.
Devlin; Verdine
Mojolsness
“Prince George is a really tough market because we are 500 miles
from anything,” Dennison says. “We are such a long distance inland
BRANDS CARRIED
that shipping is really expensive. So there is no point in shipping one
Hot Tubs:
of anything up here; it might as well be a truckload.”
Beachcomber Hot Tubs
Chemicals:
But being remote doesn’t just impact the freight costs for the
Beachcomber Care Free
store, it was also affecting customers who sometimes came from more
Gazebos:
than 150 miles away to buy a hot tub. So they found an innovative
The Covana, Visscher
solution.
Specialty Products
Other Products:
“We felt really strongly that there was no point in selling hot tubs to
In-ground Swimming
people so far away if they couldn’t have products to keep them properly,”
Pools, Billiards,
Dennison says. So the company set up a network of eight satellite stores
Saunas, Outdoor
to sell after-market products like chemicals to its customers.
Furniture, BBQs
(Continued on page 60)
LCL SPAS & BILLIARDS
Winnipeg, Manitoba
WINNIPEGHOTTUBSPAS.CA
WHEN JAY BRECKMAN, president of LCL Spas & Billiards, finished univer-
sity, he joined his parents selling Softub spas. “We grew it, took on larger
lines and decided to go into a larger marketplace, Winnipeg,” he explains.
Now LCL, whose motto is ‘Trusted, preferred, always referred,’
is one of the top dealers for Coast Spas, winning the International
Service award from the company nine times. “We’re proud of that,”
he says. “It’s something that’s based on measurable results from the
dealer areas, and we certainly hang our hat on that one. It gives our
customers a lot of confidence in doing business with us.”
But it’s not awards that keep the customers coming back (more
than 40 percent of its business comes from referrals) — it’s the
relationships that LCL works hard to establish with everyone who
walks through the door.
“I think that [the store’s longevity] has to do
LAKE COUNTRY
with a loyal customer base,” Breckman says. “I
LEISURE
think it has to do with carrying a quality product
OWNERS
that we believe in and giving good customer service.”
Jay, Trevor and Eric
Breckman
LCL has success with a combination of home
shows and its own events throughout the year. Another
BRANDS CARRIED
program that helps generate cash flow year-round is its
Hot Tubs:
Coast Spas, Softub,
hot tub rentals, which serves a dual purpose.
Northwind, Tublicious
“It’s also a great way to do some charity work,”
Swim Spas:
Breckman says. “We often will give prizes to different
Coast Spas
charities that they can auction off to generate
Chemicals:
Gardex
revenue, so it helps to give back to the community.”
Accessories:
Breckman runs the business with his two brothers,
Cover Valet, The
Eric, the sales manager, and Trevor, who manages
Covana, Leisure
the service department.
Concepts
Saunas:
“We’re laid back when customers come in,”
Saunatec
Breckman says. “We like to have a warm, friendly
Other Products:
atmosphere, which people seem to respond to.
Connelly Billiards,
Most of our staff have been here a very long time,
Bull BBQ
so it’s one big family.”
SPARETAILER.COM
| 45
DEEP BLUE POOL & SPA
Batavia, New York
DEEPBLUEPOOL.NET
SEASONAL WORLD
New Store,
New Challenges
Clarksburg, New Jersey
SEASONALWORLD.COM
IT’S SAFE TO SAY
that almost every pool builder builds
spas or sells portable hot tubs. And with swimming pools
offering bigger profits, it’s easy for spas to be forgotten.
That’s what was happening to Seasonal World in
Clarksburg, N.J., until two years ago when the company
decided it was time for a change.
“We sat down and said, ‘If we are going to do this,
let’s make a conscious effort on it,’” says Anthony
Schiavone, senior vice president of operations at Seasonal
World. “So we went out and hired the right sales people,
a sales manager and [started to] build [spa sales] with a
good brand as well. We incorporated a lot of proven tactics that work in other areas of the business.”
Schiavone’s father, Tony Schiavone, founded Seasonal
World in 1980 and
continues to run the business.
Along with Anthony, Tony’s sons Christopher and Mark,
as well as his wife, Bea, work in the business.
Besides selling pools and spas, Seasonal World also
converts its showroom into a Halloween and Christmas
superstore.
Schiavone says revamping the spa department meant a
more focused approach on
customers.
SEASONAL WORLD
OWNERS
“I think we really try to
Tony and Anthony
understand the buyer,” he
Schiavone
says. “Try to educate them
on the process as well as
BRANDS CARRIED
Hot Tubs:
offer design consultations
Dimension One Spas,
with the spa. We offer free
Coleman Hot Tubs
home consultations on
Swim Spas:
spas trying to build that
D1 Aquatic Fitness
complete spa-scape. So, we
Systems
Accessories:
made a real push to streamLeisure Concepts,
line our processes, makDimension One Spas
ing sure that we are truly
Chemicals:
understanding the client’s
Swimming Pools,
Patio Furniture,
needs and not just trying
Outdoor Kitchens,
to find something in their
Fences, Glass
price point.”
Enclosures
“ANYBODY
Brian Bater, Dominick Camelio
Photos by Jeff Palm
DEEP BLUE POOL
AND SPA
OWNERS
Brian Bater
Dominick Camelio
LOCATIONS
Batavia, NY
Henrietta, NY
BRANDS CARRIED
Hot Tubs:
PDC Spas, Dynasty
Spas, Coast Spas,
Dream Maker Spas
Swim Spas:
PDC Spas, Dynasty
Spas, Coast Spas
Chemicals:
Baquacil, BioGuard,
Poolife
Accessories:
The Covana, Leisure
Concepts
WHO HAS EVER been in the pool or spa business, once it’s in your blood
you are done,” says Brian Bater, co-owner of Deep Blue Pool & Spa. “If it is
something that you enjoy doing, you keep getting sucked back into it.”
Bater got his start in the industry in high school and continued through
college. After college he got a job at Kodak, but simultaneously started a pool
service company with his father. It grew and well, you know the rest. This
December, Deep Blue Pool & Spa opened a second location in Henrietta, N.Y.,
outside Rochester.
“Things have been going very well for us, so we are fortunate,” says Ed
Wilkosz, operations manager. Wilkosz got his start in the industry at the same
pool store that Bater did. “The recession hasn’t really been something that we’ve
seen impact us. We’d been looking to expand to the Rochester market at some
point, and a great location popped up with a lease that was too good to pass up.”
The company already did service work in the area, so it had a presence on which
to build. The store is starting to pick up steam, and they say right now the toughest
thing is getting it staffed properly.
“Obviously it doubled our workforce, so it spread core members kind of
thin,” Wilkosz says. For the time being, they are “cherry picking” the jobs they
are doing. “We are not just taking anything and everything now; it’s the more
qualified jobs, the ones that really make us money.”
Hiring has become difficult because there are so many people looking for a
job, and as Wilkosz has realized, many of them are overqualified.
“I’m sitting here right now with a pile of applications and resumés in front of
me trying to do a second round of hiring so that we can get some more people,”
Wilkosz says. “We recently brought on someone to head up sales and marketing.
With two stores now, the marketing became that much more crucial. It was
unbelievable the response we got. People who were 20- and 30-year vets in the
marketing industry all trying to take a job that essentially we were trying to fill
with someone fresh out of college. It is almost harder to interview people like that
because they are more experienced than I am.” Fortunately, they found a person
who was a good fit.
When they looking are at a potential new employee, Wilkosz says what’s
important to them is finding someone who has the right people skills — not
necessarily pool and spa skills. “I’d rather have you not be the most knowledgeable pool person but have the ability to make good friends, because customers will
see you through that,” he says. “They’ll let you stumble and stutter over trying
to find the right chemical for them as long as they trust what you are ultimately
going to give them. We’ve been fortunate to be able to have those kinds of people
working for us, and it has got us through this far.” (Continued on page 61)
SPARETAILER.COM
| 47
THE POOL DOCTOR OF RHODE ISLAND
Coventry, Rhode Island
SPLASHTIME.COM
A Fondness for
Retail and Customers
THE POOL DOCTOR
OF RHODE ISLAND
OWNERS
Debbi and Ron
Leclerc
BRANDS CARRIED
Hot Tubs:
Dimension One Spas
Chemicals:
BioGuard
Accessories:
InSPArations,
Spazazz, A&B
Accessories, Brite
Ideas, Texas Rec
Pools:
Pacific Graphex
Other Products:
Grills, Smokers, BBQ
Accessories, Outdoor
Yard Art, Toys, Games
POOLS AND SPAS UNLIMITED
Milford, Delaware
SWIMDELMARVA.COM
in the pool and spa industry
their entire lives, but not many can boast 36
years of doing nothing else, at least not at the
age of 51. Mark Henderson began servicing
pools when he was 15 and hasn’t looked back.
IT’S NOT VERY OFTEN that you hear someone say they love retail, but Debbi Leclerc,
Instead of heading to college after high school
co-owner and vice president of The Pool Doctor of Rhode Island, loves retail. In
he chose to start his own business building
fact, a lot of the backstory of The Pool Doctor and the Leclercs involves love.
above-ground pools. He spent time in Florida
Ron Leclerc worked for a large pool manufacturer and, at the behest of his
working for a hot tub manufacturer, managing
boss, would help customers with pool openings and closings. He eventually
a hot tub store, building pools and learning
started a service company on the side, which is what he was doing when he met
the ropes of being a hot tub technician. By the
Debbi in 1989. In order to spend time with Ron, Debbi quickly realized she had
time he and his wife started Henderson Service
better learn a thing or two about pools.
in Delaware out of their basement in 1991,
“The next thing you know, he and I were working as a team opening and
Henderson already had 15 years of industry
closing pools and I had my own weekly maintenance routes,” Debbi Leclerc says.
experience under his belt.
As it so often has happened in this industry, the basement service company grew
Henderson Service subcontracted pools and
into a thriving pool building company and retail store.
spas in Delaware, but Henderson realized there
“And I fell in love with retail,” Debbi says. “I just knew it was my niche.”
was a need for him to start his own store.
Two of the biggest milestones, and scariest moments for Debbi, were when
“My customers would always say, ‘Mark,
the time came for her to quit her steady health-care job to start working at the
why don’t you start your own store?’”
store full time, and when they decided to build their own store. The new building
Henderson says. “So after years of busting my
provided her the opportunity to design it to her liking, something for which she’d
rear end for everybody, I said, ‘You know what?
been preparing.
They don’t treat people right. It’s embarrassing
“In the years that we had dreamed of owning a new building, when Ron and
to go behind these other companies and hear
I would travel, if I saw someone’s pool store that I thought was attractive, we’d go
how they lie to people, and then I get the brunt
in and see if we could come up with some ideas,” she says.
of it. It is not right.’ So we startThe result was 7,000 square feet of retail space that allowed Debbi to
ed our own store in 2002.”
let her imagination run wild. From the cobalt-blue walls that imitate the
POOLS AND SPAS
UNLIMITED
Henderson immediately
antique blue glass she collects, to the neon waves on the wall accidentally
OWNER
added hot tubs to the store’s
inspired by a favorite sushi restaurant, to the artwork from an artist they
Mark Henderson
offerings bringing on Hot Spring
found at a favorite vacation spot, everything in the store is uniquely
Spas, which he calls “the Maytag
Leclerc’s and Pool Doctor’s.
BRANDS CARRIED
Hot Tubs:
of hot tubs.” He recently added
“I love it when customers ask me, ‘Are you a franchise?’ That means
Bullfrog
Spas,
Hot
Bullfrog Spas as well.
we’ve done a good job — we’ve branded ourselves.”
Spring Spas
“[Bullfrog’s] got a whole new
While a beautiful store will only go so far to bring in customers, Debbi
Chemicals: EZ Spa,
avenue
of sales and the ability for
says they’re fortunate to have so many profit avenues — each department
Freshwater Cleanser,
people to grow with their tub,”
helps generate leads and revenue for the other departments.
Spa Pure
Accessories: Leisure
Henderson says. “I thought that
“Every single one of our divisions helps feed the others in one way,
Concepts
was a real leverage point for my
shape or form,” she says. “It’s a combination of us being such a full-service
Other Products:
retail store.”
company, having so many years of experience, looking as professional as we
Pacific Pools, Viking
Henderson says he is deterdo, conducting ourselves in a professional manner with customers, seeing
Pools, Doughboy
mined to thrive in this economic
the results that they are happy with — I think that is why customers keep
Pools, Dolphin Pools,
Blue Hawaiian
coming back.”
MANY HAVE WORKED
SPARETAILER.COM
| 49
MASTER SPAS OF WESTERN MICHIGAN
Grand Rapids, Michigan
MASTERSPASGR.COM
A Direct Line
to Customers
MARK “MARKETING” NELSON, owner of Master Spas of Western Michigan, inadvertently began
his career in hot tubs while he was researching buying a hot tub for his mother as a Mother’s
Day present. He spent so much time in a local hot tub showroom, that one busy Saturday the
owner asked if he wouldn’t mind helping out some customers.
“I ended up selling three spas for him, so he gave me a discount on my spa,” Nelson says.
He started working for the store part time and eventually left his job setting up new stores for
Meijers supermarket chain, buying out the existing owner in 1986 and starting off on his own.
Nelson has a strong background in business and sales, which gave him a leg up at the time
because, he says, the industry was still in its infancy, and not many had the sales
acumen you see today. He got bored with his single hot tub store, so he sold it in
1988 and went around the country as part of different manufacturers’ sales show
teams. Then in 1997 he opened up a hot tub superstore in Grand Rapids.
“I’m a marketing guy,” Nelson says. “I love sales, but running your own
business and having your name out there, the best thing I learned to do was to
become a good businessman. That means taking care of the customer, and I
think that is [why we’ve been] in the industry for a long time.”
Nelson says they hold to the mantra that the customer is always right,
adding that “…even when they are wrong, they are right. Not that we don’t have
problems — we have problems every day — but we stop it at our service end. So
by policing that and not allowing things to get out of control, it really makes it a
fun place to come work.”
MASTER SPAS OF
“I tell everybody, ‘For 25 years I stopped working; I just started to enjoy life,’
WESTERN MICHIGAN
and that is a good attitude to have,” Nelson says. “Not that this is not hard to
OWNER
stay on top, but it’s a fun business. After you look at all the ups and downs of the
Mark Nelson
last five years, we are not the only ones hurting — a lot of other industries are,
BRANDS CARRIED
but this is still a fun business and a lot of people lose track of that.”
Hot Tubs:
One new thing that has been fun for Nelson was the introduction of the
Master Spas, Legacy
Michael Phelps line of swim spas from Master Spas. Even before Phelps put his
Whirlpool
Swim Spas:
name behind the product, Nelson had committed to selling swim spas, halting
Michael
Phelps
the pool side of his business to focus just on swim spas.
Signature Swim Spas
“You can use a pool three months a year, but you can use a swim spa 12
by Master Spas
months a year,” he says. “I can [install] four swim spas in a week, but it takes a
Accessories:
whole staff to do two pools in two weeks. So I made that decision to go strictly
A&B Accessories,
Leisure Concepts
to the swim spas and made that commitment to the factory.”
Chemicals:
Nelson says he is up $100,000 on swim spa sales this year and gets one to
Robarb, InSPArations,
three leads a day from the marketing that Master Spas is doing with the Michael
Spazazz
Phelps line.
Saunas:
“Not all of these people are going to jump into a $20,000 to $50,000
Almost Heaven Saunas
ARVIDSON POOLS & SPAS
Crystal Lake, Illinois
ARVIDSONS.COM
“IT’S
everybody else’s family store,” says
Dennis Marunde, president of Arvidsons and grandson of
the founder. “The original location has been added on to
three or four different times, and it’s probably about 10
times larger than it was when it started. When I joined the
company, it was a good time for all those changes to start
to happen and we started by opening another location.
After the second store was well established and a capable
team was in place, we bought another business for a third
location, and it just sort of snowballed.”
Marunde never anticipated joining the family business,
but after he got his business degree, he found himself helping out, taking on a bigger role than he had expected. He
took three years off to get his MBA and travel and once again
found himself back at Arvidsons.
“I came to realize that my dad and my uncle were
really good at building a customer base, getting jobs
done, selling themselves and doing things with integrity,”
Marunde says. “But they didn’t necessarily excel in the
areas of business administration and finance needed to
lead forever a growing business.”
Marunde says he had always wanted to have a job
where he could “make a difference,” but he never thought
it would be in the pool and spa industry that surrounded
him as a child. But as he started to see the positive impact
the store had on the lives of his customers and employees,
he knew he was in the right place.
“You start to realize you are making
ARVIDSON
a difference right now, right where you
POOLS & SPAS
are,” he says. “Then you stop chasing
LOCATIONS
rainbows and you start realizing you are
Crystal Lake, Palatine,
good right here at what you are doing.”
St. Charles
After 53 years in business, the
OWNERS
company’s solid reputation and respect
Dennis and Doug
within the community has helped them
Marunde; Dan
in good times and bad.
Arvidson
“One of the things that we have
BRANDS CARRIED
identified as our strategic advantage is
Hot Tubs:
our PEAK program,” Marunde says.
Hot Springs Spas
“It stands for the four key identifiers
Chemicals:
BioGuard, Arch
of our strategic advantages: Product,
Chemicals
Execution, Attitude and Knowledge.”
Accessories:
Zodiac, Pentair
PROBABLY LIKE
SPARETAILER.COM
| 51
ADVENTURE HOT TUBS & POOLS
Sarasota, Florida
ADVENTUREHOTTUBS.NET
Selling the Benefits,
Promoting Well-Being
HOTSPRING SPAS OF MUSIC CITY
Lebanon, Tennessee
HSSOFMUSICCITY.COM
IT’S NOT OFTEN you hear someone compare their business
strategy to battle, but retired lieutenant colonel and 29-year
Army veteran Kevin Croteau, co-owner of HotSpring Spas
of Music City, isn’t your average hot tub retailer.
Croteau joined his brother Dennis’ hot tub business
when he left the Army. Dennis Croteau has worked in
the hot tub industry since 1992 and started Music City
in 2003.
“The heart and soul of the store is my brother
Dennis,” Kevin Croteau says. “He’s the technician, but
he is a great sales person because he knows the hot tub
inside and out.”
Croteau’s talents complement his brother’s; Dennis
knows hot tubs and knows the industry, while Kevin is
great with implementing systems.
“Putting systems in place would probably be the biggest
accomplishment that I have had since I joined my brother,”
Kevin Croteau says. He says that installing a point-of-sale
system was pivotal in moving the business forward. “It
allowed us to manage inventory and project where we were
going to be, which has
helped us immensely.”
HOTSPRING SPAS
Kevin Croteau says they
OF MUSIC CITY
OWNERS
are able to do more things
Kevin and Dennis
because of these systems. “I
Croteau
call it a battle rhythm. In
war, there is a rhythm to the
BRANDS CARRIED
Hot Tubs:
battlefield and if you can get
Hot Spring Spas
inside your enemies’ decisionChemicals:
making cycle, you can defeat
Spa Guard,
them on the battlefield. The
SilkBalance
Accessories:
same thing applies here in
Hot Spring Spas,
the civilian sector.”
Leisure Concepts
Something that has
Saunas:
helped them make wise
Saunatec
Ed and Margaret Bell
Photos by Rod Millington
ADVENTURE HOT
TUBS & POOLS
OWNERS
Ed and Margaret Bell
BRANDS CARRIED
Hot Tubs:
Jacuzzi Hot Tubs,
Dimension One Spas,
Nordic Hot Tubs
Swim Spas:
D1 Aquatic Fitness
Systems, Hydropool
swimspas
Chemicals:
Clear Choice
Accessories:
Dimension One Spas,
Confer Plastics,
Other Products:
LeClick Teak, Primo
Grills, Lampe Berger
Pools:
Viking Pools,
Blue Hawaiian
ED BELL’S JOB AS the sales manager at a Harley dealership sounds like fun, but he
was going a little stir-crazy, “I’m an outdoorsy type,” he explains. So he started
a pool-cleaning business on his days off, and within a few months, quit his job
selling motorcycles and started working on pools full time. Eventually he opened
a pool store, but got rid of it when he decided to branch out into hot tubs. Now
Adventure Hot Tubs & Pools builds pools, performs weekly pool maintenance,
repairs and upgrades pool equipment, and sells and services hot tubs.
It didn’t take long for Bell to rope his wife, Margaret, into the business as well.
“He was doing some paperwork one day, and I was working on my own
business and papers were going in every which direction,” Margaret says. So she
offered to help with the paperwork. “And, oh boy, that’s what got me started. I
kind of feel like a fish on a hook; it keeps reeling me in. Now that I’m working
with homeowners, especially with the hot tubs, but with the pools too — that’s
rewarding. So I’m hooked.”
Ed and Margaret make it a priority to educate their customers about the benefits
of hot tubs and how simple they can be to maintain.
“We want to make sure they love their hot tub because you hear so many people
bad-mouthing hot tubs,” Ed says. “We’re trying to turn that thinking around, at least in
our area. So they’re telling their friends how great their hot tub is and how easy it is.”
Margaret adds that they focus a lot on the health benefits of using a hot tub
as well. In the store, she says, they use the National Swimming Pool Foundation’s
booklet Hot Water and Healthy Living with customers, as well as when talking
about the business and hot tubbing in their community.
Margaret says that despite their attempts at all kinds of advertising, the company’s
website is what consistently brings customers through the door.
“Eighty percent of the people who come here have already been to our
website,” she says. “We get a lot of support from the manufacturers — their
website leads people to us. That’s very helpful; we’re grateful for that. The
shoppers are savvy and they’re very educated, and they’re doing their research
before they start going around to look at the different products.”
After a couple challenging years due to the economy, the couple is excited to
see things pick up. It took commitment to weather the storm, but with the help
of great employees they are ready for better years.
“Fortunately when one thing was not working, something else was going on,”
Margaret says. She attributes some of their staying power to their diverse line of
products and services. But for them, it really all comes back to the education of
their customers — and themselves.
“I’m always going to classes,” Ed says, “or if the industry is doing something
nearby offering new information on a new product, I’m always there.”
SPARETAILER.COM
| 53
ALL ABOUT SPAS &
LEISURE LIVING
OWNERS
John and Linda
Hinkle; Deborah and
John Bonds
ALL ABOUT SPAS & LEISURE LIVING
Roswell, New Mexico
ALLABOUTSPAS.NET
Full Service,
Full Commitment
BRANDS CARRIED
Hot Tubs:
Master Spas and
MAAX Spas
Swim Spas:
Michael Phelps
Signature Swim Spas
by Master Spas
Chemicals:
Arch Chemicals,
SeaKlear Chemicals
Accessories:
Leisure Concepts,
Confer Plastics,
Sunstar Spa Covers,
The Covana
Other Products:
Cal Flame, Twin
Eagle, Big Green
Eggs, Holland,
Tempur-Pedic,
Connelly, Solara,
Meadow Décor,
California Outdoor
Concepts
Photos by Jerry Holm
had been in business since 1981, but
he had no idea that in 2002, his business would take a completely different turn. That was the year business partner and
friend Debi Bonds began looking for a hot tub for her family
but couldn’t find the brand she wanted — so she took action.
“I sold five spas from a catalog and used the profits to pay for
my own hot tub,” Bonds says. “Once we realized there was a
demand for quality hot tubs, we decided to put a store in of
our own.”
All About Spas became a subsidiary of Landmark
Development until 2007. Bonds and Hinkle knew that if they
wanted to continue selling hot tubs, they had to do it right. So
after 26 years, they stopped building homes and devoted their
company to hot tubs.
“We had just grown to the point where we decided we
either had to go forward and get with the program on the spa
business or just stagnate where we
were,” Hinkle says. “Since we are
building contractors, we designed
and built this building that we are
in right now.”
The contracting background
helped them design a 10,000 square
foot store that fits all their needs:
bathrooms connected to the wet
test area, which is big enough for
two tubs and has a drainage system
in case one of the tubs leaks; high
ceilings to display gazebos; and
space to display a working swim
spa. Further, the company’s
building skills allow them to
offer even more to customers.
“We have done a lot of fullservice projects where we go to our
customers’ homes and completely
redesign the backyard space,” Bonds
CONTRACTOR JOHN HINKLE
says. “We put a plan together and present it to the customer.
They can make changes if they wish, and can do it all at once
or a little at a time. Sometimes, we build on what they already
have, and sometimes we take everything out and start over.
Because John is a licensed contractor, we can do as much or as
little of the work as the customer wants.”
This approach drives sales on all of its product lines, but in
order to capitalize, they need get out of the store.
“I think our best sales are at the [customer’s] kitchen table,”
Hinkle says. “They feel comfortable in their own environment;
they don’t feel threatened and you don’t have other customers
coming and going. You give your full attention when you are
over at their house. We love to do that.”
As if that doesn’t speak highly enough of its dedication to
customer service, the company also offers free delivery up to
100 miles away. They’re able to do that, Hinkle says, because
of the margins on the high-end products they sell. “When a
person buys an $8,000 or $9,000 spa, well, it’s kind of embarrassing to say we want another $300 to deliver it to your door.
You’ve got to absorb all that.”
“We try very hard to make sure that our customer is
happy,” Bonds adds. “Not just because it is the right thing
to do, but also it keeps them coming back for additional
products.”
So they don’t have to worry about competing with big-box
stores, they aim to carry unique and high-end products.
“One thing I think that has also helped us a lot is that
people are staying home more instead of taking vacations,”
Bonds says. “So their home needs to be an entertaining place.
Even in the worst of it all we weren’t suffering too much, but
there again we have a multitude of products.”
Another thing that helped them through the last couple of
years is a decision Hinkle and Bonds made about their business
from the start not to borrow money from their inventory.
“There have been times when we are glad we owned our
inventory,” Hinkle says, “and we weren’t pressured to sell
something just to make a bank payment.”
SPARETAILER.COM
| 55
INTERNATIONAL HOT TUB CO.
Denver, Colorado
IHTSPAS.COM
Aiming for Excellence
WHEN RICH HINER AND HIS WIFE,
Debbie and Rich Hiner
Photos by Joel Fischer
INTERNATIONAL
HOT TUB CO.
LOCATIONS
2 Denver stores
Boulder, Littleton
OWNERS
Rich and Debbie Hiner
BRANDS CARRIED
Hot Tubs:
Hot Spring Spas,
Caldera Spas,
Nordic Hot Tubs
Chemicals:
SilkBalance, Advantis
Technologies
Accessories:
Hot Spring Spas,
Leisure Concepts
Fireplaces, Saunas,
Grills:
Kozy Heat,
Napoleon, Weber,
Big Green Egg
Debbie, moved to Denver, Hiner took a job selling
hot tubs. He assured his wife that he would soon find a “real” job — but that was in
1983. Now the Hiners work side by side at the store, which they purchased in 2005.
SPASCAPES
“So, I’m still looking for a real job,” Hiner laughs, “but you know I still love
Rocklin, California
the hot tub business.” As it seems for many in the hot tub industry, once he got
SPASCAPESINC.COM
in, he never could find a good reason to leave.
AFTER A POOR SPA SERVICE EXPERIENCE, Bill Long
“[People] seem to somehow gravitate back to the industry even if they leave
decided he wanted to try to provide a better
for a time,” Hiner says. “It is a great industry. There are, of course, all the health
option in his community. But he took it a step
benefits that we are able to provide for customers, but really the lifestyle benefits
further, not only providing great service, but
and what it does for families is just such a great part of what we do and makes it a
also accumulating several sales awards along the
great industry to be in.”
way. How does Long, whose boat business is his
Great, but not easy. Hiner says he is constantly trying to find ways to improve
real bread and butter, manage to stay on top?
his business.
“I’m literally personally there at the shows,”
“As an owner, I think that you are always trying to figure out what you can do
Long says. “We’ve been in every home show you
better in every single area,” Hiner says. “Every day I look at everything that we do
can get into, state fairs, county fairs, everything.
and how can we do it better, how can we perform better, how can we take care of our
It’s starting to change now, but that’s kind of
customers better. This is so cliché, but we take care of our customers. That is what we
what’s done it for us the last three years. I really
do. The reality is that during this downturn of the last few years, if we hadn’t taken
like that part of it; I enjoy meeting new people.
great care of our customers, I’m not sure that we would have survived. They are the
But that’s really the secret; I’m just at every
ones that have kept us in business; they supported us during that time.”
show.”
Also helping them during the recession were key relationships with manufacturers.
Doing all the events is one of the reasons
“The other part of it is being partners with great suppliers in our industry,” Hiner
Long says SpaScapes is still around. Another was
says. “That is a huge factor for us that the products we sell are so well-backed,
buying smart.
specifically by Watkins Manufacturing.” Besides the hot tub manufacturer, Hiner
“Back in ’08 when everybody was going out
says brands like Weber and SilkBalance have also been incredibly supportive.
of business in the recession, I was buying spas
That support came in handy in 2010, when Hiner made the decision to
from the banks, GE and Textron.
move one of his stores into a new location.
Just terrific deals,” Long says.
SPASCAPES
“[It was] a scary thing to do at that particular time,” Hiner says. “There was
“And we’re one of the last guys
OWNER
Bill Long
a lot of discussion about whether we should be trying something like that in the
standing because of that.”
economic conditions. But you know, even when the economy is difficult there are
Because of his other business,
BRANDS CARRIED
positive things that you can do and difficult decisions you have to make to keep
having
the right employees in the
Hot Tubs:
moving forward. That is what we have tried to do through the bad economy —
store when Long can’t be there
Jacuzzi Hot Tubs,
Marquis Spas, Viking
deal with it, but keep moving forward at the same time.”
is incredibly important. And he
Spas, Dynasty Spas
International Hot Tub’s online presence has also been improving. Hiner hired
thinks he’s found the best.
Swim Spas:
a full-time, in-house marketing person to tackle the Internet marketing challenge.
“We have two guys that run
Dynasty Spas
“I am afraid that the Internet will be a never-ending process because it
the service department that are
Chemicals:
continuously changes,” Hiner says. “Every time you think you’ve got one
just amazing — I cannot give
Spa Essentials, Omni,
Leisure Time
area figured out, Google changes it.” Since it is not his cup of tea, he had
them enough accolades,” Long
Accessories:
no problem handing it over to someone else. “Most [hot tub retailers] are in
says. “I tried for about a yearLeisure Concepts
these positions because of our sales background, and I think generally that
and-a-half to get somebody to
Gazebos:
serves us well. But there are other areas of expertise that you need to bring
run the service side; that’s the
Sequoia Spa Shelters
in people smarter than you to run.”
SPARETAILER.COM
| 57
BLACK PINE SPAS & BILLIARDS
Lynnwood, Washington
BLACKPINESPAS.COM
Entrepreneurial
Spirit
of Michael Nekahi and his business partner, Khasha
Mekanik, goes back to college when a group of business students, with the help of
a University of Washington program, started a student travel business, which they
sold in 2001. Then Nekahi and Mekanik began working for a new reverse-supplychain management company, which handled returns for big retailers and manufacturers. After that the pair began looking for a local business they could purchase
together, and after searching across many industries, they landed on a hot tub store.
“We saw an opportunity,” Nekahi says. “We had both had a technology, sales and
marketing background, so we kind of stepped into those roles here at the company.”
Even though there was a learning curve to get started in the spa business, the
varied background and experience from the other companies they’d worked for
prepared them well.
“Neither of us have ever been employed by anybody but ourselves,” Nekahi
says. “So that self-motivating entrepreneurial spirit is what translates into doing
finances well, doing your sales well and doing your operations well.”
Of course there are specific skills that have contributed to the company’s success.
“I think other things that have kept us ahead of the curve is knowing how to
market, knowing how to get in front of people,” Nekahi says. “We have a very
disciplined sales approach. We have a high closing rate; we don’t typically lose
customers. We have great customer retention and we have great customer
acquisition. Those two things, hands down, make us very effective.”
In a region known for its large and well-respected hot tub retailers, Nekahi says
they still have been able to carve out market share, even with their single location,
because of all the events they do.
Nekahi says they are fortunate to be in an area that has weathered the recession
well. “We are very lucky that we have Microsoft, Starbucks, Boeing and Costco
based here in Washington. These corporations employ a lot of people and are still
doing well in this economy. I think we do things well here at Black Pine, but it’s all
relative. We still have a steady flow of buyers in our market.”
Another plus for Black Pine Spas is an excellent retailer/manufacturer relationship.
Nekahi says a key component of its success has come from sourcing the right product
and the right manufacturer. “In 2008, businesses were seeing 30 to 50 percent decreases
very quickly, and a lot of companies couldn’t react that fast to it,” he says. “I have to
credit Artesian Spas for developing the right products for this economy and making certain options and price points available to accommodate a buyer in this market.”
Black Pine’s owners call the hot tub industry fun and rewarding, which makes
them want to dig into everyday operations even more.
“We work in the business and we try to work on the business,” Nekahi says.
“But what I like about that, and I think [Mekanik] may agree, is that it keeps us
close to our customers and it keeps us close to our employees. We are very
hands-on owners.”
Michael Nekahi and Khasha Mekanik
with Michael Phelps at the 2010 IPSPE.
THE WORKING RELATIONSHIP
CEDAR WORKS SPAS
Eugene, Oregon
CEDARWORKSSPAS.COM
BLACK PINE SPAS
& BILLIARDS
OWNERS
Michael Nekahi and
Khasha Mekanik
BRANDS CARRIED
Hot Tubs:
Artesian Spas
Swim Spas:
Michael Phelps
Signature Swim Spas
by Master Spas
Chemicals:
Leisure Time,
SilkBalance
Accessories:
The Covana, Cal
Gazebos, Leisure
Concepts
Saunas:
Golden Design
Other Products:
World of Leisure & DLT
CEDAR WORKS SPAS started in the late ’70s and specialized
in building decks and wooden hot tubs. “We have photo
albums that go back to truly cedar worked spas,” laughs
Susan O’Con. She and her husband Jeff purchased Cedar
Works Spas in 2004.
“We bought our spa here back in the early ’90s,”
O’Con says. “So we were very familiar with the store and
had a good relationship here. But it was a big decision
because both of us had been at our jobs for a long time
and we really enjoyed what we did.”
O’Con says the timing was right for them to start
their own business, however, and one of the reasons they
made the plunge was their faith in the products they were
going to sell.
“We very much believe in the hot tub and sauna
industry,” O’Con says. “We really
believe that they are helpful.”
CEDAR WORKS
Neither of them had ever owned a
SPAS
business, much less a hot tub business,
OWNERS
so they had a lot to learn. However,
Jeff and Susan O’Con
the business fit each of their particular
BRANDS CARRIED
skills. Jeff is good with the technical
Hot Tubs:
and mechanical side of the business,
Marquis Spas
and Susan is a paperwork and people
Swim Spas:
Arctic Spas
person.
Chemicals:
The O’Cons made two big
Marquis Spas,
decisions when they purchased the
Seaklear, Leisure Time
store: One was to exclusively carry
Accessories:
Marquis Spas, Leisure
Marquis Spas. “They had been in the
Concepts
store for over 20 years,” O’Con says.
Saunas:
“They have really great sales and product
Finnleo
Other Products:
courses, so we took advantage of those.”
Telescope, Rattana,
The next big thing on their list
Jackson Grills
was updating and improving the retail
SPARETAILER.COM
| 59
(Tropical Pool & Spa, continued from page 44)
“So we wholesale products to those stores. Some of them do water
testing for the customers, and for the most part [customers] are able
to buy everything they need for their hot tub at their local suppliers.”
While it’s not as profitable as it would be to sell the chemicals
from their main location, it’s advantageous for their customers. “We
would rather our customers have the convenience of being able to get
stuff in their town,” Dennison says.
With numerous product lines, including building in-ground
pools, and such a large territory to cover, how does the store possibly
balance it all? Dennison says it’s not easy, but they’ve found systems
that work for them. They keep their dedicated service and building
crew separate from the sales floor staff, allowing both teams to focus
on what they do best. Another advantage is having a close-knit group
of employees, including several family members. In fact, all three of
the Dennison’s children have worked in the store in some capacity,
and their daughter, Deanna, and her husband, Derek Devlin, bought
Karen’s shares and are now part-owners.
“It’s pretty tough to drag your kids through your business,
because it may not necessarily be their dream,” Dennison says. “But
when I think about what Deanna has brought to the business, it is a
tremendous amount of energy. What really makes me feel proud is
the fact that our business has done so well that we can not only afford
to feed our families well and do all the things we need to do with our
families, but we can also give back to our
community.”
(Seasonal World, continued from page 46)
Another relatively new avenue for the
company is its online presence. When
asked about their best form of advertising,
Schiavone says, “Most recently we’ve had
great success with Facebook; we have 1,800
followers now. That has always been good
for interesting promotions to help drive traffic into the store. We have a large email database that we keep our customers informed
of legitimate offers and updates. Those work
well.”
Schiavone says it took some testing to
figure out the best way to leverage social
media to their advantage, but he feels they are
on the right track.
“We review the nature of the post, the
promotions that we are offering, and the conDeep Blue Pool & Spa
Tropical Pool & Spa
(Pools and Spas Unlimited, continued from page 49)
climate by taking on any job, no matter how small, for
his customers.
“We’re like every other company — we do anything
to survive,” Henderson says. “We’ll build porches, room
additions, tile, push snow. We scrap and fight every day.”
Henderson admits they reacted late to the economic
downturn, but once they realized the reality of the
situation, they acted swiftly, drastically downsizing. That
meant everyone in the company had to take on more.
“So there is no more, ‘I’m the spa technician.’ There
is no more, ‘Well, I just do pools.’ There is no more of
that; everybody has five hats,” Henderson says. “And that
really saves the day.”
Fortunately, the team at Pools and Spas Unlimited
The Pool Doctor of Rhode Island
was up for the task.
“I would put [my employees] up against anybody in
the country,” Henderson says. “I have the best people. They truly
love my wife and me, and they really work for us and we work with
tent regularly just to make sure that the page is not stagnant and talk- them too. We don’t have our feet up on the desk barking out orders,
that brings a certain amount of respect. You’ve got to get out in the
ing about nonsense,” he says. “We try to make sure that whatever we
trenches with your people; it’s just plain and simple. You don’t leave
are offering to the community is varied, makes sense and is relevant.
them taking grenades for you all the time. You get out there and take
We also try and reward those people who are our longtime followers
with various promotions or Facebook-only events like extended hours a few grenades yourself.”
And, according to Henderson, solid employees translates into
at certain times of the year. One thing we’ve noticed is that we’ve
excellent
customer service.
been able to maintain our ‘like’ count as opposed to it really fluctuat“Our ability to listen to the customer and achieve what they
ing. So once we acquire a ‘like’ or fan, we tend to stay in it for quite
want may not be perfect every time, but we don’t stop until it is,”
some time.”
Henderson says. “We just we don’t stop. I know that is the biggest
However, like almost every retailer interviewed for Stars over the
asset we have.”
years, the majority of business still comes from referrals.
“Our greatest lead source, our greatest conversion of sales I am
seeing, is that first- or second-hand referral. That is really just a matter of taking good care of the people who do refer you and taking care
of any new and existing clientele,” Schiavone says.
(The Pool Doctor of Rhode Island, continued from page 49)
And while pool builds and hot tub sales slowed during the
recessions, retail and service remained strong. “Retail didn’t ever
feel the recession, not really. Our chemical end never felt it, our
(Deep Blue Pool & Spa, continued from page 47)
pumps and filters and things that need to be replaced because they
Bater agrees, “I’ve got a fantastic core group of people, and
need to be replaced, never felt it.”
without good people you are done.”
Fortunately, everything seems to be on an upswing now. “We
Recently the store has collaborated with a local radio station to do are experiencing very positive behavior across the general public, very
a promotion. “We are giving [the radio station] a Dream Maker tub
positive,” Debbi says. “This is not the first downturn in the economy
to give away,” Wilkosz says. “They are making it into a three-weekthat we’ve gone through. Each time you go through a downturn and
long promotional giveaway.” The winner of the contest will get the
you can emerge you become that much stronger.”
tub and Deep Blue Pool & Spa will be plugged as much as possible.
Working side by side with her husband and a team of great
“We are going to try that out and see where that takes us. It is relaemployees, doing something that she loves, Debbi Leclerc can’t think
tively inexpensive in comparison to traditional advertising.”
of a downside.
“Retail is my passion,” she says. “I love doing what I do. I love the
customers, I love my employees; my employees like their jobs. You
know some people need to go home from work and they need to turn
off work and go into another mode. Work is part of our mode.”
SPARETAILER.COM
| 61
(Master Spas of Western Michigan, continued from page 50)
purchase, but you know what? They are calling my store
and we are getting their names and numbers, and we are
getting communication with somebody who we wouldn’t
have had communication with before,” Nelson says.
Nelson stresses how important his relationship with
his manufacturer, Master Spas, has been to his store’s
overall success. The company supported his decision
to downsize to one location when the recession hit and
understood his vision for the store during the down years.
“I think the 2011 hot tub dealer really needs a relationship with their manufacturer,” he says.
While that relationship, support and innovation from
the manufacturer has been important, Nelson has had a
few innovations of his own, like Tech Direct. Available
on the Master Spas of Western Michigan website, Tech
Direct allows a customer to send technical questions
directly to the service department, which calls the customMaster Spas of Western Michigan
er within 24 hours of receiving a query with an answer to
their question. Sometimes, however, the call will result in
a service visit at the home. Typically customers use this service when
Marunde sleep at night when the economy is bad.
they are ordering chemicals from the website.
“I think the plan is to just go along continuing to try to grow our
“So in our way of selling things, we still want to know and touch
business at a reasonable, sustainable pace every year — as long as it
base with our customers,” Nelson says. He says it has quickly given
continues to be fun and fulfilling,” Marunde says. “You know I think
them a rapport with new customers, and that even competitors will
we’ve been with BioGuard for probably 35 years and we’ve been with
sometimes use it if they are stuck on a problem. It has also helped
Hot Springs probably close to 20 now. Those relationships were very
keep service phone calls to a minimum and ensures the customer is
important in helping, in conjunction with our own family values, to
directed to the people who can help them the most. “And you’ll be
feed the ability to keep growing.”
surprised the people who will tell you the things that they need on
He continues, “When I look back on where we were when I
the PC rather than right in front of you,” he says.
started 20 plus years ago and where we are, I realize that along the
Maintaining an efficient and profitable service department is
way we’ve not only built a stable business with the help of great
important, according to Nelson, because that customer service propels suppliers and manufacturers, but we’ve also made close friends who
new sales. “The doors are opened because we sell the spas,” he says.
are bright and seasoned business people in their own right. I love
“The doors stay open because we service them.”
the fact that we have developed friends within the industry who I
can turn to when we need advice or a supportive sounding board for
ideas. The same is true of my accountant, attorney and banker —
those are all people who are part of my advisory circle. They are all
(Arvidson Pool and Spa, continued from page 51)
valuable and important relationships to have and to utilize regularly.”
When they hire, industry experience takes a back seat to attitude
and trainability, Marunde says.
“When we begin a relationship with any employee by basing it
(HotSpring Spas of Music City, continued from page 52)
on what kind of individual they are, and then forcing ourselves to
decisions is their involvement in the Gemini group. (To read about
be patient while we bring good people along as they develop their
Gemini in depth, see page 22). “Joining Gemini was probably one of
skills, eventually, those good people do a good job taking care of good
the smartest moves we made,” Croteau says. He initially thought the
customers,” Marunde says. “And so our goal is to be the friendly and
group was for stores that were much bigger than HotSpring Spas of
reliable and trustworthy source.”
Music City, but he quickly realized size wasn’t an issue. “We weren’t
Carefully watching the numbers, leaving the company as wellthat far behind them when it came to trying to figure it all out.”
capitalized as possible and taking advantage of the knowledge,
The company has purchased land, and plans are under way to
training, product innovations and marketing support programs
build a new store, which Croteau says he hopes to be in by year’s end.
from top manufacturers has put Arvidsons in a good place, and lets
It may not seem like an ideal time to be going into such an expensive
problems are handled over the phone.”
Picazo-Soto says it’s nice to work with guys who have
been in the business for a long time and know their stuff.
“They’ve been in it longer than I’ve been alive,” he says
about their sales staff. “They’re really knowledgeable.”
venture, but Croteau doesn’t see it that way.
“When I left the Army, I picked up The Snowball: Warren Buffett
and the Business of Life,” Croteau says. In it, Buffett says when people
are greedy be fearful; when people are fearful be greedy. “So I chose
the latter,” he says. “Because people are fearful right now, we decided
to buy this land at a great value, and hopefully get our building
built.”
Croteau isn’t planning on building a typical hot tub store, either.
His vision incorporates elements of what IBM, in collaboration with
METRO Group, dubbed “the store of the future.” Using technology,
Croteau hopes to make the store as interactive as possible, giving
customers the option to work with a salesman or go it alone. The
idea came from a discussion he’d had with a member of Gemini.
But until everything is up and running, and presumably after as
well, the store relies on an old staple: customer service. “Say what you
mean,” Croteau says, “and mean what you say.”
(SpaScapes, continued from page 57)
hardest part. But Cancio [Picazo-Soto] and Jason [Sietz] are just
unbelievable; they’re the best in the world. I don’t have to do
anything at the store, ever.”
Picazo-Soto was building gazebos when Long discovered him.
He runs the service department but also tries to help out with other
things as much as possible.
“This year we started doing a lot more online, trying to get in
touch with people,” Picazo-Soto says. “We have our own Facebook
setup now. You add us on that and you get a huge discount.” They
also can help with any spa question posted to the Facebook page as
well. “We have a pretty good customer service basis. We try to work
with people over the phone before we send out a technician and most
(Cedar Works Spas, continued from page 59)
space. “This building has been here since 1980, so it
needed a fresh facelift,” O’Con says, “and maybe a female
touch. All of those hours and sweat paid off because
within probably the first two years the store had doubled
its income and we became a prominent competitor in
our area.”
Of the six employees in their small shop, only one is
SpaScapes
not related, and another is soon to marry into the family.
Employing family can sometimes be stressful, but for Cedar Works
Spas, it has brought them closer.
“We worked really hard for everybody involved,” O’Con says.
“The last few years have been difficult, so we’ve pulled together to
keep everything stable and we have been able to do it.”
After 30 years of attending local home shows, the store has made
a name for itself and has a prime location on the show floor.
“We work hard at putting a nice display together,” she says.
O’Con says a good display should inspire them and show customers
how great their backyard could look, which she says requires more
than just displaying a bunch of spas. They arrange and rearrange their
booth until it has the right flow, then accessorize the booth to create
realistic backyard scenes. They also add some personal, local touches.
“We have a local artist who has done outdoor art for us,” O’Con
says. “We also have a local iron artist who has made iron pieces that
are in our displays and they are beautiful. A lot of times people want
to buy our displays.”
All the hard work catches the attention of shoppers and also the
home show organizers.
“The people who run the home shows are looking for vendors
who make their home show look good,” O’Con says. “So it has really
opened a lot of opportunities for us.” They are often asked to do
interviews for the home shows and for products to be used in the
home-show advertising.
While the O’Cons want their business to continue to grow, they
want to keep the family atmosphere they have established. “Neither
one of us feels that our real success is going be measured by the sheer
size of our company,” O’Con says. “So we both want to continue
focusing on our company, making it the best that it can be in
efficiency and in organization.” ■
To nominate your store to be one of our 2012 Retail Stars, contact senior
editor Megan Kendrick and let her know what makes you special.
[email protected]
SPARETAILER.COM
| 63

a typical shoot layout.

Transcription

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