Podcasts – SpaRetailer

On The SpaRetailer Podcast, host Megan Kendrick interviews Alex Eddington, of Bullfrog Spas, who spent 30 years in product engineering and compliance, to mark Bullfrog’s 30th anniversary. Eddington discusses his background at the U.S. Bureau of Mines and in automotive restoration, his recruitment by Bullfrog founder Dave Ludlow and the company’s early financial struggles. He explains Ludlow’s vision for a spa with fewer leak points and interchangeable JetPak modules, along with the decision to hire outside the spa industry to encourage innovation. He recalls the challenges of manufacturing on a $300,000 budget, the move to factory-direct sales that brought profitability and milestones such as the 2012 JetPak II line. He also covers advances in robotics, environmentally friendly manufacturing and compliance testing, as well as leadership transitions, Bullfrog’s people-first culture and its long-term debt-free strategy. Finally, he reflects on the challenges of opening a new factory just before COVID and the opportunities that followed.

Show Notes with Timestamps:

00:00 Welcome to the podcast
01:30 Alex Joins Bullfrog
02:49 Trusting Dave Ludlow
05:01 Investors Pull Out
09:12 The No Leak Idea
11:39 Innovation Culture
15:44 Bootstrapping a Factory
21:41 First Production Crunch
23:56 Winning Over Dealers
27:20 Turning Point to Profit
30:17 Trade Show Resourcefulness
34:07 Training and Culture
35:14 When Dave Left
35:33 Leadership Handoff
38:03 People First Culture
41:52 COVID Factory Whiplash
43:00 Debt Free Strategy
45:16 Swim Spa Expansion
47:00 Robotics and Sustainability
50:50 Compliance Testing Lab
57:39 Milestones and M Series
01:05:04 Patents and R&D
01:09:07 Legacy and Thanks

On the SpaRetailer Podcast, host Megan Kendrick interviews Jeremy Lucovich, new-ish owner of Southwest Spas in Arizona and a new second location, Queen Creek Hot Tubs. Lucovich, originally from Pittsburgh, spent years in sales including regional sales manager for a wire manufacturer before being laid off at the end of 2019, which led him to buy the spa business in early 2020, using money intended for building a house. He describes learning retail and hot tub sales during the early COVID uncertainty, modernizing an older operation, and growing sales significantly in the second half of 2020 while Arizona stayed open. He later switched from Dimension One to Hydropool, earning new dealer and dealer of the year awards, and opened the Queen Creek showroom to reduce brand confusion and tap a fast-growing market. He emphasizes follow-up, referrals, marketing support and expanding service operations, and shares lessons about limited due diligence, long hours and focusing on key business podcasts.

Show Notes with Timestamps:

00:00 Meet Jeremy Lucovich
00:15 From Pittsburgh to Phoenix
01:21 Sales Career Before Spas
02:21 Layoff Sparks Ownership
04:08 Buying During COVID Uncertainty
07:27 Modernizing an Old-School Shop
10:54 Retail Sales Mindset Shift
13:13 Phoenix Market and Competition
14:34 Staff Transition and Headbutting
19:39 Switching Brands to Hydropool
21:38 Second Store and Rebrand
22:21 Marketing SEO and Spa Surge
24:09 Marketing Wins With HydroPool
24:42 New Store Growing Pains
26:49 Location Strategy And Showroom Plan
28:27 Building The Right Team
29:13 Expansion Goals And Family Plans
30:34 Service Revenue Focus
32:50 Sales Experience And Referrals
36:25 SpaRetailer Five Begins
37:54 Lessons From Buying The Store
44:27 Podcasts And Closing Thoughts
46:16 Industry Improvement And Wrap Up

Megan Kendrick welcomes back Mario Maichel, senior manager of dealer development at Watkins Wellness, to discuss what he sees in high- and underperforming hot tub retail showrooms. He cites Gervi’s flagship showroom in Belgium as a standout because its space, lighting, graphics and brand presence match product caliber and effectively manage shopper attention. Maichel emphasizes consistent, purposefully adjusted lighting (including layered fill and spot lighting), adequate product spacing and mixing manufacturer imagery with local, regionally relevant visuals to avoid a “soulless” feel. Common mistakes include too much messaging and visual clutter, outdated awards, and assuming customers know what a dealer sells; he stresses clear exterior messaging and intentional signage. He recommends budgeting about $1 per square foot annually for POP updates, using community businesses and Pinterest for inspiration, and using AI to visualize upgrades. He also discusses window distractions, low-cost wins like cleaning and paint, and a “perfect store” wishlist of high ceilings, strong logistics, and roughly 4,000–5,000 square feet for multi-category offerings.

Show Notes with Timestamps:

00:00 Podcast Welcome
01:10 Why Showrooms Matter
01:53 Best Showroom Example
03:27 Space And Attention
04:56 Lighting That Sells
12:15 Cluttered Space Costs
17:34 Showroom Upgrades Pay
21:24 Too Much Messaging
25:21 Build A Cohesive Story
30:37 Define Your Brand
32:10 Mission For Your Space
33:06 Driving Without A Destination
35:09 Zoom Out With A Plan
37:58 Local Inspiration Hunt
40:17 Pinterest And Themes
42:49 AI Mockups Fast Wins
43:41 Windows And Attention
46:10 Cheap High Impact Fixes
48:58 Visual Clutter Mistakes
51:22 Make Products Visible
57:31 Perfect Store Wishlist
01:00:37 Wrap Up And Takeaways

Host Megan Kendrick welcomes back Greg Haines of Compass Digital to discuss how spa retailers and small businesses can avoid being mistreated by marketing agencies and how to evaluate agency performance. Greg shares examples of dealers being “tethered” by contracts claiming agency ownership of Shopify websites or ad accounts, locked into expensive long-term agreements with low-value deliverables, and misled by claims of proprietary dashboards or special Google partnerships. They outline what good agencies should provide — transparent monthly activity reporting (not just numbers), insights and context, regular meetings, responsiveness and periodic strategy reviews — plus what to look for when hiring, including meeting the actual account team, clarifying pricing and deliverables and ensuring the dealer owns all intellectual property. They also discuss budgeting, market positioning, CRM/automation and preparing websites for AI search.

Show Notes with Timestamps:

00:00 Welcome Back Greg
00:48 The Rant Email Story
01:28 Agency Horror Stories
04:35 Why Dealers Get Burned
06:45 Audit Your Agency
09:23 Reports Versus Insights
11:51 What Agencies Should Do
13:05 Marketing Budget Basics
14:20 Customer Journey Playbook
16:23 How To Find An Agency
17:59 Vetting And Pricing Questions
18:57 Red Flags And Ownership
20:00 Interview The Whole Team
20:34 Meet Your Account Rep
20:49 Avoid the B Team
21:19 Agency Tethering Trap
22:17 Own Your Channels
23:01 Agencies as Fractional Team
23:57 Hold Them Accountable
25:59 Reporting and Constraints
27:43 Quarterly Strategy Reviews
29:10 When to Fire an Agency
29:53 Red Flags and SLAs
31:24 Judging Results Fairly
33:31 Partnership and Gut Check
37:00 Closing and Resources

In this episode of The SpaRetailer Podcast, host Megan Kendrick interviews Terry Valmassoi, CEO of MasterSpas, as he nears retirement after 50+ years in the hot tub industry and 30 years at MasterSpas. Valmassoi shares his plans to spend more time with his wife in Charleston while remaining a partner and board member, and he addresses persistent rumors by stating MasterSpas has never been in talks to sell. He recounts growing up in Southern California, entering the spa business at 16, starting early retail and manufacturing ventures, working at L.A. Spas, and collaborating with Waterway before moving his family to Tennessee and then Fort Wayne to help launch MasterSpas with Bob Lauter. They discuss building culture through trust, navigating 9/11, the 2008–09 recession (with swim spas helping growth), COVID shutdowns and supply chain strain, rapid hiring expansion and innovation including the Michael Phelps partnership, water-care advances, cold tubs and saunas.

Show Notes with Timestamps:

00:00 Podcast Welcome
00:46 Retirement Plans
04:13 No Sale Rumors
06:48 Early Life Background
08:33 First Spa Job
09:52 Retail to Manufacturing
13:25 Hydrospa Boom Years
18:30 Hydrospa Exit Lessons
23:26 LA Spas Florida Move
24:31 Waterway Startup Era
27:31 Bill Holmes Legacy
31:27 Meeting Bob Lauter
34:03 Moving to Fort Wayne
34:55 Launching the Factory
36:11 Kevin Richards Origin
37:27 Partnership with Bob
40:30 Building Culture and Team
44:41 Early Operations Systems
50:26 Hard Times and Rebounds
52:36 Pandemic Growth Surge
57:22 Swim Spa Factory Deal
59:45 Most Fun Moments
01:01:23 Michael Phelps Partnership
01:06:16 Innovation and New Lines
01:10:33 Retirement and Legacy

In this episode of The SpaRetailer Podcast, host Megan Kendrick welcomes back Alex Granlund of King Technology to discuss a new hot tub setup and why new hot tubs should be purged and properly balanced at startup. They explain that hot tubs are wet-tested at factories using reused water, leaving residual water and buildup in plumbing that can sit for months, leading to biofilm, odor and debris that later causes scum lines and sanitizer inefficiency. They recommend filling and heating to about 85–90°F before using a purge product, draining and refilling, and purging again if heavy debris or smell persists. They emphasize balancing source water before use, optionally pre-filtering fill water, avoiding softened water unless corrected with calcium, and adding a startup shock or small amount of chlorine if balancing takes longer than 24 hours. They encourage dealers to test customers’ source water pre-delivery, rely on supplier training, and offer support programs like FROG VIP to improve customer success and reduce buyer’s remorse.

Show Notes with Timestamps:

00:00 Podcast Welcome
01:40 Why Purging Matters
02:42 Wet Testing Reality
08:18 Dealer Upsell Opportunity
09:44 How to Purge Properly
12:22 Balance Water First
14:45 Pre Filter Source Water
17:07 Speeding Up Startup
19:03 Training Dealer Teams
22:15 Support Tools for Dealers
24:59 Improve Setup Experience
30:10 Confidence Based Selling
33:04 Final Startup Checklist
33:44 Wrap Up

e0bbb380-89cb-11f1-8c2f-2b385bdc113c

In this episode of The SpaRetailer Podcast, Host Megan Kendrick welcomes Amanda Annis (Ohio Hot Tub and Sauna, IHTA chairman) and Seth Ewing (director of member programs and services at the Pool & Hot Tub Alliance) to discuss how IHTA, under the PHTA umbrella, has evolved and now more strongly serves portable hot tub retailers. They highlight core work protecting the industry through standards, safety, and advocacy on issues like energy regulations, fencing laws, bonding/electrical, water regulations, tariffs, and unsafe noncompliant products sold online, plus relationship-building with government and “Day on the Hill” lobbying. They cover expanded member benefits including a dedicated IHTA retailer membership ($1,000 company fee), a job board (Work in Aquatics), brand-agnostic Certified Hot Tub Technician training, webinars, quarterly and monthly market intelligence reports, and the new Center of Excellence online learning system with 160+ courses and multiple tracks.

Show Notes with Timestamps:

00:00 Podcast Welcome
01:36 Amanda Joins IHTA
03:01 Association Evolution
04:39 New Member Benefits
07:01 Research And Trends
09:54 Workforce Job Board
11:25 Why Advocacy Matters
15:07 Safety And Compliance
16:06 Retailer Membership Perks
20:04 Amanda Member Results
23:40 Behind The Scenes Advocacy
26:06 Day On The Hill
27:30 Sponsor Message
28:07 Crisis Support Updates
32:58 Center Of Excellence
38:30 Final Thoughts

In this episode of The SpaRetailer Podcast, early Caldera Spas owner David Ingram shares his background leaving home at 16, working at Fed Mart/Price Club (later Costco), and moving into spa manufacturing through Custom Fiber Engineering. He describes gaining control of a near-bankrupt Caldera in the late 1970s, building early gel-coat/FRP spas, improving blister resistance through multi-layer resin processes and later transitioning toward acrylic thermoforming as the portable spa market grew. Ingram recounts personally selling shells via delivery routes to dealers and pool builders, emphasizing Caldera’s “pure comfort” positioning, navigating financing challenges (including the 1980s crash), and streamlining operations after hiring a high-level CFO/COO. A major growth driver was launching Costco hot tub roadshows. He discusses selling Caldera to Watkins/Masco, his continued industry involvement, family considerations and product areas he’d still improve (equipment presentation, base details, and covers).

Show Notes with Timestamps:

00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro
01:04 David’s Early Work Life
02:40 Spa Molds and Job Shops
05:47 Taking Control of Caldera
09:23 Materials Shift and Blister Fixes
13:02 Hustling Sales on the Road
18:45 Dealers, Pool Builders, and Portable Boom
25:18 Reputation, Family, and Real Estate
33:16 Pure Comfort and Profit Machine
38:26 Early Crises and Hard Lessons
38:42 Financing for Growth
39:31 Costco Partnership Breakthrough
41:00 Roadshows and Volume Strategy
42:22 Costco Program Economics
45:51 Family Loss and Motivation
47:21 Why Sell to Watkins
50:57 Masco Resources and PE Contrast
54:46 Life After the Sale
57:43 Back to Retail Expansion
01:00:56 Partnership Rules of Thumb
01:01:24 Durango Connections and Roots
01:03:44 Caldera Legacy and Next 50
01:07:15 Product Improvements Wish List
01:09:05 Cover Problems and Warranty
01:11:39 Wrap Up and Farewell

In this episode of The SpaRetailer Podcast, host Megan Kendrick interviews Stephen Reed, COO of Spa Parts Plus, about his career from pool service work to Hayward, Beachcomber Hot Tubs, and wholesale distribution before acquiring Spa Parts Plus’ wholesale business in 2024. Reed recounts Spa Parts Plus’ 40+ year history: founded in 1986 by Barry and Paulette Knickerbocker, moved to Arizona in 1991, became employee-owned in 2001, returned to Barry in 2008, acquired California Specialty Distributors in 2012, joined Allied Innovations in 2019, and was later bought by private equity in 2022 pursuing vertical integration. Reed explains the company’s renewed focus on wholesale-only support for retailers and service techs, emphasizing fast, accurate shipping from its Memphis-area warehouse, partnerships with OEMs including warranty fulfillment, and using technology (including AI as “augmented” intelligence) to improve service and parts identification amid ongoing challenges from pandemic-era supply chain and mixed-component tubs.

Show Notes with Timestamps:

00:00 Podcast Welcome
01:27 Stephen Reed Background
03:28 Origins of Spa Parts Plus
06:55 Ownership Timeline Explained
09:41 Back to Wholesale Focus
11:46 Why Acquire the Business
12:57 Dealers React and Service Margins
14:51 OEM Partnerships and Genuine Parts
18:27 Service Demand and Tech Expertise
21:32 Dealers Servicing All Brands
24:00 COVID Era Parts Puzzle
25:06 Supply Chain Crunch
26:31 Industry Lessons Learned
28:03 Next Chapter Strategy
28:37 Warranty Fulfillment Logistics
29:45 AI And Technology Plans
30:28 How We Choose Stock
31:45 Sourcing Missing Parts
32:50 Warehouse And Shipping Reach
34:03 Spa Retailer Five
35:22 Career Flops And Wins
38:25 AR Tools And QR Comeback
42:02 Favorite Reads And Wrap Up
45:01 Where To Find Us
45:32 Podcast Closing Credits

In this episode of The SpaRetailer Podcast, host Megan Kendrick interviews brothers and co-owners Harrison (24) and Nick Dale (28) discuss launching the Cover and Supply Company, a hot tub cover manufacturing operation in Quakertown, Pennsylvania, next to their parents’ longtime Pelican Shops spa retail store. The entrepreneur team got into the business after other jobs, then bootstrapping production in a repurposed building while sourcing skins from China and navigating sudden tariffs. They cut EPS foam, draw patterns, seal and stuff covers, deliver with a truck/van, and sell largely through in-person store visits across PA, NJ, NY and nearby states. They’ve launched a dealer portal, built a warranty/serial-number labeling system, plan faster sealing equipment and a new facility, expect hiring soon, and note industry sustainability pressure around EPS and a university capstone effort to develop new cover designs.

Show Notes with Timestamps:

00:00 Podcast Welcome
01:09 Meet The Dale Brothers
02:18 Family Business Roots
03:28 Early Work Lessons
04:20 Life Outside The Store
06:32 Nick and Amazon Shift
07:40 Values From Parents
08:54 Why Start A Cover Company
10:18 Bootstrapping and Tariffs
12:58 Making Covers In House
13:55 Cold Visiting Sales Strategy
16:39 Freight Savings Pitch
18:01 Choosing Sizes and Black
19:02 Surprises and Precision
21:09 Learning Machines and CAD
23:04 Dealer Portal and Warranty
24:33 Production Capacity Push
25:14 First Week Reality Check
26:25 Switching Off Owner Mode
27:30 Tariffs and Figure It Out
30:54 Scaling Up Space and Staff
33:33 Service Area and Delivery Limits
35:04 Spa Retailer Five Stories
38:36 Worst Ideas and Hard Lessons
40:40 Best Ideas and Family Business
42:05 Media Picks and Kaizen Mindset
45:37 Thanks and Sign Off