Lauren Cotter — 30 Under 40 2024

Lauren Cotter, 34

Life’s Great Spas, Vice president
Malta, New York

Lauren Cotter has worked in every aspect of the pool and spa business and has experienced the highs and lows that come with it.

At 20, Cotter started her career when she “got bit by the industry bug” after she landed a job in the offices of a product dealer in her hometown outside Syracuse.

“While thankful for all I learned there, I realized I wanted to expand into other aspects of the industry, and in 2013, I went to work for Life’s Great Spas,” she says.

At Life’s Great Spas, she has worked in sales training, back-end work, service calls, home shows, fairs, trade shows, customer service, marketing and more. She currently serves as vice president.

“I’ve done it all,” she says. “I will never stop believing that you should always treat people the way you’d like to be treated. I’ll also never ask anyone to do something that I haven’t done. None of us are above cleaning tubs, bathrooms and most importantly, getting on the floor and connecting with your customer.”

Since starting, Cotter’s love for her job has only grown.

“I’m competitive by nature, and there isn’t a day that goes by in this business that does not resemble a challenge,” she says. “Every day is different, and what you gain from that day is completely correlated to what effort you put into that day.” 

She also loves that the job allows her to flex her creativity muscles with everything from event planning to tackling different sales strategies. 

Cotter says she would like to see more innovative technology in the industry.

“Each year, we walk the trade show floor, and not much changes or advances,” Cotter says. “I look at other industries that continue to evolve and innovate, while our industry often does not challenge or push the envelope.”

Cotter’s dream is to see the industry grow and, on a smaller scale, see Life’s Great Spas expand while maintaining its great reputation for serving the community.