Alicia Peter, 30

Retail performance optimization manager
Backyard Leisure
Terre Haute, Indiana

Alicia Peter began her career as a hot tub skeptic. 

“I thought that the hype around wellness through water was dramatized,” she says. “After working with countless customers who have debilitating ailments, relationship strain, losing bonds with their kiddos and no me-time, I’ve realized that now I’m the one who comes to work motivated because of the change we get to see our customers go through.”

Peter’s conversion began during college as she worked for an outdoor living and hot tub retailer, assisting with birthday parties and working the counter. In February 2016, she ventured into sales and discovered she had an affinity for it, which led to her promotion to sales manager by December of that year and general manager just a few years later.

“Seeing that my team members were happy to come to work the next day and thoroughly enjoyed what they were doing brought me the most satisfaction,” she says.

Through the years, Peter not only advanced in her career but also experienced life milestones — finishing college, getting married and having three children.

In January 2023, after contemplating taking time off to further her education, she was approached by Backyard Leisure and accepted the position of retail performance optimization manager.

“Small businesses are filled with endless lists of tasks, hurdles and struggles, but I love the challenge,” she says. “It’s addicting to me.”

Peter’s dream is to instill passion in every person who joins the industry; she is committed to educating future talent about the satisfaction that comes from helping more people get into hot water, reinforcing the idea that they are not just in sales but in the wellness industry — a field with the potential to change lives.

Peter encourages those in the hot tub industry to remember their “why.” 

“If you remember what your ‘why’ is — to come to work each day and discover why your customer walked in to find a hot tub — then you’ll truly understand the power behind the products we are selling,” she says. “Where else can you work and see marriages saved, relationships restored between parents and children and those with ailments now able to live more life?”