Eric Lammers, 32

Account manager and marketing director
QCA Spas, Inc
Bettendorf, Iowa

Eric Lammers has been part of QCA Spas and its sister brand, TheraSauna, since 2018, managing accounts nationwide while directing marketing for one of the country’s oldest spa manufacturers. Based in Iowa, QCA has been building hot tubs and saunas since 1966, and Lammers’ dual role keeps him connected to the company’s history and future.

As account manager, his focus is on growing the dealer network. “I get to work with a lot of passionate, honest and hardworking people who run great businesses and take care of their customers,” Lammers says. He also appreciates the breadth of QCA’s product offerings — one of the few manufacturers producing both hot tubs and infrared saunas — and the ability to collaborate closely with plant managers and the research and development team to implement improvements.

For Lammers, QCA’s size and culture are major strengths. “We have a dedicated workforce that works in unison to keep our whole operation going,” he says. “Most of our employees are born and raised near the Quad Cities, so there is a family-oriented feel.” That cohesion proved critical during the COVID-19 pandemic, which he describes as the most challenging period of his career. With demand surging far beyond production capacity, vendor delays and rising costs, Lammers had to balance new opportunities with loyalty to existing partners. “I put our focus on catering to our long-term accounts,” he says. “By being honest and upfront, we were able to take care of our long-term customers, while also picking up new accounts as we could.”

Those values paid off. QCA maintained record sales even after the postpandemic slowdown, while many competitors saw steep declines. “Our biggest strength as a manufacturer is our honesty and integrity,” Lammers says, “and this alone was able to help us pick up substantial market share.”

Looking ahead, Lammers hopes to see more consumers purchasing from local dealers rather than online-only sellers with limited warranties and support. “Customers get a more positive experience when they can buy from the reputable dealer down the street,” he says.

When he steps away from the desk, Lammers enjoys golfing, hiking, boating and traveling with his high school sweetheart, Samantha, and their dog, Izzy.