I love writing about women in the hot tub industry. And what a treat it was to visit Rita Rowlen and Kara Weed in Wichita, Kansas, for this article. Rita was a true trailblazer in the early days of the hot tub industry and now Kara is leading the way.
By the sheer numbers, there may be more men in our industry but anyone who has been in this field for a while understands there are many women, past and present, who have made significant contributions to its success. Every other year, we dedicate a story in the magazine to tell the unique tales of some women from our industry. One of the best parts of doing this comes after we’ve published it — once this edition hits mailboxes, a slew of people write to tell us about the power women they know in the industry who they’d love to see featured. Our list keeps growing.
Feedback is one of my favorite parts of the job. It results in better articles and helps build the hot tub community. For instance, our Operations article was suggested by a retailer, a story we wouldn’t have known about otherwise. Ron Perkins reached out to let me know when his latest showroom remodel was complete, and his business ownership journey fit in perfectly with where we were in our succession planning series.
I could go on, but you get the gist. I want to thank our readers who participate and contribute to the success of each issue. Our ears and emails are always open.
Best,
Megan Kendrick, publisher