An old name becomes a new player

There’s a hot tub inside PDC Spas’ showroom that isn’t new. Built in 1986, it spent nearly 40 years tucked into an enclosed porch before Marshall Welch and his wife bought the house. It wasn’t running, but it didn’t take much to revive it.

Then the story took a turn only a legacy manufacturer could deliver: The PDC employee who installed it was still with the company. He helped remove the tub, and it now sits in the showroom — one jet per seat, decades of history and all.

In 1957, PDC began as a fiberglass job shop in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. By 1982, the Livingston family’s second generation retooled the business and introduced three PDC spa designs. It has made its own hot tubs ever since, while also building shells, complete spas and private-label products for other brands. That work established PDC’s credibility with industry insiders but often sent its manufacturing reputation further than its name.

When the Livingstons decided to sell, Welch, a Williamsport resident with experience in manufacturing and corporate turnarounds, saw a company worth keeping where it began. His group retained the local operation and the people and processes behind its reputation.

“Dave and Lynda built a hell of a company,” Welch says. “The quality of PDC is known within the industry.”

Jaime Smith, director of sales and business development at PDC Spas, is just as quick to protect that history. “Dave and Lynda created something absolutely amazing here for our small little town of Williamsport,” she says. “Without [them], we wouldn’t be having this conversation today.”

The sale initially unsettled employees with decades at PDC and retailers, including Janet Garvey, director of sales and operations at S&S Pools & Spas in Taylor, Pennsylvania.

“We were concerned it would go from being a family-run business to another corporate-owned company,” Garvey says.

Welch knew it was all about retaining the trust that had been built over the decades, and soon, those initial fears vanished as the transition took shape. “Marshall took what the Livingstons did very, very well and was a fresh set of eyes, taking it to the next level,” Garvey says. “It was a great matchup from them to him.”

Garvey noted the reaction from PDC’s staff. “The morale, the excitement — it was contagious,” she says. “He saw their potential and their commitment to the company and decided he was going to build upon that.”

The manufacturing principles stayed, too. “We still do three layers of fiberglass,” Welch says. “Our shells are freestanding. The frame provides no structural support for our shells, and it’s a little bit old school, but it’s really a quality product.”

Change starts from within

Welch’s earliest changes were not the ones customers could see. PDC already had employees with decades of manufacturing knowledge; new ownership created more ways to surface it. He introduced the Entrepreneurial Operating System, cross-department meetings and quarterly lunches where employees could hear about the company’s direction.

“The one thing that I am definitely an advocate of is creating an environment where your people are willing to speak up,” Welch says.

“When you start internally and you come to work feeling more valued, appreciated and heard, knowing that your opinions matter, that really changed the dynamic here at PDC,” Smith says.

That invitation gave employees permission to contribute, not simply execute. “People aren’t afraid to say, ‘Hey, what about this?’ ” Smith says. “Marshall just brought a spark back to all of us.”

That input has made its way from processes to products. While PDC tested cold plunges at a local college and fitness center, workers identified an overheating problem in small rooms. “We had a guy who works in the factory,” Smith says. “He came up with this idea about adding a piece we could literally vacuum-form here, ‘to help push the air out.’ ” PDC adopted that change, and it’s made the units more efficient.

Stepping into the spotlight

PDC also expanded its marketing team and returned to industry advertising and trade shows to spread brand awareness.

Smith grew up in Williamsport but had never heard of PDC when she applied for a job there 10 years ago. Then she called her mother.

“She said, ‘Jaime, your kids are literally in our PDC hot tub right now,’ ” Smith said. “I never knew.”

Now, Smith says, it’s time to “start tooting our own horn.” She adds, “I really want people to know that PDC is a player.”

The exposure has brought new dealer business. Garvey says shoppers are arriving after finding PDC online, while longtime owners still walk in after 20 years with a PDC tub and ask for another one.

“It was just a matter of shedding some light on this diamond in the rough,” Garvey says. With the changes moving at what she calls “breakneck speed,” she adds, “We’re definitely reaping the benefits.”

PDC has also refreshed the products retailers put on their floors. New cabinets, exterior lighting and updated controls gave existing models a modern look.

“People love the new cabinets,” Garvey says. “They love the exterior lighting improvements. It’s a really sharp, clean design.”

Selling the outcome

While new molds and fresh designs may be in development, PDC’s larger ambition is to broaden what the brand represents.

“The old PDC Spas was known as American-made hot tubs and swim spas,” Smith says. “The new PDC is going to be known for health and wellness benefits.”

That shift changes the sales conversation. “You’re not just selling a box of water,” Smith says. “You’re selling an outcome.” Hot water can mean relaxation and hydrotherapy; cold water can mean recovery.

“What’s your temp?” she says. “We have a solution for everybody.”

Nothing in 28 years has ever come close to the partnership we have with PDC.”

Janet Garvey, S&S Pools & Spas

The most visible investment is PDC’s 7,500-square-foot showroom — where customers can wet-test hot tubs, swim spas and cold plunges, and dealers use it for hands-on product and service training.

“One of the things Marshall wanted to do right out of the gate was to have a real legit showroom,” Smith says. “We are the manufacturer. We should be able to have a showroom full of our products.”

Retailers without a wet swim spa can send prospects to Williamsport for a test, and PDC directs them back to the retailer to complete the sale.

The referral works in the other direction, too. When consumers come directly to PDC, the company connects them with a nearby dealer. Garvey has seen those referrals reach S&S. “They find out where the person lives and tell them, ‘Go see your local retailer,’ ” she says. Customers have arrived at S&S after PDC identified it as the closest dealer. “It’s a win-win.”

The other PDC customer 

Every hot tub manufacturer has two customers, Welch says: the end customer and the dealer.

Garvey says that philosophy is apparent in PDC’s support. “They make us feel like we are their only retailer,” she says. “That speaks volumes to their customer service.”

PDC has backed that attention with policy changes. The company increased the amount it reimburses dealers for labor on warranty repairs. Smith recalled Welch’s reaction when he learned what retailers had been receiving.

“Marshall’s like, ‘This is stupid. Double it. Like, done. Why are we even talking about this?’ ” Smith says.

Garvey has seen the same commitment firsthand. When S&S held an open house about 80 miles from Williamsport, Welch, his wife and four PDC employees attended. Another time, he put a lead technician on a plane to help a Rhode Island retailer troubleshoot lighting issues house by house.

“When has the owner ever come to our open house?” Garvey says. “Nothing in 28 years has ever come close to the partnership we have with PDC.”

That confidence is reflected on S&S’s showroom floor. The store is now essentially exclusive to PDC, and Garvey says the manufacturer’s investment pushed her team to renovate its showroom and carry more spas.

For Garvey, the decision remains a no-brainer: “The quality and workmanship in their tubs is phenomenal. We want something reliable, and clearly there’s the relationship, too.” The test is whether PDC can pair fresh products and a louder voice with the quality, service and relationships that built its reputation.

We’re the little guys, but we are just as big and exciting, and we’re just as cool as the rest of them.”

Jamie Smith, PDC Spas

“We’re the little guys,” Smith says, “but we are just as big and exciting, and we’re just as cool as the rest of them. It’s time that we’re not afraid to say who we are and be proud of what we do.”

That 1986 spa in the showroom doesn’t just serve as a reminder of PDC’s quality and legacy — it makes a sharper point: Whatever comes next has to be built well enough to last. PDC already knows how to do that. Now it wants everyone to know who built it.

“We’ve done a lot of work for people over the years — we helped put some very big brands on the map,” Welch says. “It’s now time to put PDC on the map for the quality product that we make.”