When Alice Cunningham walked away from a prestigious federal career in the mid-1970s to start a hot tub business, her father cried. She had a month of vacation, excellent benefits and a senior role administering job training programs for tens of thousands of people nationwide. She was, by every conventional measure, doing exactly what she was supposed to do.
When a new product takes off, it often inspires others to design accessories that enhance it even further. Take swim spas. Their rise in popularity has boosted sales opportunities not just for manufacturers but also for retailers. Still, their height — typically 53 inches or more — creates a challenge: How do buyers get in?
Olympic Hot Tub’s Founder’s Event honors founders Alice Cunningham and Blair Osborn and their legacy of giving. This year, for its ninth annual event, Olympic Hot Tub is raising funds for Food Lifeline, a nonprofit organization with a mission to feed people experiencing hunger today while working to end hunger for tomorrow.
The Hot Tub Hall of Fame was established in 2024 through a partnership between SpaRetailer magazine and the International Hot Tub Association. Created to celebrate the pioneers and visionaries of the industry, the Hall of Fame shines a spotlight on the people whose passion and dedication have shaped the way the world experiences hot water. Honorees come from every corner of the hot tub world.
Looking beyond one-time sales, spa retailers count on recurring revenue to provide a consistent, reliable source of income to manage expenses, plan for growth and navigate a sometimes uncertain market.
In the spa industry, competitive analysis and market analysis help retailers learn business tactics from regional competitors as well as understand their market positioning and competitors’ strengths and weaknesses. With that knowledge, retailers can pick the best ways to grow.
Ah, retirement. It’s a bittersweet word for longtime business owners to think about. But how do owners leave a business they’ve dedicated decades to? Internal succession, selling to an employee, is one popular route.
Olympic Hot Tub is partnering with Behind the Badge Foundation for its eighth annual Honoring Heroes event.
Family businesses are economic pillars, but the death of a key family member can profoundly affect both the company and the family.
Olympic Hot Tub kicks off its 7th Annual Founder’s Event in October, which honors founders Alice Cunningham and Blair Osborn and their legacy of giving.
Since the explosive demand for spas started in 2020, many retailers grew their businesses enough that they needed to expand to multiple locations.
Don Riling, president of Olympic Hot Tub, has been named a 2023 Middle Market Fast 50 by the Puget Sound Business Journal.