ARTICLES

Pool Spa Sauna Showroom

Ontario's cottage country offers a varied clientele for this successful dealer.

By Jason Cramp
Pool & Spa Marketing

Pool Spa Sauna Management Team (L-R) Cathy Ross, Brian Ross & Erin Ross

In business since 1994, Pool Spa Sauna Showroom recently opened a new 1,300 sq. m. (14,000 sq. ft.) facility in Orillia, Ontario, in addition to its second store in Bracebridge, Ontario, which opened in 2001. Their ability to cater to the elite in Ontario's famed resort community of Muskoka - where sports celebrities and film stars relax in the many summer estates that dot the shorelines of nearby lakes as well as their ability to maintain their loyal customer base in Orillia, has played a major part in their success.

"Orillia is home to Casino Rama, which employs over 3,000, as well as being home to the Ontario Provincial Police (O.P.P.) Headquarters where another 1,000 are employed," states Brian Ross, who is a business partner in the company with his daughter Erin Pollard, who is the president. "These are the largest employers in the area and are not as vulnerable to changes in the economy as other businesses, so they provide a stable consumer base for local businesses. In Muskoka, however, the population runs from low income to the extremely wealthy and famous, so we tailor our products and services to meet this wide range."

To offer this kind of service to a broad consumer base over a relatively large geographic area, Pool Spa Sauna Showroom carefully plans the day-to-day operation of the business. Helping Brian Ross in this endeavour is his wife, Cathy, who manages the Bracebridge store, and his daughter Erin, who manages the Orillia store.

"Regular weekly maintenance of pools and hot tubs is an important part of our business and Cathy and Erin coordinate and supervise these tasks," explains Ross. "Communication is also extremely important. To address this, we made sure our new Orillia store included designated meeting areas for the sales staff, construction personnel, service technicians, supplier conferences and consumer sales. The store also includes a consumer education centre where we can host seminars for up to 150 people."

Sells And Services Hot Tubs Too

In addition to selling and building inground and aboveground swimming pools, Pool Spa Sauna Showroom also sells and services hot tubs and saunas, as well as offering chemicals, accessories, parts, games and toys. Depending on the time of year, they employ 20 to 40 people between the two stores; operate their own construction vehicles, and have five vehicles that are solely designated for service work.

"From Easter to Thanksgiving, when outdoor pools are in use, we are open seven-days-a-week - the rest of the year we are open six-days-a-week," says Ross. "During the winter months our service department is still very active and our sales people are busy with sauna and hot tub sales, as well as handling all of the bookings for pool installations for the upcoming Season.

"Our service department also handles openings and closings of hundreds of pools and spas each year, as well as repairs," says Ross. "Our business is very focused on the existing pool and spa owner and we try to cater to their daily supply and service requirements.

"For our commercial clients, such as hotels and resorts, we offer complete technical support and also operate training sessions for their pool and spa managers. We have excellent working cooperation with the local health authority and in order to provide rapid service, we maintain an inventory worth between $500,000 to $1,000,000."

Part-time Job Leads To Lifelong Career

Little did Ross know that a part-time job in the summer of 1968 would become a full-time position the following summer with Convertible Pools in Scarborough, Ontario, leading to his lifelong career, and that of his family, in the pool and spa/hot tub industry. With her father in the industry and growing up with a swimming pool in the backyard, his daughter was also destined to be involved in the business as well. After graduating from college as a legal assistant, and experiencing a brief stint in that occupation, she (Erin) felt ~hat she profession wasn't what she wanted. After her decision, in 1994, the family decided to open a small 70 sq. m (750 sq. ft.) retail store and Erin became proprietor, states Ross.

"Previous to that, we were 'pool builders' and our contact with the customer ended when the construction was complete - obviously we were missing all of the aftermarket sales," he explained. "Within a year of opening our store, we knew that retail was what we wanted to be involved in."

Pool Spa Sauna Showroom - Orillia, Ontario Facility

In 1997, Pool Spa Sauna Showroom expanded to a larger 167 sq. m (1,800 sq. ft.) location and in 1999 they expanded again to 251 sq. m (2,700 sq. ft.). As they also owned a 557 sq. m (6,000 sq. ft.) warehouse, they were able to devote the store area almost completely to retail display, instead of storage.

"In 2001 the Bracebridge store was opened to offer a more central location for our Muskoka clientele and the following year we purchased a 0.5 ha (1.3 acre) lot directly' beside our Orillia store," says Ross.

During the winter of 2004, construction of the new Orillia location was completed, giving them a 1,300 sq. m (14,000 sq. ft.) pool and spa/hot tub facility. With the Muskoka store and the warehouse, Pool Spa Sauna Showroom now has over 1,858 sq. m (20,000 sq. ft.) of retail, office and warehouse space. The company is even considering a larger building for their Muskoka location, but not until they adjust to their newest facility in Orillia.

"One of the biggest challenges we had when we moved into this building was communication with each other, as our smaller store allowed us to see everyone by just standing up at our desk," states Ross. "This is not possible in the larger store because we have large-scale product display areas allowing our customers to actually envision the transformation of their own backyard with a pool or spa. This is why we have designated meeting areas for our staff."

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