Holmen business is big in hot tub circlesBy ADAM BISSEN | Staff writer
West Salem, WI
When his company’s sales manager took Joey Sexton out to dinner last month, the general manager of Caldera Hot Tubs thought it was because his company was doing good business. It was, but Sexton and his parents, who co-own the Holmen store, learned an even bigger surprise that night: Caldera Hot Tubs beat more than 100 other businesses to be named
Best New Dealer of 2006 by Watkins Manufacturing, the world’s largest hot tub producer.
“It was a huge honor and completely out of the blue. We had no idea,” Sexton said. “And I’m completely shocked to be honest with you because there’s so many companies that do what we do and for them to pick us in Holmen, Wis., of all places it’s just like ‘wow.’ Obviously, somebody likes what we’re doing, and that’s cool.”
Sexton credits his company’s customer service after the sale for helping the
nine-month-old business win the award.The company sends out a weekly e-mail reminder instructing users on the maintence of their tub. Caldera also offers a chemical plan where it sends out premeasured cleaning supplies and instructions to customers who want extra help maintaining their tubs. “
I don’t think anyone has ever done (that) before,” Sexton said.
Beyond those maintence tips, Caldera also
provides a free men’s and women’s bathrobe with each purchase of a hot tub at their store.
Sexton owns a small stake in Caldera Hot Tubs, but his parents Joe and Rhonda Sexton own the majority. They also own Flowers by Guenthers in Onalaska and Holmen and co-founded FirstLogic in La Crosse.
The elder Sextons will
accept their Best New Dealer award next month at a ceremony in Athens, Greece. Watkins Manufacturing is paying for the trip, which Sexton’s parents will use as “a second honeymoon or whatever they want to call it.”
Sexton has to stay home and manage the store, a spacious showroom at 3809 Creekside Lane filled with 16 hot tubs. Usually the company keeps five or six tubs filled with water so customers can jump in and try out a tub.
“
And we’ve got disposable swimming suits, too, if it’s a real spur of the moment thing,” Sexton said. “If they don’t have a suit on them we can supply one — not the most flattering things in the world, but they serve the purpose.”
Contact Adam Bissen at 786-6813 or adam.bissen@lee.net.
http://www.holmencourier.com/articles/2007/01/18/news/02hottub.txt
