Get In The Game
Pro Tan by Performance Brands
by Karen Butler
The Rookie
Stacy Kaufman's experience with the tanning market began in 1985, when the 18-year old left college to pursue the business world. He basically stumbled onto the tanning industry because he loved the beach. He began working for a small factory in Florida that manufactured skincare products and learned the intricacies of production, including formulating, packaging and manufacturing the entire product line.
His first product launch was Sun Tan U, which was sold out of the back of his van and then eventually out of huts along the touristy Florida beaches. Shortly after, when he learned of a distant relative in the skincare industry, Kaufman switched employers. He spent countless hours with the company's chemist, further increasing his knowledge of ingredients--particularly self-tanners--and their effects, while trying to sell products to the general public.
In 1987, Pro Tan was born--initially to service bodybuilders as a quick tanning fix. The benefits were simple: You painted it on two days before a show and you got dark as if you had spent a month on the beach. It allowed competitors to take advantage of a darker skin tone, which absorbed the bright lights to project a more toned physique--something important to winning a competition.
In this same year, Kaufman also became the youngest member to serve on the board of The Florida Cosmetic and Pharmaceutical Association in 1987. He served a 5-year term.
The bodybuilding business became a small goldmine. "With all the growth, we expanded to product sales throughout the world," he says.
Ever the entrepreneur, he still looked for other markets. With the looming eye of the Food and Drug Administration threatening to shut down the indoor tanning industry, Kaufman--still not 20-years-old--branched out into other manufacturing ventures, creating Built Clothing Apparel, designed with bodybuilders in mind.
Although he devoted some of his time to his other endeavors, he never forgot his passion for the skincare business.
The Professional
Today, at age 37, Kaufman has come full-circle back to his roots in the tanning industry. He and his wife Cathy--chief financial officer of Performance Brands--have decided to focus 100 percent of their energies on Pro Tan, a business that was built around their family--including two active children--to foster its growth.
Out of 27 skin and fitness products, eight are geared for indoor tanning. Recently Kaufman gathered feedback on desirable fragrances from more than 800 salons and then reformulated, repackaged and reintroduced the eight products at the ITA Expo in Nashville. The direct input contributed to an immediate favorable response from salon owners--and their customers.
Performance Brands also has a hit with its Sun Garden Bath & Body line. After developing formulas for some of the largest bath and body retail stores, Kaufman realized salons could benefit financially from offering these products. He created the value line of oversized 17-ounce bottles so salons could carry a complete retail section for just $150.
"One of our goals is to provide quality products that are attractive to customers and easy for salons to sell," says Kaufman. "We are passionate about the success of the people we do business with. The key is we put out a great product and we stand behind it with a 100-percent money-back guarantee."
He puts his money where his mouth is, too, including his own name and the company's toll-free phone number on the back of all the bottles.
Kaufman's philosophies for manufacturing, venturing into new markets and living life have gotten him where he is today--and he has no regrets.
"No matter what product I fall in love with, I try it. Sometimes I fail and sometimes I win but the point is: I'm in the game, and being in the game of life is what it's all about. Have a wonderful family and enjoy your life," he says.
