TROPICAL SEAS, INC.
TIDAL WAVES OF CHANGE
by Scott Eric Barrett
Active Leadership
Knorr is a hands-on manager. So after 15 years of substantial growth, he realized the need for a new facility in order for the company to continue to grow and prosper. The new custom-designed building is Knorr’s brainchild and is more than twice the size of the last facility.
“We filled the lobby with all things tropical—from tropical fish tanks filled with exotic fish to the decorative island feel,” he says. “Our customers say it looks and feels more like a tropical resort than a manufacturing facility.”
The company is proud of its new headquarters and routinely organizes factory tours for valued customers. “We show off the laboratory where we formulate everything and conduct our quality-control testing,” Knorr says. “Salon operators enjoy seeing the production room where the lotions and skincare products are filled, our batch room where we house the stainless-steel mixing vessels, and our reverse-osmosis water-treatment system.”
The water-treatment system is essential because every product Tropical Seas produces begins with pharmaceutical-grade water. “It’s a step beyond what most companies do,” Knorr says.
“When you start off with cleaner and purer ingredients, you end up with cleaner and purer products.”
The company will host its first-ever salon-training seminar Jan. 17, 2004. The event will feature three guest speakers: Greg Smith, owner of What A Tan in Hagerstown, Md., will talk money with “How To Make A Buck”; Chuck Stenger, owner of Total You in Columbus, Ohio, will present “Salon Safety & Security”; and Bruce Lawrence, owner of Arctic Tan in Sudbury, Ontario, will discuss sales strategies with “Product Promotions & Sales.” The National Tanning Training Institute also will be on hand to provide attendees with valuable Florida-approved tanning salon certification.
“These are some of the industry’s brightest minds, so I think attendees are going to come away with some great tips,” Knorr says.
Unique Appeal
Tropical Seas didn’t just dive into the industry overnight. The company started kicking around in Knorr’s mind in the late 1980s when he decided to try something different. After a 4-year tour of duty with Hawaiian Tropic and another 18 months with Amole, he wanted to do things his way.
“I wanted to build my own product line because I felt I could offer something unique and innovative to the industry. That’s when I packed up and relocated to Daytona Beach,” he says. “Tropical Seas probably isn’t for everybody, but we’re not trying to be for everybody. There are a couple of thousand salons nationwide that we would like to do business with vs. the 30,000 that are out there. We are proud of the fact that we offer spontaneous tanning products. We aren’t the norm. Not many manufacturers have 500-gallon fish tanks with sharks and stingrays in their lobbies.”
When the company decided to repackage it entire line, Knorr chose to go with a more upscale bottle with a naturalresin look instead of loud colors, etc., so he hired a graphic consultant to help modernize the look.
“We have new artwork as well as new bottles,” he says. “After almost three years of research and development, everything is looking great and will be ready to roll at the beginning of the year.”
The company also is working on a new sunless product that is an emulsion within an emulsion. It’s a two-compartment bottle that will help tanners get their amino acids and DHA in separate molecules inside the same bottle, he says.
“We’re still working on stability studies,” Knorr says. “It’s brand-new technology, and no other company is doing it. We also have a new, state-of-the-art bronzer coming out in January.”
Sometimes, deep valleys follow high peaks, but Knorr doubts business will slow down anytime soon for Tropical Seas.
“We’ve already outgrown our new facility, so we’re looking at purchasing three more acres to expand it,” he says.
