Posted : 03/01/2002

Posted : 03/01/2002

Future Industries
Beautiful Days In The Neighborhood

Karen Bentlage

Business philosophies are like opinions: Everybody has their own unique perspective. Future Industries--one of the largest fully stocked wholesale tanning supply warehouses in the northeastern United States--operates under one main premise.

According to the company's president, Karen Bentlage, Future Industries is focused 100 percent on its own backyard. The philosophy makes sense because the tanning industry at its core is a relationship-building process. LOOKING FIT recently took a few minutes out of Bentlage's busy day to talk with her about Future Industries' place in the tanning industry.

Q: How did you first get involved in the indoor tanning industry?

A: I purchased Future Industries in 1990 from Jerry Deveney, who now works for Sun Ergoline. I started off in the manufacturing end of the industry as a partner at Sun Capsule. Jerry called me and wanted to know if I knew anybody who would be interested in buying Future Industries, which was really just a shoebox of receipts and a fax machine at the time. Future Industries' exclusivity in the Northeast really intrigued me. I knew that having exclusivity was extremely important for a solid business plan.

Q: Has the company had to change over the years to better serve the changing industry?

A: The industry has changed enormously from 1990 until now. Lotions were almost non-existent in 1990. There was basically just equipment. It was a very flat industry, meaning that a salon's principle concern was whether they wanted a 24-bulb bed, 26-bulb bed or maybe a 30-lamp bed.

Everything has changed, partly due to increased competition. There are definitely more salons opening and more competitive equipment on the market so salon operators have to stay on their toes. They have to update their equipment and, occasionally, they have to repaint and give an overhaul to the look of their salon.

I started with nothing--my credit card and a phone. Now we have 32 full-time employees; we have trucks on the road and we have a warehouse with at least 150 to 200 units that are paid for and sitting here ready for delivery.

Q: What is unique about Future Industries?

A: Future Industries is unique because we are 100-percent focused on our own backyard. We are not a national distributor. We are intimately involved in our territory, the Northeast, which is a different market than the rest of the country.

I strongly feel that our narrow focus has been a key factor to our success. You can give people so much more if you can be in their stores, meet with them regularly and be on a face-to-face basis--vs. me talking on the phone to some stranger in Arizona. What do I know about Arizona? I don't know who their competition is, I don't know what their challenges are or what their rental spaces go for.

In this area someone can call up and say they are opening a salon and we can tell them what tanners are looking for and the types of equipment they prefer. It's very easy to be well informed when you concentrate on a small area. At our customers' convenience, we deliver and install 99.9 percent of everything we sell. We also guarantee that the shipment of our lotions and eyewear will be at our customers' door within one or two days.

Q: Which products are your most popular?

A: Our most popular unit for years has been our standup Sun Capsule. I don't think there is any competition in the field. It's second to none and probably the most profitable return-on-investment piece of equipment I have. It never breaks down so it's just an all-around great unit. We're also really excited about two new pieces of equipment we have added to our line: the Sunless Express--a UV-free spray booth--and the Hydromassage. Both are selling very well.

Q: What can we expect in the future from Future Industries?

A: I think that we will continue to try to learn anything and everything that helps our customers make more money. It's a never-ending learning process. I never thought I would stay in this business. I thought it was a temporary stop until I found my real job. My mother used to ask me if I was going to get a real job. I would say, "I don't know, Mom, I bought the building so I don't think so."