Q&A with Adam Ritchie, Consumer Products Business Unit Manager - Romeo RIM

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Romeo RIM’s experienced workforce combines years of technical and industry knowledge with an entrepreneurial spirit. We’re happy to share our team’s information and insights via an ongoing series of Q&A interviews. Today we speak with Consumer Products Business Unit Manager Adam Ritchie who focuses on the nation’s growing spa industry.

Q: What is your background at Romeo RIM?

A: I was hired in December of 2014 as the Ag and Construction Business Unit Manager. When we made shift in our corporate strategy and purchased the world’s fastest LFI production equipment my responsibilities shifted to support our growth in the Spa Industry. I have been developing strategic partnership with some of the world’s best Spa OEMs while maintaining some of my deep relationships within the Ag and Construction industry.

Q: Why did you join Romeo RIM?

A: I spent most of my career working for large organizations in a variety of different roles from engineering to program management. I have always had more of an entrepreneurial mindset and enjoy involving myself with all aspects of the business. Romeo RIM provided me with the small, family run company feel and opportunities, with the security of being part of a larger organization. Romeo RIM and The Reserve Group have provided me with invaluable experiences that have strengthened me both professionally and personally.

Q: What are major opportunities in the spa manufacturing industry in 2017 and beyond?

A: As I visit many of the spa manufacturers the story seems to be the same: everyone is tired of a fake wood box with hot water. Most of the OEMs have differentiated themselves by having the best jets, pumps, heaters, etc. but now it is a race to see who can have the best looking hot tub. As one of our spa customers put it, “The outside is limited by the size of a truck, the inside is limited by the human body, pumps are pumps and jets are jets. The only thing left to innovate is the cabinet.” Romeo RIM’s LFI processing capabilities help some of the leading spa manufacturers differentiate themselves in the market with a spa cabinet that is cost competitive and extremely durable.

Q: What was your experience at the Pool & Spa Show in Atlantic City earlier this year?

A: The Pool & Spa Show was a great event. It is an opportunity to speak with some of the spa manufactures along with other suppliers. It was great to hear that the programs that we have recently launched are stirring up buzz amongst the other cabinet manufactures. One OEM clued me in that there was one of the other cabinet manufactures pontificating about the material and process that was used to produce certain cabinets that we have launched.

Q: What specific benefits does Romeo RIM bring to the world of spa manufacturing?

A: Romeo RIM offers an extremely durable, stable, composite plastic spa skirt that can provide spa manufacturers with design freedoms that they cannot get from other technologies. Our LFI material has an extremely low coefficient of thermal expansion, which means that it does not warp due to any type of temperature changes and the design freedoms come from the ability to mold one large, painted, panel where color options are limitless. We have also partnered with an industrial design firm to provide our customers with the added service to design and develop new looks for their spas.

Q: What are three things you are excited about with Romeo RIM?

A: I am most excited about the Rotary Carrier LFI processing line and being able to provide our customers a superior product at a competitive price. We are also embarking on a number of innovative projects to bring our customers additional style and color choices through the use of thermoformed sheets and films. Lastly, I am excited to have the backing of the entire company to continue to grow our Spa Cabinet business. There is an overwhelming sense of unity and teamwork to grow our business segments.

Adam Ritchie can be reached at (586) 336-5881 or Adam.ritchie@romeorim.com