Jacuzzi

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Jacuzzi

Type	Manufacturer
Genre	Private
Founded	1915
Founder(s)	Frank, Rachel, Valeriano, Galindo, Candido, Giocondo and Joseph Jacuzzi
Headquarters	Chino Hills, CA
Area served	U.S., Canada, Mexico, Europe, Asia, Africa, the Caribbean, Central and South America (excluding Brazil and Chile)
Key people	Executives:Jerry Pasley; Steve Purcell, Senior VP Operations; Erica Moir, VP Product Development, Design & Marketing
Industry	Plumbing Manufacturing
Products	hot tubs, bath tubs, showers, toilets, sinks and accessories
Revenue	$1,202.4M (2006)[1]
Net income	US$40.4M (2006)[1]
Employees	4,907
Website	Jacuzzi.com

Jacuzzi is a company that produces whirlpool bathtubs and spas. Its first product was a bath with massaging jets. The trademarked Jacuzzi name is commonly used to refer to any bath with water jets, and can thus be considered a genericized trademark. The company has attempted to counter this by advertising that their tubs "are Jacuzzi, and everyone else's are just hot tubs."

History

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Around 1900, seven brothers named Jacuzzi (pronounced Yah-KOOT-zee) immigrated to the United States from Italy. They eventually settled on the West Coast in Berkeley, California and became machinists. One of them, Rachele (pronounced "rah-KEH-leh"), began making aircraft propellers, inspired by an airshow he saw at the 1915 Panama Pacific Exposition in nearby San Francisco^{[citation needed]}. They designed a unique propeller known as the "Jacuzzi toothpick." Rachele and his brothers created an aircraft manufacturing company in Berkeley called "Jacuzzi Brothers", which remained in business until 1976, although their product line changed over the years. One accomplishment of the company was the first enclosed cabin monoplane, which was used by the U.S. Postal Service to carry passengers from the San Francisco Bay area to Yosemite National Park.

In 1925, as a result of a crash of one of their planes in 1921 between Yosemite and San Francisco^{[citation needed]}, which killed brother Giocondo, the Jacuzzi Brothers stopped making aircraft. Rachele turned the company's know-how in making hydraulic aircraft pumps to the manufacture of a new kind of deep well agricultural pump. Their design turned out to be the most efficient pump of the era^{[citation needed]}. They received a Gold Medal at the California State Fair in 1930.

In 1948, brother Candido used the company's expertise in pumps to develop a submersible bathtub pump for his son, Kenneth, who had contracted rheumatoid arthritis in 1943^{[citation needed]}, at the age of 15 months and suffered from chronic pain. The boy received regular hydrotherapy treatments at local hospitals, but Candido could not stand to see his son suffering between visits. He realized that their agricultural water pumps could be adapted to give his son soothing whirlpool treatments in the tub at home. Kenneth Jacuzzi eventually took charge of the company.

In 1955, the firm decided to market the pump, dubbed "J-300," as a therapeutic aid, selling it in bath supply shops^{[citation needed]}. To generate a little publicity for the unknown product, portable Jacuzzis were included in the gifts given to contestants on TV's Queen for a Day. It was pitched as relief for the worn out housewife. When Hollywood stars like Randolph Scott and Jayne Mansfield, who were decidedly not worn out, began offering testimonials, the Jacuzzi whirlpool bathtub started to acquire its legendary fame. Jack Benny was hired as a spokesman for Jacuzzi.

The J-300 pump was portable and could be placed in any bath enclosure. The medical community recognized the benefit of this product for their hydro-therapeutic programs. Physical therapists and orthopedists prescribed their use in clinics and in the home.

In 1968, Candido Jacuzzi brought to market the first self-contained, fully integrated whirlpool bath by incorporating jets into the sides of the tub. Dubbed the "Roman Bathtub," the jets used a 50-50 air/water ratio to improve the experience. The Jacuzzi became a symbol of a luxurious lifestyle. Hundreds of thousands of Jacuzzi portables were installed, both indoors and outdoors, at recreation centers and private homes. Hollywood celebrities began making personal use of them.

Despite its popularity, however, the whirlpool bath was still mostly a sideline at Jacuzzi Brothers. By far the bulk of Jacuzzi Brother's revenues came from sales of water pumps, marine jets, and swimming pool equipment.

In the early 1970s, the company produced larger units with built-in heating and filtration systems. This was the beginning of the spa industry as we know it today, and it firmly associated the Jacuzzi name with the tubs. Suzanne Somers, then a model, was used in some of the first Jacuzzi print advertisements. The integrated design allowed for easy installation and portability, and thousands of homeowners installed the units. As the industry matured, the company's product line expanded with models that worked in multi-use configurations as hot tubs, whirlpool baths, or both. These models could be installed indoors or outdoors.

Today, Jacuzzi branded hot tubs, baths, showers, toilets, sinks, and accessories are commonly found in residential homes, hotels, and aboard cruise ships and have become popular in high-end spas around the world. Now produced by Sundance Spas, Inc., Jacuzzi products are distributed in about 60 countries worldwide.

The Sundance Spas plant is located in Chino, California. This plant was the first ISO 9001 certified hot tub production facility in the world^{[citation needed]}. It had the capability of producing up to 300 spas per day for their domestic and export business needs. Their product line has many unique features such as patented jets, rainbow waterfalls, synthetic sun-resistant siding, stereos, ergonomic seating, triple-layered shells, full foam insulation, and a solid A.B.S. pan bottom.

In October 2006, Apollo Management, a large private equity firm, announced a $990 million leveraged buyout of Jacuzzi Brands.^[2]

In 2008 moved its world headquarters to The Shoppes at Chino Hills.

Other products

The US Navy's Patrol Boat, River, which served in the Vietnam War, utilized Jacuzzi Brothers pump-jets, driven by dual 220 hp (164 kW) Detroit Diesel engines. These gave the craft remarkable maneuverability and eliminated the need for propellers, which could have become entangled in weeds or debris.

References

External links

• Jacuzzi corporate website (US)
• Jacuzzi UK
• Jacuzzi for you - UK Bathroom accessories