Leif Vasstrom is certainly one of the more recognizable faces in the indoor tan biz. From his early days in the high-pressure tanning system sector to his current status of running not only Supra Brands Group tanning lamps, but also the industry forum, Tan Today, Leif has left quite an impression on our industry.
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Recently, I caught up with Leif to chat about his long industry career, and something else he’s incredibly proud of: on October 26, he became a citizen of the United States of America.
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IST: Leif, you and I go back to the late 1980s, but there are probably late arrivals to our industry who don’t know your history. Give us a quick overview of your tan biz career.
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Vasstrom: I came to the U.S. from Finland in 1977 with two suitcases, $500 and a belief that Americans would adopt the way of life in Scandinavia by installing saunas in their homes. So, I started HotSpot Sauna Finlandia.
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IST: Wow! That’s quite a lean start. How did it go?
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Vasstrom: It was perfect timing! Spas and hot tubs became the rage in Northern California and soon, we had our first showroom in the center of San Francisco. By the end of that very successful first year, I founded Dr. Müller solariums in Germany. Soon after, Silver Group, Inc. brought forward the Midnight Sun nationwide salon concept that was launched with the first tanning salon in New York City on Madison Avenue.
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IST: And the rest, as they say, is history …
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Vasstrom: Yes, our success was very strong. In 1984, our tanning equipment sales hit $16M. In 1989, we started DataSource Inc. and built the first retail POS (Point of Sale) software and became an IBM Business partner.
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IST: The 1990s brought tremendous success to tanning industry manufacturers, distributors and salons. How did you grab your share?
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Vasstrom: In 1994, we launched the QDM equipment line, bigger and faster than some of the other brands – it was really successful. We launched the Solar Planet tanning centers in 1995 and truly set the tone for successful salons with up to $500K in revenue in a space as small as 1,000 square feet.
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IST: Then you moved on to your present direction, yes?
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Vasstrom: Correct. In 2004 – after taking a few years off to sail my boat – I started Supra Technologies, provider of tanning lamps and proudly voted IST Magazine’s Favorite High Pressure Lamps now ten years in a row!
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IST: Leif, let’s shift to your recent achievement of U.S. citizenship. After living here for so long, what prompted you to finally do it?
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Vasstrom: Joe, a year ago, it dawned on me: good grief! I have been in this country for 40 years! The first 20 as a workaholic with zero thought about the future just building businesses, launching new products and services nobody knew about, then the success of QDM and finally, losing the plant in Germany and ultimately selling QDM. I spent the next several years sailing blue water and crossing the Atlantic, and then again getting back to lamp sales. But, October 2016 was a wake-up call. After 40 years, what I did next should be significant. I’d soon be going on Medicare, getting Social Security and even have a small pension from Finland due to military service.
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Then, one night I thought, I have lived in America for 40 years. Why am I not a citizen? So, I started the process, which, by the way, is not so easy and surely difficult for most of those who have limited knowledge of English. The filings and the waiting and correspondence were completed, and finally, the interview with the Immigration and Naturalization Service to be approved for citizenship. The actual ceremony and the swearing in on October 26 was much more emotional than I had thought it would be. Now, I proudly have dual citizenship: Finland and USA!
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On behalf of IST Magazine: a heartfelt congratulations, Leif!
