Five years ago, Chris and Patti Romanzo decided to take a chance on purchasing Ultimate Tan in Englishtown, NJ. The move proved to be a good one; thanks to their business savvy and some good fortune, the salon is living up to its name. The couple takes the tanning business seriously and their salon is known for providing great tanning results with quality equipment and lotions in a very comfortable atmosphere. With these key elements of success in place, it’s no wonder the couple foresees another Ultimate Tan on the horizon.

A Matter of Timing
On January 11th, 2000, Patti and Chris purchased one of five Ultimate Tan salons owned by their friend, Lyle Diamond. He built the flagship store in 1984, and the salon became successful; but after 16 years in business, Lyle was eager to lighten his workload. Chris and Lyle had discussed the business venture for several years, and in early 2000 the timing seemed right. Patti sold off some of her stocks and took out a small business loan, and shortly after, the deal was inked. As it turned out, the couple had perfect timing. “Due to some severe stock market fluctuations at that time, I probably would have lost the money that I used to invest in the salon,” Patti commented. “Looking back on it, cashing in my stocks to buy the salon was the best business investment I ever made.”

The Romanzos’ plan to purchase Ultimate Tans was initially born of Chris’ concern for his wife’s safety. Patti was working long hours as a buyer in the bridal industry in Manhattan, and Chris said he just couldn’t shake his ominous feelings about that; he wanted her to work closer to home. “Chris became concerned shortly after the World Trade Center bombing in 1993,” Patti explained. “He kept telling me that if terrorists planned to attack New York City again, they would probably target something like a bridge or a tunnel. When he shared these thoughts with me, I would just accuse him of being overly concerned.” Patti’s opinion changed on September 11, 2001, 21 months to the day after the couple bought their salon. Had she been at her old job on 7th Avenue, less than one mile from the World Trade Center, she would no doubt have been in the middle of everything that happened on that fateful day.

A New Look
After purchasing Ultimate Tan, Chris and Patti wanted to personalize their new salon with a décor makeover. “We chose warm, earthy colors with wood and tiled floors,” Patti commented. “It has a homey appearance with antique furniture in the lobby. I also decorated the walls with sun faces made from different mediums such as clay, stained glass, hammered metal, tile and textile. I’ve collected all of these from our travels, and each one has a unique story.”

Englishtown, NJ is a city abundant in vanity businesses such as tanning salons and day spas. This competition drives Ultimate Tan to constantly improve the level of service, tanning products and equipment they offer.
The salon has 16 tanning units, including four stand-ups, one facial unit, and a sunless spray system. “We have SMI Sontegra Gen X beds, Sunliner VHRs, Sun Capsule booths and a California Tan CustomBronzer spray system,” Patti said. Quality is also key when it comes to the lotions and accessories offered at Ultimate Tan – Patti is in the process of becoming an Australian Gold/Swedish Beauty Premiere location. “These products are a good value for our clients, and the company’s rebate program allows us to keep reinvesting in our store,” she added. Ultimate Tan sells eye protection from Australian Gold, California Tan and Eye Pro, Inc., and the salon also offers a selection of jewelry, candles, picture frames and a variety of sunglasses.

Career Change
Patti has found many similarities between being a salon pro and her previous career in the bridal industry. “I was accustomed to a job where customer service and attention to detail were very important, and we’re the same way at our salon,” she commented. “It’s important to me that every person who walks through the door feels important,” she commented. “I love the flexibility the salon offers me. It’s a happy atmosphere and I’m an atmosphere person; I’m surrounded by happy people and I establish friendships with them.”
When maintenance issues arise at Ultimate Tan, Patti proves to be fairly handy, and she usually has a screwdriver in her pocket. She’s able to repair and maintain all of the salon’s tanning units, timers, the air conditioning, anything else that needs to be done.

Tanning Industry 101
Education and customer service skills are necessities for all the staff at Ultimate Tan. “We have eight employees, and they are all well educated and industry certified,” Patti said. “We don’t allow our tanners to overexpose themselves – they’re not able to choose their tanning times, and the 24-hour rule is always enforced. This is our commitment to professionalism.”
The couple empowers their staff to use judgment in making many important, day-to-day decisions at the salon. Attending industry events also inspires the efforts of Ultimate Tan employees; the team has attended Solar Seminar `04 in Jamaica, ITA World Expos, and Smart Tan Network events.

Getting The Word Out
As part of a successful salon chain, Chris and Patti enjoy the advantage of group buying and advertising power. “This eliminates the need to advertise individually while promoting recognition for all our salons,” Patti commented. “We promote our tanning specials on the radio, in the phone book and coupon books. Our most popular promotions are the ‘buy one/get one free’ memberships and summer beach packages. And, because we’re only a half-hour from the ocean, we sell beach packages early to retain our customers during the summer months.” Patti also revealed that electronic fund transfer is yet another way Ultimate Tan keeps revenue rolling in.
Ultimate Tan generates exposure by sponsoring community events. “We really try to do a lot for the schools,” Patti commented. “We donate door prizes and gift certificates for school functions like trips; we also support the Boosters and yearbook. These are worthwhile causes that are fun to be involved in.” Patti said that one of her tanners was a local finalist in a recent Hawaiian Tropic contest.

The “Ultimate” Reward
What does the future hold for Ultimate Tan? Patti and Chris hope to purchase another salon. “I’m really hoping Chris will leave his job as an account executive and run another location. I would do the hands-on work and he could handle the finances,” Patti said. Until then, the couple plans to keep on doing what they’re doing – enjoying success through dedication and hard work.

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Jamaican Me Tan was born in Rolling Prairie, IN on March 24, 2001 after best friends Jennifer McCleland and Kellie Rood decided to become business partners. With an eager desire to learn all they could about indoor tanning and the help of one well-loved industry pioneer, the two have made the small salon very successful. Now, the busy girls look toward the future, where they envision a bigger Jamaica Me Tan in an even bigger city, while still operating the little salon that started it all.

A Quick Start
Jennifer McCleland and Kellie Rood could be described as “self starters” – two weeks after deciding to open a tanning salon, they made the dream a reality. “Jennifer was getting ready to go to Florida for Spring Break and she wanted to purchase a bathing suit so we decided to drive to a tanning salon that sold them. On our way back home, I said it would be great if we owned our own salon, and the idea just grew from there,” Kellie recalled. Both ladies were avid tanners at the time, although their experiences at other salons were quite different. Jennifer never got great results at the salon where she tanned because the salon’s staff didn’t change lamps often enough. The salon Kellie frequented did, but it was more than 30 minutes away. “We wanted to offer the best service possible, close to home,” Kellie said.

Shortly after deciding to become salon owners, the two signed a lease on a location, purchased three beds and a lotion line from a distribution company and opened their doors for business. “It’s almost like we blinked our eyes and were ready to go!” Kellie exclaimed. The two, who both work as beauticians in retirement homes, decided to also keep their day jobs while they took the leap into salon ownership and became entrepreneurs.

Crash Course
When Jennifer and Kellie opened Jamaican Me Tan, they did so without hesitation; but once the business was up and running, they needed to learn more about the tanning industry if they wanted their salon to survive. They found that education, and so much more, at the industry’s three major events – the Today’s Image Las Vegas Expo, Indoor Tanning Association World Expo and Island Sun Times’ Solar Seminar. It was at these events that Jennifer and Kellie earned their salon operator certification, made important industry contacts and best of all, networked with other successful salon owners who had fantastic ideas and advice on how to improve their fledgling business. “It’s easy to pick up a lot of good information at these events, especially Solar Seminar, because of its relaxed and friendly atmosphere,” Jennifer said. “You don’t feel embarrassed to ask questions, and everyone is more than willing to help you. That one-on-one time you get with everyone is great!”

At Solar Seminar 2001 in Cancun, Jennifer and Kellie made a friendship they will never forget. That friendship was with the late Joe Moat, former owner and founder of Exotic Tanning Systems, a Muskegon, MI-based distribution company. “Jennifer and I went out on one of the SCUBA diving trips and the rough boat ride made us both very seasick,” Kellie recalled. “Joe saw us struggling under the water and he swam over, brought us to the surface and got us back into the boat. He didn’t know us at all then, and we were so grateful for his help.” Over the course of Solar Seminar and beyond, the Jamaican Me Tan gals and Joe Moat strengthened their friendship, and Exotic Tanning Supply eventually became their sole tanning product supplier. “Joe and everyone at Exotic has been such a huge help to us,” Kellie said. “We wouldn’t be where we are today without them.”

Ready to Rock!
Jennifer and Kellie have made sure that Jamaican Me Tan has what it takes to give tanners great results. The salon offers three SonnenBräune 730 Klassik sunbeds, a SonnenBräune SolaFX, a SonnenBräune Body Scan sunbed and a Sun Capsule Cyclone stand-up. The salon sells lotions by Australian Gold, California Tan, Designer Skin, Fiesta Sun and Swedish Beauty. They also sell Jamaican Me Tan T-shirts and Gurkee’s rope sandals. Although they didn’t originally intend to offer it, the salon has added sunless airbrush tanning to the menu, thanks to Exotic Tanning Supply. “If it wasn’t for Joe Moat, we would have never given it a try,” Jennifer said. “One day, he just showed up at our salon and taught our whole staff how to use the airbrush system, then he left it with us for a couple of weeks. During that time, we quickly sold more than enough sessions to pay for the unit.”

Although it’s located in a small town, Jamaican Me Tan manages to stay busy – the salon currently has more than 1,200 tanners in its database. During peak season, it typically serves about 125 clients each day; that number drops to about 30 per day during off-peak months. To keep track of everything, Jamaican Me Tan utilizes the Sun Touch salon software system. “There’s no way any salon owner could rely on the old card system anymore,” Kellie commented. “Cards get lost, and sometimes it can be hard to read other people’s handwriting. The computer program keeps everything organized and very easy to use.”

Future: The Sequel
With a successful salon firmly in place, Jennifer and Kellie are now working toward opening a second location. “We would like to open a bigger salon in a larger area, such as South Bend or Michigan City,” Kellie said. “Although it would be a bigger facility, we still plan to continue what’s made us successful – offering the best service we can.” While the girls say they would like to quit their jobs as beauticians to become full-time salon owners with their second location, they still plan to keep the current Jamaican Me Tan open. “It’s a thriving business, so there’s no reason to close it; but more importantly, this place has a lot of nostalgia for us,” Jennifer added. “This is where it all started, and we could never forget that.”