
Founded by Trevor and Edna
Gray, European Tanning Systems, Inc. (ETS, Inc.) was created to
compete in the very new industry of Indoor Tanning. The Grays had been
researching various business ventures and became fascinated with the potential
for growth in the tanning industry. This was their opportunity to chase the
American dream. ETS, Inc., was incorporated in July of 1984, and began
operations from the "Gray's Farm" located in Clayton, Indiana.
Initially, business operations were strictly that of a distributor of
"sun-beds" and tanning products. Working out on the farm,
Trevor and Edna very soon realized that in order to continue growing their
business and still maintain the personalized service that had made them
successful, they were going to have to surround themselves with a team that
embraced their "Total Customer Satisfaction: Whatever it Takes" attitude towards
customer service. The company quickly grew from a regional distributor operation
into a national supplier of tanning equipment and supplies.
In January
of 1988, ETS, Inc., relocated its offices and main distribution center to
Park Fletcher in Indianapolis, Indiana. At the time, ETS, Inc. employed
approximately 80 people. Soon thereafter, regional sales and distribution
facilities were opened in Tampa, Florida and Los Angeles, California.
In December 1992, ETS, Inc. moved its offices to Indianapolis'
growing Northwest business center, Corporate Park.
The Corporate Park facility
offered over 88,000 square feet of both office and warehousing space. In the
Spring of 1994, ETS, Inc. nearly doubled the size of the building by
adding on an additional 76,000 square feet.
The Corporate Park Headquarters served as the hub for many ETS, Inc. business units.
In addition to an 8,000 square foot showroom, the building was home to the
Australian Gold Institute, Swedish Beauty and Australian Gold laboratories,
Helios Explorer Salon Software development team, warehousing of products,
tanning beds and supplies, as well as equipment sales, support, and service
teams.
The summer of '98 saw the completion of a brand new 375,000 square foot tanning bed manufacturing facility on the South side of Indianapolis, complete with warehousing and office space. Operations continued to grow and this facility quickly became a tour stop for prospective tanning salon owners. Anyone who wanted to stop by the showroom at the Corporate Park site could easily trek down to the South-side of Indianapolis to tour the manufacturing facility where their tanning beds were being made.
As the tanning boom settled down, ETS recognized the need to economize. During the summer of 2004 the ETS group of companies underwent a reorganization to better serve their customers. ETS moved the equipment Sales and Service operations to the South-side manufacturing facility, while Australian Gold and Helios remained in the Corporate Park facility.
Everything related to tanning beds was now under the same roof; manufacturing, sales, service and distribution. The move necessitated a brand new 5000 square foot showroom which overlooks the manufacturing operations.
After
22 years in the tanning industry, Trevor and Edna
Gray
decided to pursue new adventures and reluctantly said good-bye to Sunshine
Holdings, Inc. and sold the enterprise to MH Equity Investors. Now ETS Tan is under
the umbrella of New Sunshine, LLC and has poised itself for further growth as
evident in the acquisition of California Tan and Designer Skin lotion companies.
Now in its 25th year in the tanning industry, ETS Tan ventures deeper into the spa industry. The Rejuvasun spa bed and tanning bed in one has been a success for the past 2 years. Now ETS offers two new additions to the lineup, the ShineWhite teeth whitening system and the HydroMassage daily massage bed. In fact, ETS is the exclusive distributor of the HydroMassage in the tanning industry.
Introduced at the 2009 Smart Tan convention, January saw the production of an entirely new line of tanning beds. Known as e3, this new line of beds replaced the venerable SunStar, Solaris and StarPower lines and combined time-tested manufacturing knowledge with cutting-edge technology. Energy saving electronic ballasts, ergonomic tanning surfaces and ease of maintenance make the e3 tanning beds unique in the industry. Plus the beautiful lines and color changing lighting effects created an excitement among ETS customers and others alike.
Also introduced during 2010, building upon the spirit of e3, ETS introduced the e1 line of small commercial tanning beds. Again, energy savings and eye-popping design were paramount.
Recognizing the shift in the overall economy, and the tanning industry in particular, the largest competitors in the tanning bed industry combined forces with the purchase of ETS Tan by JK Products. JK Products brings with it a long history of high-end, European design. The addition of ETS into their line-up adds new flair to an already beautiful and quality offering. We look forward to many great years ahead.
|