MasterSpas Chairman Bob Lauter Named to Hot Tub Hall of Fame

Lauter will be honored November 16 at the PHTA Awards of Excellence in New Orleans, recognizing decades of leadership, innovation and dedication to the hot tub industry

FORT WAYNE, Ind., Nov. 4, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Bob Lauter, chairman of the board of MasterSpas, has been named a 2026 inductee into the Hot Tub Hall of Fame, recognizing a career that has helped shape MasterSpas and advance the hot tub industry. Lauter co-founded the company in 1996 and served as its CEO before retiring from that role at the end of 2022.

Lauter will be formally inducted alongside fellow 2026 honoree Brian Quint, former co-owner and president of Seattle-area retailer Aqua Quip, during the PHTA Awards of Excellence on Monday, November 16, 2026, at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans.

Established in 2024 by SpaRetailer magazine in collaboration with the International Hot Tub Association, the Hot Tub Hall of Fame honors individuals whose contributions have helped advance, improve or protect the hot tub industry. Honorees represent manufacturing, retail, supply, associations and support services, with careers distinguished by innovation, collaboration, honesty and integrity.

For MasterSpas, the recognition reflects many of the values that have defined Lauter's career: innovation, strong dealer relationships, and the belief that long-term success is built on people.

"Bob's impact on MasterSpas extends far beyond the company he helped build. He showed us that lasting success comes from putting people and relationships at the center of the business. His belief in our employees, our dealers, and this industry helped shape MasterSpas into the company it is today. This recognition is well deserved, and all of us at MasterSpas are proud to celebrate it with him," said Kevin Richards, CEO of MasterSpas.

Lauter entered the spa industry in 1979, starting a spa distribution business within W.W. Adcock. After leadership roles at Fort Wayne Pools and L.A. Spas, he co-founded MasterSpas with Terry Valmassoi. Together, they built the company through dealer relationships, sales training, marketing and product development. Under Lauter's leadership, MasterSpas became the largest manufacturer of swim spas globally and the largest manufacturer of hot tubs made in the USA. He also helped expand the market for swim spas through the company's partnership with Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps, which began in 2010 and continues today.

Lauter's contributions extended beyond MasterSpas. For six years, he led the International Hot Tub Association, the industry's leading trade organization, as president or chairman. Working alongside other manufacturers, he helped address safety standards and issues affecting the industry as a whole. Lauter also championed MasterSpas Cares, the company's charitable giving program, through which MasterSpas and its dealers support national organizations working to improve lives.

The Hot Tub Hall of Fame adds to a long list of honors recognizing Lauter's contributions to business and the industry, including the Association of Pool & Spa Professionals INSPIRE Award, the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award and the Better Business Bureau Torch Award for Marketplace Ethics. In 2018, he was inducted into the Greater Fort Wayne Business Hall of Fame.

Today, Lauter continues his involvement with MasterSpas as chairman of the board.

For more information about the Hot Tub Hall of Fame and previous inductees, visit hottubhalloffame.com.

About MasterSpas

MasterSpas is based in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Operating out of a state-of-the-art, 614,000-square-foot manufacturing facility on a 45-acre campus, MasterSpas is the largest swim spa manufacturer in the world and the largest hot tub manufacturer that builds 100% of its spas in the USA using both domestic and foreign components. The company's executive team brings together more than 150 years of spa manufacturing experience and has one of the strongest track records in the industry. For more information, visit www.MasterSpas.com.

About the Hot Tub Hall of Fame

Founded by SpaRetailer magazine in collaboration with the International Hot Tub Association, the Hot Tub Hall of Fame recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to the industry through innovation or collaborative work to improve and protect it. The program celebrates their accomplishments and preserves their stories for future generations.

SOURCE MasterSpas