QCA Pools and Spas makes a splash with Iowa-made products

Whether someone is looking for a two-person hot tub or getting ready to host a party for eight, the Quad-Cities-based company has nearly 60 years of experience in relaxation and rejuvenation.

It all started in 1966 as Quad Cities Automatic Sprinkler, in the brick building at 343 13th St. in Bettendorf. A few years later, the company started taking on pool work, said Jim Ketelsen, vice president of retail.

By the late '70s, the company had expanded to manufacturing its own spas, using multiple buildings in downtown Bettendorf to complete all the steps. In 2008, the company moved manufacturing under one roof by moving into its own factory in DeWitt, about 25 miles north.

The company still retains a presence in downtown Bettendorf, however, with a showroom that features a variety of products from chemicals to accessories to spas and saunas. Overall, the company employs about 70 people and 30 of those workers are in the factory performing a variety of jobs.

The first task is picking out the right color.

"It all starts with a flat piece of acrylic," Ketelsen said. "What we do is fit this into an oven, also known as a thermoform machine, and we heat it up and vacuum form it into a spa mold."

The sheets come in two sizes — 100"x100" and 90"x90" — and five different colors. The sheet is placed into the thermoform, where it is heated up to 390 degrees. Once the sheet is pliable, a machine lowers it into a pre-made fiberglass mold. 

QCA Pools and Spas has more than 30 different molds to choose from, varying in size, shape and custom details. Tiny holes in the molds — air channels — pull the heated acrylic down and vacuum shrink it to take the shape of the mold.

After the thermoform treatment, the shell goes into another oven where its kept warm. After, it's taken to a booth where Durabond, a hardening compound, is applied.

"It's what gives the shell strength because it's pretty fragile when it comes out of the oven," Ketelsen said. 

After, a layer of foam insulation is applied and the shell is painted. It is then taken to another area where employees drill the holes for the plumbing and jets.

Next, the spa moves to the plumbing department, where the PVC lines and jets are attached.

The shells are left to sit overnight and the next day they move into the construction area where employees have pre-built the cabinet — the wooden frame — the hot tubs sit in. The pumps and electronic panels are then applied before a forklift carries the spa to the test rack.

Once on the rack, they are filled with water and set to run for two to four hours, Ketelsen said. Everything from the jets to the LED light features to the joints and pumps are monitored to make sure they are in working order.

"What I like talking about is that all of these are sold," said Ketelsen, motioning to the bubbling spas. "We don't build for inventory, we build for orders. Maybe it's not sold to an end user yet, but a retail store or company has ordered them and that's considered sold to me."

QCA Pools and Spas has three retail stores in Iowa — Bettendorf, Cedar Rapids and Dubuque — and a fourth in Green Bay, Wisconsin. In an average month, 150 spas are going out the doors of the DeWitt factory, said company President Bob Zerull.

But that is all dependent on the time of year. Typically, January and February are slow, but dealers begin placing their orders once the first signs of spring arrive. 

By the time fall rolls around, spas are flying off the shelves. Zerull said the company has been working to expand its reach and has gone international, with spas being shipped as far as Egypt. 

Before they can get there, they have to come off the rack. A forklift takes the spa to another work area where an employee clears the water out of the lines and gets it ready for completion.

"From there it gets detailed up, nice and clean and dry, and out to our warehouse for packing," Ketelsen said.

In the packaging department, the spas are wrapped in protective plastic and placed on pallets, ready to be put on a tractor-trailer. Large racks extend from floor to ceiling with large, grey and black packages on them, holding the covers for the spas.

"For as many models we have, we have to have a lot of covers. So they're pretty much everywhere," Ketelsen said. 

On the floor near the door are a series of boxes individually labeled and grouped together, featuring another product made in DeWitt.

Spas may be the main event in the factory, but the crew has one more trick up its sleeves: they are the only US manufacturer of infrared saunas. Their brand, TheraSauna, is also made in DeWitt, while competitors all make their products overseas. 

"These guys build every one individually and put it together. It's not like we make 50 front doors and put them in a box," he said. "This is built here and all the pieces are boxed to go to your house. So your sauna was built and assembled here first."

The saunas come in two colors, natural and mahogany, and are made of aspen lumber, because it is known to be a pure wood. Other woods, like cedar or hemlock, can release toxins and cause negative effects for sauna users.

"There's a lot of chemically sensitive people in the world so we make this to a be toxic free, or almost toxic free, lumber," he said. "That's part of our reputation."

Once the saunas are put together and tested, they are taken apart and put into individual boxes to head out to the shipping area. They will be shipped directly to the customer for them to assemble — a task not as daunting as it seems.

"It is very easy to assemble, there are only 14 bolts that hold it together," Ketelsen said. "The hardest part is getting it out of the package."

The hardest workers, however, may just be the ones in DeWitt. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, sales doubled and the crew easily handled the surge while maintaining a high standard for the products. 

"We do all that right here in DeWitt and we're pretty proud of that," Ketelsen said.