Vista CEO likes leading people

By: ALEXANDRA DeLUCA - For the North County Times | Wednesday, September 7, 2005 8:47 PM PDT ∞

VISTA --- Bob Hallam is a bus driver.Ý

"You've got to put the right people on the bus," he said, referring to the philosophy from one of his favorite books, Good to Great by Jim Collins. "You need to get the right people on the bus, in the right seats, point the bus in the right direction and make people enjoy being on the bus."

Hallam, 60, is the founder and chief executive officer of Dimension One Spas, a leading hot tub design and manufacturing company. He is also a believer that it is people who make or break a company.

"As you get bigger, you'll get better if you let your people shine," Hallam said. "Your job as a leader is to point them in the direction you want them to go in."

Hallam, a Michigan native, is no stranger to leading people.

"Wherever I was, I always seemed to become the leader," he said.

Hallam attended Michigan State, then joined the Navy as a pilot in 1969. Although he had always been fascinated with flying, a career in the military was not in the cards.

"I think in the back of my mind I always knew I was going to be a businessman," he said.

After settling in San Diego after leaving the Navy, Hallam became a stockbroker.

"It was a great fit," he said. "I'm very good with numbers ---- I love numbers."

Not long afterwards, one of his customers asked him to go in on a business venture with him: selling hot tubs. Hallam came aboard, and the partners invested in their first retail store in 1977. By 1981, the business had expanded to five stores throughout San Diego.

In a bid to expand his growing business, Hallam began asking his customers what they wanted in a spa. Armed with that knowledge ---- about eight specific points ---- Hallam asked the manufacturer to create spas to meet the customers' specifications. Soon, the manufacturer couldn't keep up with demand, so Hallam started his own manufacturing company.

Today, Dimension One Spas is a multimillion dollar company with hundreds of employees and thousands of customers throughout the world.

"My biggest success is that we've been around 28 years, and we continue to grow and add new people," said Hallam. "I'm proud of the fact that we never stop and always get better. My biggest obstacle is to continue to get better."

Now back to the bus: Hallam believes his employees have been, and continue to be, the key to the company's success.

"We have some great, great people," he said. "We find their passion. Sometimes you have to move a person around. We found one employee working in quality control for $8 an hour ---- now she's the director of manufacturing. She's going to be a superstar in this company. We're always reaching out to people, giving them more challenges."

Although he enjoys traveling and reading, Hallam said his job is his passion.

"As I've gotten older, my interests have gone to work," he said. "My passion used to be golf. Now it's business. I love watching the company grow."

However, Hallam is not all work and no play: these days, he and his wife Linda are busy preparing for their annual Halloween party at their Rancho Santa Fe home.

"I spent the past weekend hanging skeletons and spiders," he said.

Hallam's wife, Linda, does a lot more than throw great parties: she is also the chairman of Dimension One Spas.

"My two heroes are my wife and my father," said Hallam. "My wife's been a big part of this business. I admire her guts and her stick-to-it-ness. She's the hardest working person I've ever known. I've learned a lot about dedication from her."

As for his father, Hallam said he admires his morals, work ethic and dedication to family.Ý

"He was a chemist for Shell Oil. He quit and started a business so he could employ my grandfather. He loved his job and didn't want to do it, but he did it because it was important. That's the kind of man I want to emulate."

Hallam has no plans to get off the bus anytime soon: about a year ago, he decided maybe it was time to retire. Planning to take two weeks off as sort of a trial run, Hallam slept in Monday morning, read the paper ---- and was at work by 11 a.m.: His retirement had lasted less than three hours.

"I don't think I can retire," Hallam said. "I find passion and enjoyment here."

Contact freelance writer Alexandra DeLuca at Alexandra.L.DeLuca@gmail.com.

Tips from the top

Bob Hallam, founder and CEO of Dimension One Spas, offers these keys to career success:

-- Know your strengths and weaknesses

-- Get better at what you're good at

-- Hire someone to do what you're not good at

-- Learn from your victories and analyze the things you do right

-- Exercise your brain

-- Be excited about what you do

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