SUCCESS
STORIES
Inspiring Tales of
Startups, Growth and
Overcoming
Hardships
From Small-town to Global Brand
STEWART GRIFFITH
TouchAmerica Inc. • Mebane, North Carolina
S
ometimes, a business opportunity may be sparked by a
stroke of romantic serendipity. This is how the
TouchAmerica Inc. story was born. The idea for the
business came when TouchAmerica Inc. President Stewart
Griffith first met his wife Robin Zill at a party. “She had just
become a massage therapist and didn’t have a massage table,”
Griffith recalls. “So I offered to build her a portable massage
table—hoping to get a date!”
Filling the Gap
The couple soon saw a business opportunity to serve a young
but growing spa industry in the early 1980s. Griffith and Zill
eventually decided to take advantage of the burgeoning spa
industry and launched TouchAmerica Inc. in 1983.
“TouchAmerica Inc. identified the need for quality massage
tables and spa equipment,” Griffith says. “We knew we were
uniquely positioned to serve this booming market.”
Today, the company has grown from a small-town portable
massage table manufacturer into a global supplier of wellness
furniture and equipment. Aside from its factory located in
North Carolina, the company also has international partners,
specifically in China, as part of its global expansion strategy.
TouchAmerica Inc. has teamed up with Double Dragon
Furniture Factory to provide outside U.S. clientele original
equipment manufacturer (OEM) and customized products and
solutions.
“Beyond manufacturing, we have become a 360-degree
solutions provider for longtime customers like Aveda, Hyatt
Hotels Corporation and Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide
Inc. We are honored these high-profile companies look to us to
offer innovative ways to bring spa and wellness services to the
public,” he says.
Focus on Sustainability
TouchAmerica Inc. and its overseas operation, Touch
International, strive to embrace sustainability in all aspects of its
operations.
“From the original TouchAmerica Inc. massage table made
62 PULSE
n
December 2015
from
a
salvaged
shipping pallet, to our
first
manufacturing
facility located in a re-commissioned textile mill, we have a deep
commitment to preserving the environment,” Griffith says. “At
the request of our longtime clients Estee Lauder, Aveda and
L’Oreal, TouchAmerica and Touch International are frequently
audited for environmental and social compliance. We always
pass with flying colors!”
One of the most challenging times for the company, and for
Griffith personally, was the passing of Robin, his wife of 25 years.
“Robin’s passing in 2007 from cancer was pivotal for the entire
company,” Griffith says. “Robin was a driving force in the spa
industry. A founding ISPA Board member, she holds the title of
being the only spa professional to be honored with both the ISPA
Visionary Award and ISPA Dedicated Contributor Award.”
Continuing the Legacy
Carrying on her mother’s legacy of social consciousness is
daughter Aubrey, who is the driving force behind GlobalTouch
Program, TouchAmerica Inc.’s charitable initiative. “I’m proud
that my son, Hart, and daughter, Aubrey, are part of the business,
continuing on the path Robin and I forged with that first massage
table more than 30 years ago,” Griffith says.
To help envision creative wellness solutions for spas, salons,
lodging and retail, the company formed an advisory board. “The
board represents the top echelon of spa developers, designers,
architects, operators and suppliers—including former ISPA
Chairman Deborah Waldvogel, current ISPA Board member Blake
Feeney, and former ISPA Board members Cheryl Hartsough, Thor
Holm and Diane Trieste,” he says.
When it comes to secret to longe