JEAN KOLB
(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 26)
resolve to keep the association healthy
during these times.”
While she admits it is difficult to pick
a memorable moment during her time of
service on the ISPA Board because there
were way too many, Kolb says the New
Orleans board meeting, complete with a
beignet powder sugar shower, was right
up there!
Kolb’s most
challenging year.
“The year 2009 was when the economy
tanked. Six months earlier, we had just
opened up the second of three Kohler
Waters Spas. It was also when I was the
chairman of ISPA. The ISPA Board had to
make difficult decisions in order to keep
the association strong and healthy
through the turbulent times. With my
personal life, it was the same year my
father was diagnosed with cancer and
passed away one month later to the day,”
Kolb recalls.
But with optimism and faith, she
embraced the challenges along with the
lessons that life has to offer. “I learned
that life is really about a natural ebb and
flow. One has to realize the very lowest
of times in order to appreciate the highs
of life, whether personally or professionally. Perhaps that is one reason why
I was drawn to the spa industry. So
much of what we do is an ebb and flow
on a daily basis—from our therapy
treatments to interacting with guests,
supporting our staff and dealing with
JOIN THE REST OF THE ISPA
COMMUNITY as we honor Kolb
for her work and contributions.
Tuesday, Sept. 13
9:30 – 11 am
General Session
28
PULSE
■
July 2016
Kolb enjoys a spa visit post-retirement with her
husband, Dan.
Kolb's weakness: grandson Cameron.
slow Tuesdays or ‘crazy busy’ Saturdays.
Our industry is a reflection of life itself. I
am very grateful for all of it.”
Kohler Waters Spas & Development
Director Garrett Mersberger has joined the
Kohler leadership ranks!” Kolb says with a
hint of humor.
Kolb’s most
memorable ISPA
Conference & Expo year.
ISPA’s 20th anniversary celebration
during its 2010 ISPA Conference & Expo
at The Gaylord National Resort and
Convention Center in the Washington
D.C. area left the most lasting memory
for Kolb. “We had Doc Hendley, founder
of Wine to Water and 2010 ISPA Alex
Szekely Humanitarian Award recipient,
on the General Session stage. I thought
he had an incredible story, not to
mention, he was pretty easy on the
eye,” Kolb says.
“At that time, I had a large hotel suite
where we had all the Kohler team
members attending the event stay in—
some even on roll-away beds. Yes, we
were on a budget! It became one big
pajama party at the end of the day with
all of us sitting around, opening and
smelling lotions, candles, scrubbing our
skin with Supracor mitts and drinking
wine. It wouldn’t quite work now that
Year Kolb retired
from Kohler Co.
In May 2015, Kolb retired from Kohler Co.
but continues to contribute to the spa
industry through Well by Choice, a
company she founded which allows her
to professionally speak in front of spa
peers on topics like leadership and
wellness. “I am continuing to do so much
and loving every minute of it,” she says.
Aside from her professional speaking
engagements, she also offers individual
one-on-one coaching sessions for spa
professionals.
On other days when she’s not caught
up with work, she spends her time with
family, especially with her grandson. “I
take care of my grandson, Cameron, one
day a week or sometimes, more if I can
get him,” she says. “Life continues to fill
in and hopefully bear much fruit. The
things we worry about on a daily basis are
not worth the space they occupy in our
heads. Family, friends, health and love—
these are what matter.” n