By Matt Russell, CEO, Smart Tan

As tanning industry business owners, it goes without saying that we work and live in a very controversial business. And if you’re like me, you probably feel that the business of sunshine, UV light, and non-burning exposure just makes too much sense to abandon. So for me, it has become a passion more than a business. Setting the record straight on UV light is a worldwide health care issue worth fighting for, and I feel fortunate to be in an industry that is willing to attack that issue straight on.

So what is our industry’s future? And who is responsible for looking down the road to ensure that the story about UV light has a happy ending? First, we need to determine a solid, long-term plan to get us to our common goals. Just like building our businesses, we need to determine what building blocks are necessary to create a solid foundation for which to build our plan. This plan must be solid considering the obstacles we’re facing. As an industry, we can no longer afford to simply react to the attacks thrown at us. At some point we need to build a solid, long-term plan that will sustain our industry for many years to come.

I’ve worked with every industry association and many industry groups in the 34 years I’ve been in this business. But I’ve never worked with a group as focused and driven as the American Suntanning Association. As the operations director for the ASA, I am the point person for organizing the activities directed by this group. To be clear, I am not a decision maker, but my experience in this industry is helpful to the talented group of board members, salon members, consultants, and vendor advisory members.

Everyday, I work with as many as a dozen individuals who are playing a role in shaping our industry’s future. On any given day, I might be speaking with ASA President Bart Bonn, ASA Director of Legislative Affairs Whitney Tyler, our three lobbyists from mCapitol, or our scientific committee consisting of six different individuals from both inside and outside our industry. Altogether, the ASA has a solid team of 15 staff members and consultants who work toward our industry’s goals every day.

So what is the ASA’s plan? How is this group and this plan different from those in the past? Like other markets, industry organizations and their efforts evolve over a period of time until something clicks and progress starts to take shape. What brought the ASA together was the board’s understanding of the need to start from scratch and build a plan from the foundation up. Though starting from the ground floor takes considerable time, we all know there are no shortcuts to building something effective and sustainable.

The complete ASA plan for our industry’s future will be rolled out at Smart Tan Nashville October 3-5. There will be two separate presentations — one on Saturday and another on Sunday — so you will have two chances to see the plan and ask questions.

Click here for an overview of the plan in the latest issue of Smart Tan Magazine online.