Tanning and a cold beer sound like the perfect combo for a day at the beach, but you probably wouldn’t imagine the business sides of the two have much in common.

A 30-plus year veteran of the beer industry, Hugh Colgrove jumped into the tanning business in 2017 and used his background in logistics and maintenance operations to his advantage. What he lacked in knowledge and experience in tanning salon management coming in, he’s been able to make up for by utilizing resources available from tanning vendors and associations, along with some helpful advice from supportive, veteran owners.

Beyond the welcoming embrace he received from his fellow tanning professionals, Hugh has also experienced the warmth of the industry at the local level. With a vibrant team of employees that he can count on and still have fun with, as well as clients that quickly became friends, Hugh is living his best life as the owner of Paradise Island Tan.

I mean, who wouldn’t want to wear a Hawaiian shirt to work everyday?

“When I started wearing them, all the girls wanted to have them too,” Hugh says. “The customers say they really like the crazy guy with the Hawaiian shirt. We play music and go with that thing. ‘Come to the Island.’

“I love our clientele. I don’t have anybody that walks in that I don’t love seeing come in. That’s hard, in a business, to say.”

Click here to read the entire article in the latest issue of Smart Tan Magazine online.