About Us

Serving Our Community for 75 Years

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The Great Soak Hot Tub Company was started by Ladwig’s Culligan of Jackson, Michigan in 2000.  The Ladwig family purchased the Culligan franchise for Jackson in 1978.  Founded in 1939, this was one of the first Culligan franchises in Michigan. With over 3 decades of experience providing customers with great water, the company expanded with the founding of The Great Soak Hot Tub Company.  The Ladwig family continues to run the dealership and The Great Soak Hot Tub Company today with second generation ownership, and a third generation beginning to learn the business!

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Our Founder, Frank Ladwig

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Frank Ladwig started with Culligan International Company in 1954 in Wheeling, IL. He was a very successful salesman and was quickly promoted to district sales manager.  In 1959, he moved to California where he grew this district to number one in the country.  He became a general sales manager of Culligan International, responsible for growing the national sales force. He was quite successful, turning Culligan into one of the largest field selling forces in the nation.   In 1969, Frank was promoted again, this time to national sales manager. He was responsible for overseeing the entire Culliga sales force, which included the international reps as Culligan was rapidly expanding into a worldwide company. Frank considered himself very lucky to have worked directly with Emmet Culligan, the founder of the company and inventor of the modern water softener.

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Our Owners, Joel and Andy Ladwig

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In 1978, Frank retired from Culligan International Company as vice president of sales and became a Culligan dealer, buying the Jackson, MI dealership. Both Joel and Andy Ladwig graduated from Jackson Public Schools and went on to Michigan State University. In 1990, Frank retired and the “boys” took over operations of the company. We continued to grow the operations to include several small competitors.  In 1993, our current president Joel purchased a Culligan dealership in South Florida and turned that dealership into the fastest growing dealership in the country. In 2004, Joel decided to sell the Florida operations so he and his wife could raise their three children in a great Midwestern town. He rejoined his brother Andy at the Jackson Dealership, where all the Ladwig boys had worked at one time or another.

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The Great Soak Hot Tub Company

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In 1999, we began a new chapter, adding The Great Soak Hot Tub Company to our existing water treatment business. In 2013, our company expanded with the construction of a new modern showroom where we could display a greater number of hot tubs, accessories and supplies.

Today, you will find Joel and Andy working alongside our dedicated employees, who total over 200 years of experience in the water and hot tub business!