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Chattanooga: Plenitude of older houses in city give Re-Bath an edge

By: Amy Williams
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Nelson Wong

Accountant Nelson Wong toiled 70 to 80 hours a week for years before the real estate developer for whom he worked laid him off.

But the Chattanoogan didn’t let that slow him down. Instead, it gave him the resolve he needed to strike out on his own.

“I decided if I am going to work for someone, it’s going to be me,” he said.

Eighteen years later, Mr. Wong owns two successful businesses, C&D Cultured Marble, a maker of marble vanity tops, whirlpool tubs, shower stalls and more, and Re-Bath of Chattanooga, which restores bathrooms using durable, yet inexpensive, materials.

In the nearly six years since he started the Re-Bath franchise, it has grown beyond Mr. Wong’s expectations.

At a Re-Bath conference in Phoenix in June, his business landed among the top 10 franchises in mid-market sales out of 212, with revenue of $1.8 million in 2007. He credits the prevalence of older homes in Chattanooga for driving the success of the business.

“The last two years have been tremendous,” he said.

Mr. Wong jokes that the success is the result of “lots of luck,” but it has not always been that way. When the business first entered the market, he faced educating a public that was not familiar with the concept. He opened a showroom in 2003, which he moved last year to 3706 Ringgold Road.

Re-Bath is different from traditional remodeling because of the technique used. Instead of removing a tub or tearing down a wall, bathtubs, for example, are easily covered with acrylic liners and walls with systems that look like new tile. Because there is no demolition, the whole job can be done faster than a traditional remodeling, Mr. Wong said.

Josh Lindsay has worked as an installer for Re-Bath for the past two years and was in the construction industry for more than 15 years before going to work for Mr. Wong. He has been impressed with the quality of products offered by the company, including the Re-Bath acrylic used in tub liners and wall systems.

“It lasts forever and it’s a great product,” he said.

Mr. Wong bought C&D Cultured Marble in 1990, the year he lost his accounting job. In 2002, he came upon the Re-Bath concept, and decided it would be a good fit for him and his two sons, Dustin, 28, and Travis, 26, who were interested in working with him.

Both of his sons help to run the two businesses, which employ about 12 people, including installers. Mr. Wong, 55, a Chattanooga native who got his accounting degree at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, now handles the administrative duties of both businesses.

He said he eventually would like to expand the Re-Bath business to cover a larger area. Also, he sees an increasing need to serve the aging population, more of whom are wanting to update their bathrooms to make them more accessible for those with infirmities.

That means a lot of tub-to-shower conversions and walk-in tubs, which are very popular, he said.

“The reason I got into the bath remodeling business is it’s something that I felt like people need,” he said. “It’s an essential part of their house.”

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