July 2018

104 105 O ver the span of 50 years, Gary Multanen started his career, purchased the company he was working for, designed a solution for his mother’s mobility is- sues, and used it as inspiration to build Bestbath® into an internationally-leading design and manufacturing firm.With his children now at the helm, his life’s work is mov- ing swiftly into the future. Bestbath began in 1969 as Component Structures, Inc., producing commodity-based bath and shower units for manufactured housing developments. Two years later, Mul- tanen joined the company as a plant manager. After 10 years with the firm, armed with “an SBA loan and silent investors, he purchased the company and became soul owner and Chief Execu- tive in charge of Bestbath,” explains Me- gan Multanen, Multanen’s daughter, and now, Chief Sales Officer and Co-owner of the company. As she explains, af- ter Multanen purchased the company, he oversaw its growth for another 10 years before realizing a new opportunity. “Really, the game fundamentally changed for us as a com- pany in 1993.My dad recognized his mother,my grandmother, was having difficulty getting in and out of the shower.He was looking around for options to remodel her house so that she could remain independent longer.There wasn’t a Home De- pot, no Lowe’s and not many contractors, either. Since he was a manufacturer, he realized it was beneficial to provide a solution himself.He and the engineering staff, here, developed the first BESTBATH THE SHOWER OF CHOICE AT A GLANCE BESTBATH WHAT: A manufacturer of barrier-free, zero-entry shower units WHERE: Caldwell, Idaho WEBSITE: www.bestbath.com