ABINGDON, Va.— Universal Companies, a business partner serving spas, wellness centers, and hospitality businesses across the U.S. and worldwide, announces the appointment of Ethan Pochman as Chief Executive Officer. Pochman succeeds Karen Short, who has taken on the role of Sr. Vice President of Sales at Universal.
Pochman brings 25 years in health, wellness, and active lifestyle businesses including a decade at Performance Health. He spent most of his tenure on the executive leadership team growing a business focused on licensed practitioners, including a strong focus on massage therapy. He led brands familiar to spa and massage professionals, among them Biofreeze and Bon Vital’. He held profit and loss (P&L) ownership of the company’s largest business unit, spanning US healthcare practitioners, patient and client retail, and e-commerce, and later served as Vice President of Global Marketing.
“The most impactful experience of my career so far, combining my love of business, my passion for health and wellness, and the power of working with an amazing team, was my 10 years at Performance Health,” said Pochman. “I have been given the rare opportunity to apply everything I learned from that experience to the same industry with a team I absolutely love.”
Short will continue to lead the direct sales organization she has directed in the last few years of her tenure as CEO. Founder Marti Morenings continues as Chair. The company’s teams, brand partnerships and customer relationships remain unchanged.
