Our Story

Creative Energy Corporation was founded by Rolf Engelhard and Denis Kasten in 1976. Rolf had an engineering background and Denis a degree in architecture. Together they formed a perfect match. Rolf invented a state-of-the-art equipment package to heat and filter hot tubs 24 hours a day. The operating cost was under $15 per month – unheard of at that time. Units were manufactured in Novato and sold throughout the country. Our largest dealer was in Alaska! There are still thousands of these units operating in the field today.

Denis designed and built beautiful settings and decks around the hot tubs and spas, many of which were featured in Sunset Magazine. Today Denis runs Kasten Builders, a Bay Area custom home builder and residential contractor. Kasten Builders constructs everything from perfect fit decks and surrounds for your new hot tub all the way to custom homes and remodels. They too have over 30 years of bay area experience.

In 1981, John Kasten joined the corporation as General Manager and Vice President. He had previously managed a large Cadillac, Pontiac, and Nissan automobile dealership in Michigan. During that same period the industry was shifting from custom, in-ground installations to self contained, portable spas. Creative Energy elected to sell Hot Spring Spas exclusively because of the manufacturer’s emphasis on reliability and economy of operation. At the time, Hot Spring Spas built only one spa model, the “Classic.” Our San Rafael location sold these units at a record rate, earning numerous awards along the way. Today, HotSpring Spas is the largest spa manufacturer in the world.

As HotSpring Spas grew, so did Creative Energy. In 1990, we added a second retail location in San Mateo. This was and continues to be our largest location, with four separate mood rooms for private test soaking in our spas. The spas have a definitive season, so we at Creative Energy decided to retail fireplaces in the early 90's. We tried them all, from Whitfield to Austroflam to Breckwell. The only brand we found to have a high level of dealer and consumer support was Avalon. We have since decided and will continue to be an exclusive Avalon stove dealer.

In February of 2006, a third location was added in Dublin and then relocated to Pleasanton, allowing us to serve the entire Bay Area. We are in the process of adding additional private "mood rooms" in Pleasanton. With our third showroom in the Bay Area, it made sense for Creative Energy to move our operation to a more centralized location. In September of 2006, we purchased a 17,000 square foot brand new building in Richmond. This new facility will allow us to become both the best retailer and service provider of portable spas in the country!

John Kasten's son Steve opened up a HotSpring store in Prescott, Arizona. Visit them at www.prescottspas.com.

"Creative Energy’s mission is to be the top spa dealer and service provider in the world. We will accomplish this by retailing the highest quality spa in the industry while maintaining the most knowledgeable, dedicated staff. Our customers will not only know they have received the best value for their money but they will also feel Creative Energy has provided excellent customer service that exceeded expectations in every aspect of owning a spa."