About Us
WHY WE DO WHAT WE DO
OUR VISION
We empower people to become stronger, better, faster in sports, fitness and injury rehab. In doing so, we believe they will surpass what they thought was possible and will in turn, inspire others.
HOW WE DO IT
OUR VALUES GUIDE US
We believe “Quality Costs Less” in the long run. All Vasa products are designed and built to provide a lifetime of reliable, functional service. And by a lifetime, we mean our customers’ lifetime!
We guarantee our products. We stand by a “no questions asked” policy for the rare events they do not meet a customer’s expectations. If you ever do experience a problem, please tell us and give us the opportunity to make it right!
Our actions and relationships are characterized by honesty, fairness and integrity. We are proud of what we do and we are proud to serve you.
WHAT WE DO
OUR MISSION
From our humble beginnings in 1988, we’ve had big ambitions for Vasa… We strive to be difference makers and we get excited when our products & services make a positive impact in other people’s lives.
Vasa’s premium quality, innovative products, coupled with outstanding customer service and our commitment to customer education have been the basis for helping people improve athletic performance, coaching, fitness, and therapeutic health.
HOW WE MEASURE SUCCESS
Our success is measured in a multitude of ways.
- Our success means we can help coaches, conditioning specialists, and physical therapists to do their work more effectively. In turn, they have a positive impact on athletes and they teach those athletes about the link between their actions now and their success in the future.
- Our success means we have enabled thousands of athletes to perform better at the sports and activities they love.
- Our success means we can create more great jobs in our wonderful community.
- And our success means we can continue innovating great products and services, which is a really fun reason to come to work every day!
WHO WE ARE
SPORTY VERMONTERS, INNOVATORS, & DARN GOOD FOLKS
Since Day 1, we’ve drawn on our collective experience as ingenious, self-reliant, sporty New Englanders to develop useful & innovative training products that get results.
Here in the heart of Vermont’s Green Mountains, we are surrounded by natural beauty that inspires us to test our mettle outdoors. When our world is NOT frozen, we swim, paddle, pedal, hike & play on the lawn. And when things ARE frozen… well, we’re skiing, skating, snowshoeing, sledding or shivering while playing something out on a snow-covered lawn!
This lifestyle has allowed us freedom to express ourselves, so when we are forced indoors by the weather or dark, we design and produce useful stuff to benefit people worldwide.
ATHLETES …
We are all athletes, which has served us well in understanding the physical requirements of athletes and their sports.
COACHES …
Some of us have been coaches & exercise scientists & engineers. It is with the great fortune we have been discovered by some of the finest coaches in the world. Turns out they love Vasa products. They share their experiences, wisdom and feedback, which gets passed on to the entire Vasa community.
INVENTORS …
Our founder, Rob Sleamaker, has a passion for finding better, practical ways to solve a problem or meet a challenge. Every Vasa product was born out of a need recognized by our team. We work with industrial designers, engineers & fabricators who partner with us to develop our ideas (and napkin drawings) from concepts to really great products!
We listen to the feedback of our customers in order to make improvements and develop new products. If you have suggestions…or a great idea… please let us know! Call us or send an email to Rob directly at: [email protected]
OUR STORY
OLYMPIC ROOTS
It was 1989 when Rob Sleamaker, our founder, walked into the American Swim Coaches Association (ASCA) World Clinic with an unconventional new product. It was the Vasa Trainer, a swim bench that unknowingly would change dryland swim training forever. Already an acclaimed exercise physiologist and author, Rob had seen the effects of intensely focused dry land training firsthand with Olympic level Nordic skiers & biathletes — but would the world’s most respected swim coaches be interested in training their swimmers outside of the pool on such a device?
The answer was a resounding YES. By the end of the conference, we had unknowingly taken orders from three legendary U.S. Olympic swim coaches—Richard Quick, Nort Thornton and Richard Shoulberg. The great coincidence was for many years, each coach had wanted a training tool like the Vasa Trainer.
By 1992, swimmers of all abilities, including many that made the U.S. Swim team, were using the Vasa Trainer for dedicated dryland workouts. Prior to the 1996 the Atlanta Olympics, some of the U.S. coaches requested Vasa Trainers be available at the swim training area in the athletes’ village. Vasa machines have held an honored spot at every Olympic competition since.
At the same time, our swim benches started showing up at swim clubs, colleges and gyms across the nation. It became ubiquitous with top-tier swimming programs. Coach Richard Shoulberg of Germantown Academy would dub his poolside fleet of 9 Vasa Trainers as “Lane Seven”— a dry land lane that was and extension to the 6-lane, 25 yard pool at G.A. Many other swim coaches followed suit and created their own “Lane 9” – a fleet of Vasa Trainers on deck next to the pool.
SHARING THE DESIRE TO EXCEL WITH ALL ATHLETES
Our philosophy from the start has been simple. Make great products that produce excellent results. If an athlete or coach has the desire to excel, we share a common goal with them. That is a bond we take seriously.
So even as we gained worldwide recognition at the elite levels, we’ve maintained our focus on supporting athletes and coaches at every age & ability level.
From age-group & Masters swimmers seeking to build strength & speed to coaches wanting effective dry land training, to triathletes needing to improve swim fitness & technique, we’re in it together. We listen to our customers and we make improvements based on their ideas and suggestions. Taking action on that feedback has helped make our machines what they are today.
As Rob likes to say, “this isn’t just a product we’ve developed in a void—it’s a true collaboration with our customers, designers, engineers and manufacturing.”
DEDICATED TO CRAFTSMANSHIP
Making something right the first time matters. All our Ergs and Trainers are designed and made with attention to detail and quality right here in Vermont. “Made in the USA” is important to us. We have a strong commitment to product integrity and value. That’s why our designers and engineers work closely with local manufacturers who share our commitment to quality.
As long-time athletes and coaches, our passion for pursuing our own fitness goals comes to life in the craftsmanship of every Vasa machine. We take a lot of pride in creating machines that we love to use ourselves.
We know that by helping our customers achieve their goals, they will, in turn, share their passion and inspiration with others. We’re proud to offer a 90-day Improvement Guarantee a lifetime warranty on all Vasa products. And if a customer isn’t completely satisfied, we have a “no questions asked” return policy. We want our customers to be happy with Vasa.
As our circle of customers grows, we’ll remain committed to making the world’s best training tools for athletes, coaches and trainers while offering the ultimate level of customer service and support.
We invite you to join us in our commitment to excellence.