North Liberty company Spotix hiring, expanding

NORTH LIBERTY - A North Liberty e-commerce business is expanding and hiring additional employees as sales increase for its patio and barbecue products.

Spotix, 570 Penn Court, plans to hire 12 new employees within the next three years. The company, which sells the majority of its products in California, Texas, Florida, and the northeast United States, is looking for search engine and social marketing optimizers.

Aaron Verhorevoort, manager of Spotix, said the company needs to expand its physical presence in North Liberty,

'We're in a 10,000-square-foot building and we plan to double that,” Verhorevoort said. 'We need additional space for our showroom and warehouse as well as offices.”

Spotix sells fire pits, fireplaces, outdoor kitchens and patio products, primarily manufactured by other companies. It also sells fire pits and fire tables designed and fabricated by Flame-FX, a separate company owned by Verhorevoort and Scott Ramspott, president of Spotix.

Spotix experienced revenue growth of 284 percent from the 2012 calendar year to the close of 2014. Verhorevoort said the company's sales are effectively split between commercial and residential customers.

'Ninety-five percent of our business is online and outside of the state of Iowa,” he said. 'We like to maintain an inventory of high volume items. If a manufacturer wants to extend volume discounts for us bringing it into our warehouse, we certainly will take advantage of that opportunity.”

Demand for outdoor grills, fire pits and related products, including furniture, is projected to rise 4 percent per year to $7.5 billion in 2017, according to The Freedonia Group of Cleveland, Ohio.

Verhorevoort said the company's customers range from young couples with disposable income to those nearing retirement.

'A couple can spend $2,000 on a vacation that lasts two weeks or spend it on their backyard, which they can enjoy for many years,” he said.