You may have heard that last month I bought PoolPro, along with sister publications SpaRetailer, Spasearchand Poolsearch. I love this industry and the people in it, and I’m so happy this is where I will continue my career. This process has given me a new respect for small-business owners. As I make further strides in…
photography by Marc Ridel Tiffiny Consoli wasn’t looking to go into the pool business. She was just looking to own a business, any business, that made sense. “I didn’t have one thing I was particularity good at or knew I wanted to make bagels every day,” she says. “It wasn’t like that. I wanted to…
A fresh take on an old gripe has me thinking Have you ever talked with someone whose attitude changes your perspective on a problem? That happened to me when I was talking to Michael Henson, owner of pH Pool Care in Arkansas. We were having a lengthy discussion about how he sources his product, including…
You’ve probably placed your big orders for the year — pallets will start showing up at the shop any day now. But maybe you’re dreaming of the day when you will do enough volume to buy in bulk. However, businesses of all sizes across the industry demonstrate there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to buying channels. Distribution:…
Give your company a stress test Some people would call me a planner. I like to have everything mapped out from work tasks and family vacations to weekend projects around the house. I’ve got my life organized in various spreadsheets and other planning tools. I take comfort in having an idea of what is supposed to…
Photos by Wendy Stewart Adam Litke and Loren Cohodes got their start in the pool industry in different ways. Litke’s father, who was a high school principal, made him find a summer job when his biology grade wasn’t up to his standards. Litke made a good impression at the company, All Seasons Pools & Spas;…
photos by Womna Agbaza Next year, 600,000 people are going to replace pumps, says Greg Fournier, senior product manager for controls and backyard synergies at Hayward. Some will replace old single-speed pumps with another single-speed, but many will upgrade to a variable-speed pump. “Most new pools, probably about 65 percent, get some sort of automation,…
What’s keeping you from hiring the best? The lack of labor comes up a lot in the pool industry. We hadn’t done a story on it, and I figured it was time — and would be a good read for our show issue. I didn’t expect the article to partly become a debate over whether there…
Time to hold a mirror up to your business On page 35, we take a look at proper shotcrete procedures — it’s quite possibly an article you’ll glance at and then move on without reading. You already know everything you need to know about shotcrete. Not like your competitor down the road. He’s the one…
Pentair’s ScreenLogic interface allows automation through all kinds of devices — the newest being the Amazon Echo — a tower-looking device named Alexa that answers verbal questions and takes commands, among many other tricks — and Apple Watch. David MacCallum, product manager for lights, automation and Acu-Trol at Pentair, is explaining to me how he…
We’re bringing the magazine straight to your phone or tablet When I tell people I write and edit magazines, they want to know, “Which one?” Of course, the guy changing my oil, a Starbucks barista or the majority of people I come in contact with outside work will likely never see a trade magazine…
Photography by Josh Goetz When Jennifer Del Vaglio was working as a lifeguard at a country club, she never dreamed it might turn into a pool career. She did, however, meet her husband CJ there, who ended up being the true catalyst. The couple was working in Connecticut — Jennifer as an event planner at…