Music, Skis and Pool Retail
“You can spend your whole life chasing the dollar, and I’ve seen it. I wanted to be there for my kids.”
Scouting Positivity
The Pool Scouts franchise, which offers pool service exclusively, spans eight states: Texas, Mississippi, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Florida and Tennessee. Fortunately, state mandates restricting businesses during the coronavirus pandemic have deemed pool service essential in all states the company serves. “In this kind of [social distancing] environment, you want to make sure…
Varied Interpretations
Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is up to date at the time of publishing, but circumstances are changing rapidly. Check with local governments, municipalities and the PHTA website for the most current information. Access the PHTA Coronavirus Toolkit. Households nationwide have settled into routines of confinement to four walls, working from home, crisis…
First Come, First Served
A pool company in a Chicago suburb strives to maintain business as usual during COVID-19By Michelle L. Cramer Fifty miles northwest of Chicago, the small suburb of Marengo, Illinois, houses a Dollar General, two gas stations, a small family-owned grocery store and the offices of J.F.Y. Pools. Since a shelter-at-home mandate was enacted by the…
Group Dynamics
Jump into any one of the many pool industry Facebook groups, and you’ll find hundreds of professionals across North America and abroad sharing the good, bad and the ugly in the pool industry, motivated by a desire to connect and learn from each other. Jason Broswell, owner of Pool Service by Jason in Northridge, California,…
Next Generation
Photography by Ian Schatte New Year’s Day was big for the second generation of Mannings. Their ownership of Manning Pool Service in Houston, Texas, many years in the making, was finally official. Jeff Manning, Sr., who had been in the pool industry since 1982, started Manning Pool Service in 2001 as a one-pole operation running…
Start It Up
Swimming pools are not one-size-fits-all when it comes to design, and most certainly not when it comes to their care. The structure, mechanisms and sanitizing systems all contribute to determining the best water care method, and many industry veterans agree the care of a pool hinges on one crucial stage: The startup. “Proper pool startups…
In House
Photography by Javaughn Henry and SSG Bridges, factories and performance halls aren’t exactly the structures that come to mind when considering a pool company’s construction portfolio, but they are every bit a part of what South Shore Gunite Pools & Spas has grown into over more than 40 years in business. Headquartered in Billerica, Massachusetts,…
Pentair removes more than 1,800 SKUS from the internet
Pentair intended to take its time removing the pool equipment it manufactures from the internet. As of October 1, more than 1,800 Pentair product SKUs were scrubbed from online sales under the company’s TradeGrade policy, a program founded in 2016 that was recently updated to accommodate the large-scale change. Under the enhanced policy, Pentair provides…
Dialed In
Edwards Pool Construction in Andover, Kansas, started using the Orenda Mobile App in spring of 2018 after owner, Steve Edwards, read several posts about it on Facebook. “The Orenda app has greatly enhanced our water chemistry comprehension and simplified teaching ourselves and our service techs water chemistry,” Edwards says. “Our ability to explain to the…
Protecting the Public
When it comes to commercial swimming pools, the service tech is one of many layers of protection in and around the pool, says Katie Crysdale, principal of Lakeview Aquatic Consultants, Ltd., in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. While some larger commercial pools have lifeguards during swim times, most are not trained to thoroughly examine potential dangers, and…
Forever a Pool Finisher
Photography By Tommy Ton You don’t really know what work ethic looks like until you meet Alan Smith, CEO and co-owner of Alan Smith Pools in Orange, California. Smith graduated high school early in 1974 and, on his own at 17 years old, went to work on a commercial fishing boat. After six months on…