Power Women
For our second installment of Power Women, you’ll meet five more inspirational females shaping the pool industry.
Coming Up for Air
As we move toward something resembling normality, we are honored to share a few of the many stories of people in the pool industry who are still rebuilding the lives they almost lost, or coping with the absence of loved ones that they did lose.
Los Profesionales de Piscina
Here are just four of the many Latino standouts who are using their stories and skills to better the pool industry.
Pool Power Women
There’s a lot of disagreement these days over how to talk about women succeeding at work. Certainly, whip-smart female entrepreneurs are nothing new or surprising — but in industries where most all the workers are men, like pools, it may take a bit more moxie to make your mark as a woman. With various paths…
Commercial Complexities
While some pool companies dip into both commercial and residential pools on their routes, others have pivoted to focus solely on the former, citing less competition, healthier contracts and deep coffers for HOA, hotel and gym pools, to name a few. And while large bather loads sometimes cause headaches, they say it’s worth it to…
Sure Thing
Poolsure is a Houston-based, family-owned company modernizing pool maintenance for commercial pools through chemical automation. Poolsure is part of The Aquasol Companies, which started with Aquasol Controllers in 1975. It designed one of the first pool chemical controllers, which it still manufactures today and is ever-evolving with the latest advances. In 2015, the company acquired…
How I Built This
Part 2 of 2 In part two of this series, we look at three pool industry ventures that, born of necessity, changed the lives of those who dared to try something new. Pool Water Purification Products Harsh climate paves way for innovative water care Rick Lathrop says the evaporation rate in Lake Havasu City, Arizona,…
How I Built This
Part 1 of 2 For self-starters who’ve already launched a small business, it may not be surprising that the entrepreneurial bug eventually bites again. In part one of a two-part series, we look at three pool industry ventures that, born of necessity, changed the lives of those who dared to try something new. POWERVAC Father…
Surprises In Store
For service-based pool businesses that have demonstrated growth and success, adding a brick-and-mortar location often tops the list of natural next steps. But even if the bottom line can absorb the associated overhead costs, long hours and extra staff that comes with a physical location, it can be tough to know whether it will prove…
From England with Love
photography by Christian Hernandez In the mid-2000’s, Mike Burns and his wife, Amanda, were ready for a change from their life in England. Setting their sights on sunny Florida, the family purchased Doc Dean’s Pools from its original owner and emigrated in 2005. It’s been a great fit, says their son James Burns, because of…
The Next Generation
photography by Simon Hurst Ryan Hayes has big dreams for the family business he’s been around since age 8. Already committed to taking over for his parents, who own Leisure Time Pools and Spas in Oklahoma City, when they retire, Hayes started out water testing and helping his dad in the store’s warehouse between throwing…
A Father’s Legacy
photography by Brad Zimmerman Brian Lee Miller started Hilltop Pools and Spas, Inc., after moving from his native upstate New York. Brian initially only did pool construction in summers as a way to earn supplemental income while not teaching school. He eventually opened pool construction company Hilltop in 1976 in the tiny town of Jonesboro,…