Making sales presentations in the home of potential customers is a different environment compared to the customer coming to your store. At their home, you’re on their turf. You’re probably also one of many salespeople the homeowner has lined up to make a pitch. This is wrought with minefields, unless you know how to set…
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,…
Shock Alert This summer, there were so many reports of deaths from electrical shock in water that the Association of Pool & Spa Professionals issued a special statement. The majority of those accidents happened around boat docks, not in swimming pools, but tragedy can occur anywhere water and electricity meet. While you may follow all…
Going to trade shows is always so exciting. You get to preview new product lines from suppliers, and discover many new products and services. As you walk the show, it is easy to think this or that product might increase your sales in the coming year. And it might! However, before you start placing orders,…
Pen Fabricators has introduced a new welding technique, Clean Seam, for vinyl pool liners. With Clean Seam there is no raised extrusion edge on the liner weld, which can trap debris and algae. This welding technique also makes the weld 27 to 33 percent stronger, according to independent testing.
Homeowners with an Amazon Echo device can now use it to control their pool through Hayward’s OmniLogic. Once installed, a user would simply give a command, such as “Alexa, ask Hayward to turn on my backyard lights,” to operate. “Pool owners today are seeking the ultimate in convenience and Alexa is the perfect complement to…
The National Swimming Pool Foundation has added four new members to its board of directors, Troy Franzen, managing director of Zodiac Pool Systems; Karl Frykman, Pentair’s senior vice president of water; Captain Julie Gilchrist, a pediatrician and medical epidemiologist recently retired from the Division of Unintentional Injury Prevention at the Centers for Disease Control and…
The Independent Pool & Spa Service Association has released the IPSSA Intermediate Training Manual 2017 Revised Edition Part 1 — Chemicals. Written by Robert Lowry, the revised/updated edition has current information on algae, cleaning up a swamp, using borates, advanced oxidation process (AOP), saturation index for pros, advanced water treating techniques, advances in water testing and…
The Association of Pool & Spa Professionals has made its Maintenance Specialist Course available online. The self-paced course has videos, interactive exercise and quizzes. “There has been a huge demand for advanced industry education,” says Maria O’Hara, director of APSP education. “Our goal is to continue to provide quality education to stay on the forefront of what…
Tom Lachocki, CEO, and the National Swimming Pool Foundation were awarded the 4th Annual Blue Mind Award at the World Aquatic Health Conference. The Blue Mind Award is given to an individual/organization for working toward positive change in the water community. “We share the vision of a world where all people are confident and competent…
Jennifer Farwell is the director of The Association of Pool & Spa Professionals’ western office, which serves California, Arizona and Nevada. With 20 years of sales and operations experience, Farwell will drive membership and lead advocacy efforts in the area.
The Association of Pool & Spa Professionals has launched the PPSO Professional Pool & Spa Operator course for commercial swimming pool operators, managers, engineers, service company professionals, health officials and facility owners. APSP strove to keep the coursework, available in print and e-book, to the point. “Whether you need to build a foundation to become…