Picture yourself stopping at the grocery on the way home from work. You need bread and milk. You walk into the store and head over to the bakery section. On the shelf, in the place of the usual bread you buy, is a new brand with bright, colorful packaging. Something about the design appeals to…
Being in or around a pool, working or playing on a hot day or even driving to a job site presents unique safety hazards. Top Safety Products offers solutions for those moments where things do not go as planned. Incorporated in 1991 by Gerald Kutsop, Top Safety Products Company, Inc., assembles quality first aid kits,…
In my consulting work, I encounter pool operators who bemoan how little management understands about the work that goes into running a commercial swimming pool. At the same time — often in the same facility! — I encounter managers who bemoan how little pool operators understand what’s at stake in terms of customer reviews and…
Many suppliers become frustrated when their commercial swimming pool bids are unsuccessful because they lack an understanding of the nuances and complexity to the decision-making process. The process is intentionally antiseptic and impersonal (nepotism and favoritism are crimes in the public sector), but transparent and fair if you learn the factors at play. Let’s say…
For more than a decade, Coastal Pure Inc., has been using an affordable, effective technology called copper/silver ionization (CSI) to reduce chemical impact for our commercial clients. Slashing chlorine demand while providing cleaner, healthier water consistently saves customers thousands of dollars in annual chemical operating costs. In 2021, pool operators using CSI gained a bundle…
Unlike residential pools, commercial facilities are more likely to have been closed during the pandemic. Finally reopening, the pools now may have peeling, cracks or leaks. One solution pool professionals can offer commercial clients is to line those pools with PVC membrane. Outsourcing or In-House Steve White at Underwater Pools in West Boylston, Massachusetts, outsources…
You know Virginia Graeme Baker, but do you know Abigail Taylor? Abbey was a 6-year-old girl eviscerated by a drain in the wading pool at the Minneapolis Golf Club on June 29, 2007. Despite nine months of hospital care, 16 surgeries and multiple organ transplants, Abbey died from her injuries. Do you know Zachary Cohn?…
I was a lifeguard in college. During one annual August shutdown, I was restringing lane ropes while contractors in a lift serviced the event lighting above the 50-meter competition pool. It was hot, they were in a rush to make up time — one technician was new and inexperienced — and they did not stop…
“Liability, insurance and licensing. That’s why my price is my price.” Joe Wilmot repeated this statement many times during the 11 years he operated H2Joe Pool Service & Repair in Fountain Hills, Arizona, northeast of Phoenix. He said it when giving bids on service to board members of HOAs; to owners and managers of small…
Countless Commercial pools have been left reeling from the pandemic. Many public and hotel facilities have been shut down for months. Some have reopened at limited capacity and with heightened restrictions, but a number of them remain shuttered. With the effects of these closures trickling down through the industry, pool pros have been forced to…
Zero-depth aquatic play areas — known as splash pads — have become enormously popular in recent years for their entertainment value, risk reduction, water savings and staff savings. That said, service technicians know well the hurdles involved in servicing splash pads. “A lot of splash pads require daily, if not more frequent visits,” says Daniel…
While some pool companies steer clear of commercial jobs, others learn to navigate pricing as they go.