Layers of Safety

Layers of Safety

It’s not an uncommon concern, but pool safety doesn’t often become a priority for homeowners until they’re brought face-to-face with tragedy or the scare of a lifetime. Mike Tellegen, owner of The Pool & Spa Medic in Molalla, Oregon, recalls the time he received a call from a mother who, after finding a door ajar…

Symbiotic B2B

Symbiotic B2B

Misty Knight, technical sales manager for Zodiac Pool Systems, says her customers become like extended family. Bryan Banta, owner of B&B Pools in Pompano Beach, Florida, can attest to that. “Misty answers the phone when others don’t,” he says. “She’s available to me when I need her.” Establishing a strong B2B relationship between pool professional…

Portable Power

Portable Power

Pool pros use portable vacs to battle leaves, sand and just about everything else that can get into a pool At least  half a dozen manufacturers now make portable vacuums, and there seems to be one on every service truck. The companies that make and market them have long pushed portable vacuums as tools of…

One + One

One + One

For small businesses, hiring additional employees is often a tough decision. Is the timing right? How do I know what positions to hire for, and what we can afford to pay those people? Brand new business owners often put a lot of weight on their instincts. For Hal Denbar, president of Patriot Pool and Spa…

Meet The Crew

Meet The Crew

The pool industry is full of people from all walks of life. Some fell into the industry by accident and never left. Others grew up in a family pool business and knew from an early age that’s all they wanted to do. Whatever may have brought them here, pool professionals are eclectic and vast, providing…

Surprises In Store

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…

Turn, Turn, Turn

Turn, Turn, Turn

For David Riley, founding partner at business-improvement firm Gemini Effect, inventory management would be a piece of cake — if reality didn’t keep getting in the way. “If you had the world the way you wanted it and you could manage things perfectly, you could operate a business without ever having to invest in inventory,”…

The Modern Pool

The Modern Pool

Photos courtesy 2018 APSP International Awards of Excellence winners Much more than just a hole in the ground filled with water, the modern pool is both a marvel of engineering and a work of art. Customers can choose from a dazzling menu of features and add-ons that would have been unthinkable just a few years…

The New Fluidra

The New Fluidra

In November 2017, Fluidra S.A. and Zodiac Pool Systems announced their intention to merge, closing a $1.5 billion deal in July of this year. Fluidra was founded in 1969. Then called Astral, the pool component manufacturer was started by four families in Spain. From the ’70s through the ’90s, it expanded across the globe. In…