IPSSA’s New President

As a boy, Adam Morley, the president of IPSSA, would idly push a net around his grandfather’s pool to stave off boredom, What he couldn’t have known then, of course, is how this pastime would play a role in his future.

Morley, now president and CEO of the Independent Pool and Spa Service Association (IPSSA) and co-owner of Torrance, Calif.-based Paradise Pool and Spa, Inc., was prompted to explore this career path by his mother’s memories of this childhood habit. Following the advice of established pool service professionals, he launched his own business and dived right into the specialized knowledge it takes to succeed in this industry. “Algebra, geometry, chemistry — I had a lot to relearn,” Morley recalls.

Morley’s earliest mentors directed him to his local IPSSA chapter. IPSSA is vital volunteer network of independent pool service technicians who connect IPSSA members, especially those just starting out, with hard-to-locate educational resources and IPSSA Scholarship Fund to help pool professionals afford the proper training. After joining IPSSA as a green service tech, Morley eventually moved on to coordinating coverage for IPSSA members who were out sick, and later became a committee chairman and regional director.

Most recently, IPSSA’s board members elected him president, which means he’s now involved with all of IPSSA’s activities. He prefers a light hand, however, leaving the management of specific projects to the committees in charge of them. “I think that is one of the reasons I got elected,” Morley laughs. Instead of micromanaging, Morley’s years of service as chairman of IPSSAN, the association’s newspaper, and trade-show committees inform his leadership, as well and his expectations of the volunteers at every level.

At Paradise Pool and Spa in Torrance, Calif., Morley has 10 employees and subcontractors, and says he’s proud to provide jobs that let people — including himself — care for their families. Just as each of his employees contribute to the greater good, IPSSA takes care of its member network for the benefit of the industry at large. “One of the best things I can say about IPSSA,” says Morley, “is that in 24 years I have never woken up complaining, ‘Ugh, I have to go to work today.’ Every day is different. Every day is something new. I’ve had some stressful situations, but I’ve never hated my job.”