A day with NPP to see just what consolidation will mean for the industry One of the weird things I didn’t realize would happen after I bought the magazine is that occasionally I’d get calls from private equity firms searching for insights into the pool industry. Typically, they’d reach out, we’d chat on the phone…
The tides are turning for the pool service industry. With more companies entering the market aiming to acquire smaller pool service companies, the industry is seeing a shift toward consolidation, which started in earnest in 2020 and continues to gain momentum. “There are many people out there who love the industry, but they don’t want…
For many pool service professionals, the question of whether to raise prices can be tricky. The biggest concern, of course, is losing customers, especially if the company operates in a competitive market. Unlike building a pool, where the rising cost of materials is more readily apparent, raising service prices may not be palatable for customers….
This year, Texas got cold — really cold. It’s been 72 years since the Dallas area saw minus 2 degrees like it did in February, when winter storm Uri hit North America. Texas residents were slammed, and the state was unprepared. “The storm was the worst to hit Texas in decades,” says Scott Waldo, president…
National Pool Partners officially launched in January 2021, hoping to revolutionize the pool service industry by creating a profitable, technology-enabled company that modernizes the industry while improving the lives of partners, owners, customers and teammates. The venture is supported by over $200 million of capital with a target to service 100,000 pools across the Sun…
Austin, TexasPatriotPoolAndSpa.comPhotography by Thao Nguyen Hal Denbar, 36, PresidentNathan White, 37, Repair manager and company integrator Last year, INC magazine named Patriot Pool & Spa the fastest growing pool-industry company in the country. Based in Austin, Texas, it services nearly 800 pools a week and has more than 35 employees. Hal Denbar founded Patriot in…
Further, we are FINALLY talking about portable vacuums. I’m not sure there’s a topic or product I see discussed more on industry forums. We did our best to round up what’s available, and cover the pros and cons of each. Another story I’ve wanted to do for awhile is about cultivating and maintaining relationships with…
Photography by Thao Nguyen Patriot Pool & Spa in Austin, Texas, services nearly 800 pools a week and has more than 35 employees — but owner Hal Denbar still remembers how hard it was to hire the first one. “Everything about that, mentally and emotionally, was much harder than anything else I’ve encountered [with this…
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…
More than 70 percent of the leads generated for Patriot Pool & Spa of Austin, Texas, come from Yelp, company president Hal Denbar, says. Genna Gold, senior manager of business outreach for Yelp, says 2018’s second-quarter analysis shows 104 million people visit Yelp on their mobile devices each month, and 74 million on desktops. Since…