Greg Fournier joined Hayward Industries four years ago, transitioning from the consumer-electronics industry to Hayward to help develop the company’s OmniLogic automated control system. Fournier, who says the elements of product design were similar across both industries, knew Hayward’s customers were asking for easier-to-use controls. “We wanted to make it simpler to buy, sell, configure…
photography by Paul Caliwagan It wasn’t that long ago that Jessica and Ed Coyner could’ve used a little help themselves. The couple, both of whom had worked in the swimming pool industry, decided to start their own company in January 2008. “Awesome timing, right?” says Jessica Coyner. Their company, Signature Pools, operates out of Chesapeake,…
You want your pool service to grow, but any small-business owner knows how it can be to find time to devote to company expansion. Brett Lloyd Abbott is president and chief strategist of MYM Austin, Inc., which specializes in serving the marketing, advertising and business-growth needs of the swimming pool construction and service industry. Growing…
My parents founded Johnson Pools in 1977. We started out as a custom concrete, block wall, vinyl-liner pool builder and slowly grew. Back in the ’80s, people wanted freeform pools, so we moved away from concrete walls and start doing steel walls. In the late ’90s to the 2000s, people went into debt up to…
As a new pool season gets underway, most savvy business owners are deciding how best to spend their marketing and advertisingdollars. So while you consider radio, TV, billboards, AdWords and other advertising opportunities, don’t forget about the low-costhidden leads that may be right under your nose. When it comes to new pool leads, for every…
Nonbillable time is the single highest cost of doing business in your service department. On average, the typical service tech only bills out about half their time each day. How is this possible? Let’s look at some numbers: VacationLet’s assume the tech gets two weeks of paid vacation a year. Vacation totals 80 hours a…
Maintaining the proper water level for swimming pools has always been a challenge for pool service companies. But with the help of a few products, it doesn’t have to be. Some of the major problems due to low water levels can cost the homeowner big money in repairs, so it’s critical the homeowner and the…
What do you want from your life? Such a loaded question and not easy to answer. Most have a general idea within a few minutes; a more detailed definition is usually a week or so away. The problem with this question is the societal and self-imposed walls and limitations we put on ourselves. As young…
It comes as no shock to pool builders that the popularity of tile finishes is on the rise nor that clients are increasingly asking for glass and translucent glass tile, which brings its own set of challenges. In early 2014, Brian van Bower, president of Aquatic Consultants, Inc., and a co-founder of Genesis 3 told…
Photography by Travis Carroll In 1985, Joan Struckhoff persuaded her husband Fran to purchase the pool division of the company for which she worked. At the time, Fran was working in sales in a different industry. “I said, ‘I really want to do this, but I’m going to need some help,’ ” says Joan Struckhoff….