Twenty years ago, you used to say to your customers, ‘You can choose whatever color you want as long as it’s white or blue.’ Stick around the industry long enough, and you’ll hear some variation of this. Though there was a time where those were the only two colors available, most pools still seem to…
Photography by Raul Mendoza Along with his family and crew, Miguel Mercado has carefully developed the Dorian Construction Group into the pre-eminent outdoor living design construction company in El Paso, Texas. Primarily, the company handles pool construction, pool refurbishment and transformation, outdoor kitchens, fire pits and ponds. “I started out more than 25 years ago…
Preparedness is the way of the successful businessperson, whether it be for risky situations, the off-season or even an unexpected influx of customers. Activity starts around February for Nicholas Pools, Inc. in New Jersey, though it’s part-time work in the beginning. “We begin preparing for construction — submit permits, get mark outs, order pool kits…
People these days expect control of their homes on the go, says David Goldman, director of product marketing at California-based pool equipment manufacturer Zodiac Pool Systems, and Polaris’ newest robotic cleaner, the 9650iQ Sport, allows them to do just that. Using the iAquaLink app anywhere in the world, users can program, control and access all…
We are all familiar with the definition of insanity: doing the same thing over and over again while expecting different results. So the question is, do you have 30 years of experience — or one year of experience repeated 30 times? Wise, profitable companies review past performance, make necessary changes, and move forward. 2016 is…
When Scott Cohen began using drones for aerial photography in 2013, he was not aware of another pool builder using the technique in the entire United States. Three years later, drones have taken flight across the industry. The days of standing on barbecue grills and climbing on rooftops to get overhead pictures may be coming…
When the pool patio gets hot enough to burn your feet, is the pool still too cold for swimming? Therma-HEXX, located in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, has a solution. “ThermaPanel is a modular heat exchange system that collects, distributes and transfers energy,” says Robert Barmore, CEO of Therma-HEXX. Installed underneath the patio deck, high-density polyethylene panels…
Miguel Angel Mercado, owner of Ocean Gallery USA in El Paso, Texas, is equal parts entrepreneur, marketer and P.T. Barnum. Barnum knew how to create attention for his business endeavors and utilize what he called “printer’s ink” (the press) to his advantage. Mercado has assembled that puzzle by merging reality television with brokered (paid) TV…
If it weren’t for the monthly invoices customers receive, most would never know a pool technician had come around. Arizona entrepreneur Herman Gunther figured there had to be a better way for pool technicians to notify customers about pool servicing. Flimsy invoices fluttering across lawns, against pool pumps or soaked in pool water weren’t quite…
On December 1, 2016, new overtime regulations were supposed to begin, affecting nearly half of America’s 5.5 million small businesses. The regulations, ordered by President Obama in 2014, are designed to “put more money in the pockets of middle-class workers or give them more free time,” according to the United States Department of Labor. In…