Knight, a former competitive swimmer, got into the aquatics industry because he was tired of poor air quality at indoor pool facilities. He started with Paddock Evacuator, which packaged Orenda enzymes with installations. He briefly left the industry, but came back after once again getting sick swimming indoors. “Orenda was an opportunity to make an…
Morgan took the family way into the pool industry: His then-girlfriend, now-wife’s family owned a pool business, and Morgan worked part-time cleaning pools to make extra money during college. While doing pool startups for a local pool builder, the company stumbled upon Orenda Technologies. Harold Evans, his father in law, started selling Orenda products around…
Matt Lopez was an outsider in the pool industry, manufacturing and marketing products for the landscaping industry, until he and his business partner, Dave Sargent, identified a need for a higher-quality portable pool vacuum system. Since launching in 2017, he and Sargent continue to listen and evolve their product based on customer feedback, and are…
Frustrated with the specialty chemicals he was using as the sole proprietor of a pool service company, Chris Galvan began developing some himself. In 2014, he launched Blueray XL, an adjuvant formulation with mineral salts such as silver, copper and zinc. Galvan overcame two lawsuits brought against the company, one from a competitor and the…
Hoping to find a job in the science field, Petra Hayes joined Taylor Technologies. “This position is very chemistry based, which was what I was looking for,” Hayes says. The prospect of doing customer service, in which she had a background, while learning about the pool and spa industry excited her. Hayes has always been…
Tired of routine equipment testing as a technician in the pharmaceutical and biomedical industries, Janine Rhodes found a job in product development with Taylor Technologies, which brought her into a new world of creative scientific thinking. Since joining the team in 2014, she has expanded her work within the company, including as a chair of…
Swimming pools may not be perceived as a tech-driven industry, but Colby Stratman is hoping to help change that. He says he chose to work with pHin because it is bringing smart home technology to the backyard with its wireless monitor. “With new technologies helping to drive innovation in the pool industry,” Stratman says, “we…
A salesman during a pandemic can be a sad sight. Used to being on the road and meeting customers face to face, go-getters can find it tough to be stuck at home. Drew Robinson has worked for Connecticut-based Phoenix Products for the last three years, starting in the plant, then moving to sales. “Being an…
Bill Gaias started working summers in a family friend’s pool store when he was 12. He stocked shelves and tested water, moving on to pool maintenance, construction helper and service technician as he got older. After high school, he worked as a service technician by day and took community college classes at night. After completing…
November 11–13, 2020Poolspapatio.com As Las Vegas remains a pandemic hot spot, the International Pool | Spa | Patio Expo is going virtual for 2020. Pool professionals have mixed feelings: While they understand the need to avoid large crowds, they say they’ll miss connecting with fellow dealers and manufacturers. As the industry does its best to…
Ana Manning Co-owner and COOManning Pool Service Houston, Texas Ana Manning started at Manning Pool Service in 2012, four years after her husband, David Manning, joined the company. She says it was chaotic until she came on. One of the first things she tackled was restructuring the pool routes. Manning worked at Manning Pool Service…
What a difference a year makes. This time last year, I had a weeks-old baby and never would have imagined sending my kindergartener to school wearing a mask. I’ll admit that I don’t love change. I like plans and stability. A year as unpredictable as 2020 was not easy for me to navigate. But what…