In 2018 we wrote an article about running a stress test on your business (January/February 2018 “How Low Can You Go”). That article posited that if sales stopped or slowed tremendously, there were certain actions you’d need to take to survive. The last couple of years have shown us that threats to small business are…
Water quality doesn’t always get the attention it deserves, considering its truly the difference between a safe swimming experience or a potentially disastrous one. But experts know: Clear water doesn’t always mean clean water. Here, they weigh in on a few key areas pool pros sometimes forget. For seasoned pool pros, water quality is one…
Wildfires in December. Hurricanes in November. Freezes in Texas. Drought in California. Record-breaking heat in the Pacific Northwest. These are some of the severe weather events experienced in the past year in the United States. In one way or another, they all impact water, the lifeblood of the pool industry. While the future is hard…
Arizona Pool Water Recycling A division of Ward’s Pool Service and Supply, Inc., Phoenix, Arizona Since 2002, Ward’s has been providing pool service and repairs to the Phoenix metro and East Valley areas. Owner Steven Ward believes in providing the best to his customers through continued education. “Water conservation is a continually growing concern in…
In 1990, when Erik Eikevik was 9 years old, his father sent him to help Gary Kaplan work on a pool. “I remember as a child my dad says, ‘You’re gonna go with this guy you’ve never met [and learn about pools],’ ” Erik recalls of how his father introduced him to the family pool…
The guys from Pool Nation are tired of answering one question about their business: “ ‘How profitable is it? How are you gonna make money off it?’ ” says founder Edgar De Jesus. As hard as it may be to believe, De Jesus and his partners John Chakalis, co-owner of J&J Flawless Pools in the…
An Austin, Texas, ordinance allowing pool builders to use third-party inspectors on their projects has fostered a more streamlined experience for both builders and city municipalities. “Due to the lack of available city inspectors [in Austin], it can take days or even weeks to move onto the next part of the pool installation process,” says…
In my consulting work, I encounter pool operators who bemoan how little management understands about the work that goes into running a commercial swimming pool. At the same time — often in the same facility! — I encounter managers who bemoan how little pool operators understand what’s at stake in terms of customer reviews and…
Pool service nets may not be the most high-tech pieces of pool equipment, but they’re an integral part of a pool pro’s tool lineup. While the pool net’s purpose is to aid a pool tech in pulling debris from the water, different types of debris pose different challenges. That’s why pool pros often carry more…
In April of last year, Poolside Tech of New Hope, Pennsylvania, launched a pool automation system called The Attendant, which connects all pool equipment, no matter the manufacturer, allowing it all to be monitored and managed together through a smart device. “So many of our homes are connected and communicating with us, having the intelligence…
Ultimate Water, Inc., San Diego-based manufacturer of the Chlorine Genie, prides itself on making work easier for those who maintain pools. While standard methods for getting chlorine into a pool are to add either chemicals or salt directly to the water, the Chlorine Genie skews in a different direction, resulting in water free of additives….
The advent of a mostly cashless society has made accepting payments easier. Or has it? On the one hand, there’s learning to navigate new technology and deciding who will pay the transaction fees, and on the other benefits like the ability to draft invoices and accept payments out in the field. When weighing these pros…