Pure Swim’s Rich Gallo Named 2025 Talking Pools Podcast Mentor of the Year

Pure Swim owner Rich Gallo was selected for the 2025 Talking Pools Podcast Mentor of the Year award, becoming the first recipient of the Mentor Championship Belt.

Gallo, who leads the concierge-style service company Pure Swim, grew up in the trade and has worked in the pool industry for more than 30 years. He is widely regarded as a mentor who emphasizes integrity, professionalism and knowledge-sharing.

The honor, created by Talking Pools Podcast host Rudy Stankowitz, recognizes leading mentors in the global pool service community. This year’s program drew 70 nominees worldwide. All submissions were anonymized before finalists were evaluated by the podcast team and three industry sponsors — Blueray XL, LaMotte Company and Revdup Apparel — using merit-only summaries to remove bias.

“With the industry battling workforce shortages and an urgent need for better training pipelines, mentors like Gallo play a crucial role in shaping the technicians who will sustain the trade,” Stankowitz says.

The top 10 finalists received a recognition package including a custom mentor jersey, challenge coin, symbolic “elevator key,” Talking Pools gear and gifts from Blueray XL. The surprise presentation team included Stankowitz; Blueray XL president and CEO Chris Galvin; podcast host Steve Sherwood; Big Family Pools president and CEO Dean Oullette; Pure Swim staff; and photographer Alexa Jade.