Cuando Ángel Ramos comenzó a acompañar a su padre, Fernando, a los trabajos de piscinas a los 12 años, pensó que solo estaba ayudando y ganando algo de dinero los fines de semana, pero más adelante se dio cuenta de que estaba construyendo una carrera. Hoy, el equipo de padre e hijo detrás de Ramos Pool & Spa, en Lakeside, California, se acerca al décimo aniversario de la empresa.
Across the pool industry, leadership doesn’t always come with a title — it’s built over time through real-world experience, hard-earned credibility and doing things the right way. This year’s Power Women represent every corner of the profession, from builders and service leaders to advocates and educators. Each has carved out a path while helping elevate the people around her, proving that the future of the industry is being shaped by women with both purposeful vision and boots-on-the-ground experience.
For Averi Edwards, the pool industry was simply part of the background as she grew up — something her dad did while she was busy figuring out where she wanted to go. “Throughout my childhood and teen years, the thought of working for him or with or around swimming pools never crossed my mind,” she says.
Julie Kazdin has never known a life without pools. Born into a family business on the East End of Long Island, she grew up surrounded by the rhythms of the industry her parents helped build. Her mother and father founded Kazdin Pools & Spas in 1974, years before she was born, and from the start, it was a true family operation. “They joked that the accountant used to feed me peas while he was doing his work,” Kazdin says.
From the time Sam Folaron was 12, she knew the pool industry was where she belonged. What started as a summer job in a retail pool store became an influential education in business, leadership and what was possible for a woman willing to learn every side of the trade.
Like many women who find themselves in leadership roles in aquatics, Kelly Collins started in the industry alongside her husband and the company he built.
Before becoming director of the Swimming Pool Pro Alliance, Danielle Bahr was still deciding what she wanted her future to look like. “I was doing hair and doing all the other things, just trying to figure out what I was going to do with my life,” she says. But the pool industry was never far from her story.
Like many entrepreneurs in the pool industry, Jonah Gonzales started with a side gig — waiting tables, doing manual labor and playing music — just trying to make ends meet in south Texas.
When asked about Blue Moon Pools, owner Lupe Mariscal always goes back to the beginning — long before the company existed, and before he even had a full-time job.
At this year’s International Pool | Spa | Patio Expo, Pool Nation hosted its fifth annual awards celebration, bringing together industry pros from across the country to recognize standout achievements, exceptional craftsmanship and the next generation of leaders shaping the future of aquatics. The event highlighted individual excellence and companywide impact across several categories. This…
Cuando se le pregunta sobre Blue Moon Pools, el propietario Lupe Mariscal siempre vuelve al principio, mucho antes de que existiera la empresa e incluso antes de que él tuviera un empleo de tiempo completo.
Heritage Pool Supply Group está creando inclusión en las industrias de piscinas y paisajismo con su programa Heritage Para Latinos. Diseñado para apoyar y empoderar a las personas profesionales hispanas, la iniciativa se basa en un modelo exitoso iniciado por la división de techos de SRS Distribution y ahora lleva recursos adaptados, capacitación y desarrollo comunitario a las personas profesionales de piscinas en todo el país.