Give your company a stress test Some people would call me a planner. I like to have everything mapped out from work tasks and family vacations to weekend projects around the house. I’ve got my life organized in various spreadsheets and other planning tools. I take comfort in having an idea of what is supposed to…
Photos by Wendy Stewart Adam Litke and Loren Cohodes got their start in the pool industry in different ways. Litke’s father, who was a high school principal, made him find a summer job when his biology grade wasn’t up to his standards. Litke made a good impression at the company, All Seasons Pools & Spas;…
photos by Womna Agbaza Next year, 600,000 people are going to replace pumps, says Greg Fournier, senior product manager for controls and backyard synergies at Hayward. Some will replace old single-speed pumps with another single-speed, but many will upgrade to a variable-speed pump. “Most new pools, probably about 65 percent, get some sort of automation,…
What’s keeping you from hiring the best? The lack of labor comes up a lot in the pool industry. We hadn’t done a story on it, and I figured it was time — and would be a good read for our show issue. I didn’t expect the article to partly become a debate over whether there…
Time to hold a mirror up to your business On page 35, we take a look at proper shotcrete procedures — it’s quite possibly an article you’ll glance at and then move on without reading. You already know everything you need to know about shotcrete. Not like your competitor down the road. He’s the one…
Pentair’s ScreenLogic interface allows automation through all kinds of devices — the newest being the Amazon Echo — a tower-looking device named Alexa that answers verbal questions and takes commands, among many other tricks — and Apple Watch. David MacCallum, product manager for lights, automation and Acu-Trol at Pentair, is explaining to me how he…
We’re bringing the magazine straight to your phone or tablet When I tell people I write and edit magazines, they want to know, “Which one?” Of course, the guy changing my oil, a Starbucks barista or the majority of people I come in contact with outside work will likely never see a trade magazine…
Photography by Josh Goetz When Jennifer Del Vaglio was working as a lifeguard at a country club, she never dreamed it might turn into a pool career. She did, however, meet her husband CJ there, who ended up being the true catalyst. The couple was working in Connecticut — Jennifer as an event planner at…
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 Scott Murrish Jack manilla had it all. After years of working for large corporations and “chasing the golden ring,” as he puts it, he had acquired large homes, condominiums, boats, cars and other toys. But he ended up in business with people whose values were in stark contrast to his, so he cut…
When Hayward hired Bob Hughes in 2007, its Rhode Island plant was out of space. Since then, it has almost doubled production there without expanding. How Hayward has accomplished this is a lesson in manufacturing efficiency and creativity, coupled with a commitment to improvement from the organization’s top leaders to its factory workers. In 2004,…
Photos by: Derek Salyer Scott Waldo’s pool industry resume is varied, to say the least. He started in pool construction at age 13; was selling pools by 17; tried wholesale distribution; built pools in Nigeria, Africa; worked for a company in Florida, then moved back to Texas to open some of its locations. By 1998,…