Power Women at Work: Leadership That Can’t Be Fast-tracked
Credibility in the pool service industry is earned, not automatic. The women featured in this issue exemplify that truth.
The Art of the Ask
It seems like you’re asked to provide a review nearly everywhere you visit. Leave the doctor’s office? You have a text before you’re even out the door, and then you get several more reminders. Order something online? Email follow-ups. Take an online class? At least a few nudges, with the promise that they’re anonymous.
Before You Build
Before jumping into construction, there are a few factors pros should consider. The following questions can help you assess your readiness:
Sign on the Dotted Line
Getting clients takes effort. Keeping them takes strategy. That’s why retention and encouraging clients to commit for the long term are such critical parts of running a sustainable pool business.
School is in Session
Whether your new pool customers are first-timers or previous owners, they’ve likely bought into at least one of the persistent myths of pool care: pools only need minimal maintenance, more chemicals mean a cleaner pool or clear water means clean water. And, of course, many believe they only need maintenance when there’s a problem.
Smart Scheduling
Intermatic is known in the electrical controls industry for lighting control and energy management solutions, and the company is expanding its portfolio with new connected technologies.
Everyone’s in Sales
I have rarely met a service tech who considered themself in “sales,” and I understand why; in their world, salespeople usually create problems, and techs fix them. Sales and service are different skills, but thinking of them as completely separate is a mistake and a missed opportunity for both the technician and your pool company.
ADA Reality Check
Unlike fine wines, aging commercial pools don’t transition into a better version of themselves — unless owners and operators invest in upgrades, repairs and ADA compliance improvements that reasonably allow people of all abilities to use them.
From Worn Out to Welcoming
When Vista Pools was contacted about a residential pool renovation in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the assignment initially appeared routine. The company handles a steady volume of remodels alongside new construction, and the request fit that profile. Once owner Scott Bakkala arrived on-site, however, he learned the pool served the Tulsa Girls’ Home, a nonprofit that provides residential care for girls in foster care.
Skimmer’s State of Pool Service 2026
Pool service has always been a hands-on trade, but the business of pool care is changing fast. According to Skimmer’s newly released State of Pool Service 2026 report, the industry is entering a new phase with smarter growth strategies, rising customer expectations, tighter margins and an increasing reliance on technology.
How can the industry recruit more women into service positions?
How can the industry recruit more women into service positions?
When the Grid Goes Dark
Whether driven by hurricanes, heat waves, winter storms or an aging electrical grid, outages are a recurring stress test for pool pros. While power loss itself is unavoidable, the damage that often follows is not. What separates a manageable disruption from cracked equipment, fried electronics, green water and customer fallout is how outages are handled before they occur, while systems are offline and, most critically, when power returns.