Jarred Morgan That is a tricky question that will have a wide range of responses. Being proactive is going to yield the best outcome and avoid problems and potential conflicts with your customer. If you’re the service company, be on the job before the water hose goes into the pool. If there are glaring issues…
David Van Brunt David Van Brunt has been in the swimming pool industry since 1988, but you may know him best from his YouTube videos, podcast (The Pool Guy Show) and website (swimmingpoollearning.com). Since 2012, Van Brunt has been doling out free advice to consumers and pool professionals alike on pool maintenance and products. His…
We started A Buck A Pool many years back and to date have probably donated $12,000 for swim lessons and lifeguard certification. Here is how it works: We take a dollar a month for every pool that we service and put it into a virtual pot. At the end of the year we donate that…
Watters Aquatech builds commercial projects in the hotel, motel, apartment and condo sectors. We have been building pools and spas in this space for over 30 years, and typically build four to six each year. Our projects range from very simple to quite complex. Expanding into commercial projects not only helped fill gaps during slow…
I was fortunate enough to get to Dallas for the Pool | Spa | Patio Expo and had meetings with others on the PHTA’s national builders council, as well as networked with many other swimming pool professionals. Everyone I discussed pool construction with are already sold out at least a year if not two years….
Rick Woemmel left his computer science job to start Bi-State Pool & Spa in 1994. Like most small business owners, back then he was the president, CEO, janitor and technician. Now, Woemmel can focus on leading, supporting and teaching his employees, making sure they develop within his company and in the industry. A longtime PHTA…
Commercial accounts can be a lot of work for little to no reward. Look for solid management. The neighborhood doesn’t always matter — rich or poor, they are all on budgets. Are they easy to deal with? Polite? Understanding? The budget impacts repairs getting done in a timely manner to keep the pool safe and…
Chris CavanaughOwner Cavanaugh PoolOwensboro and Madisonville, Kentucky This year, I see the pool service industry continuing to grow like 2020. With COVID still present, I imagine the community still staying safe at home, and we are in the perfect industry to help bring the at-home vacation to them. For us, this year’s biggest challenge includes…
Chris CavanaughOwner Cavanaugh PoolOwensboro and Madisonville, Kentucky After 2020, price increases were inevitable due to supply and demand. Most of our price increases were like a normal year, but there were several that hit harder than normal. Steel vinyl-liner pool kits are continuing to rise, due to lack of raw material and huge demand, and…
Tracy BondOwnerGreat Valley PoolFrazer, Pennsylvania We try to hire as many people as we can get in the spring. We are always looking for unskilled helpers to assist our technicians with openings and closings. We hope they gain skills and progress into a service technician. Depending how good they are, they may be able to…
Chris CavanaughOwner Cavanaugh PoolOwensboro and Madisonville, Kentucky The 2021 trichlor shortage is on every retailer’s mind. [In 2020] between both of my retail stores, we sold roughly 25,000 pounds of 3-inch tablets. My manufacturer is promising 100% of what I purchased in 2020 to be available to me for 2021. I typically buy 75% of…
Ana Manning Co-owner and COOManning Pool Service Houston, Texas Ana Manning started at Manning Pool Service in 2012, four years after her husband, David Manning, joined the company. She says it was chaotic until she came on. One of the first things she tackled was restructuring the pool routes. Manning worked at Manning Pool Service…