For many pool service professionals, the question of whether to raise prices can be tricky. The biggest concern, of course, is losing customers, especially if the company operates in a competitive market. Unlike building a pool, where the rising cost of materials is more readily apparent, raising service prices may not be palatable for customers….
This year, Texas got cold — really cold. It’s been 72 years since the Dallas area saw minus 2 degrees like it did in February, when winter storm Uri hit North America. Texas residents were slammed, and the state was unprepared. “The storm was the worst to hit Texas in decades,” says Scott Waldo, president…
Sometimes, you just need a little help from your friends. Pool pro friends, that is. If you’ve been in the industry long enough, it’s likely you have a handful of trusted experts, colleagues and fellow professionals you turn to on a regular basis. “I absolutely have people who I’ve met throughout the years that I…
For 60 years, Heritage Recreation in Sutton, Massachusetts, used pen and paper to manage the business. In 2015, the company was still scheduling 800 pool openings and closings a year this way. But the method was both time consuming and unworkable, says second-generation owner Paul Domey. “We had one notebook to use among six office…
It’s pretty much a given these days that pool builders are running way behind schedule. The surge in demand for new and renovated pools during quarantining has been historic, and pool builders, subcontractors and manufacturers of materials and equipment are struggling to keep up. Clients will be waiting months, or even a year or more,…
For pool pros, the pandemic has had a surprising twist: A major uptick in business. “This has been one of the best years we’ve ever had. It’s been pretty crazy,” says Justin Lex, operations manager at Swimming Pool Services, Inc., a Wisconsin-based company. “Everyone is stuck at home and trying to build a pool or…
The August fire at the BioLab plant in Westlake, Louisiana, did not cause the current chlorine shortage in the industry, but it certainly contributed to it. Since the beginning of the pandemic and subsequent shutdown, the pool industry has been grappling with shortages of all kinds, including building materials, supplies and labor. With many consumers…
Picture it: The camera pans across the vast expanse of a resort swimming pool. Bikini-clad goddesses sunbathe in lawn chairs, while ripped Adonises hit perfect 10’s off the diving board. There you are, skimming debris from the corner of the pool that is otherwise pristine. You think, ‘I’ve got it easy with this commercial pool…
We asked pool pros about their favorites among these ‘unsung heroes’ in their tool kit.
“Suddenly the local pool builder with an immediate opening is now the most sought after commodity in the country. We’re going to break records this season.”
“You’re only working 12 hours a day? What are you, weak? You’re only working half days. Listen, kid, working nine-to-five is just keeping up with the Joneses. Work nights and weekends also, then you’ll smoke ’em.” That was the mindset. And there is truth to that mindset. Kill yourself growing a business, and you’ll do…
Robotic. Suction-side. Pressure-side. In-floor. Gone are the days when telescoping poles and handheld pool vacuums were the only tools for getting the job done. Gone, too, are the days when an automatic pool cleaning system was seen as a luxury. With in-floor pool cleaning systems, jets are built into the bottom of the pool floor,…