We’ve all seen it happen in the pool and spa industry: Someone gets a pool or hot tub — and for awhile, they are excited. They use it often. But over time, the water becomes hard to manage. They have to add more and more chemicals. Spa customers drain it, hoping that will give them…
The pool industry is full of people from all walks of life. Some fell into the industry by accident and never left. Others grew up in a family pool business and knew from an early age that’s all they wanted to do. Whatever may have brought them here, pool professionals are eclectic and vast, providing…
For service-based pool businesses that have demonstrated growth and success, adding a brick-and-mortar location often tops the list of natural next steps. But even if the bottom line can absorb the associated overhead costs, long hours and extra staff that comes with a physical location, it can be tough to know whether it will prove…
For David Riley, founding partner at business-improvement firm Gemini Effect, inventory management would be a piece of cake — if reality didn’t keep getting in the way. “If you had the world the way you wanted it and you could manage things perfectly, you could operate a business without ever having to invest in inventory,”…
Photos courtesy 2018 APSP International Awards of Excellence winners Much more than just a hole in the ground filled with water, the modern pool is both a marvel of engineering and a work of art. Customers can choose from a dazzling menu of features and add-ons that would have been unthinkable just a few years…
In November 2017, Fluidra S.A. and Zodiac Pool Systems announced their intention to merge, closing a $1.5 billion deal in July of this year. Fluidra was founded in 1969. Then called Astral, the pool component manufacturer was started by four families in Spain. From the ’70s through the ’90s, it expanded across the globe. In…
Jack Manilla, CEO of Portofino Pools, lives and breathes sports. “I’m an avid NFL fan,” says Manilla, who grew up hearing sports on a portable radio in western Pennsylvania. He remembers his dad simultaneously listening to the radio while reading the sports page. “Sports got in my brain,” he says. For pool professionals who also…
Though a concrete pool structure will never be 100 percent watertight, achieving an adequately sealed pool requires reliable materials and techniques. Steve Goodale, owner of SwimmingPoolSteve.com and a swimming pool specialist in Ontario, Canada, points out that because concrete is a porous construction material, “at most you are attempting to make a highly water-resistant structure.” Concrete will…
Industry leaders are often industry innovators, too. Several pool companies are using cutting-edge strategies and business practices to expand their market reach, grow their business and save on overhead costs. Absorbing Electrical To make its off-season more profitable, Aqua Quip in the Seattle, Washington, area, started its own electrical division of the company in 2006…
In the history of the pool industry, there have been few franchise businesses. Pinch A Penny, a swimming pool retail and service franchise, started in 1976; it was the lone franchise for years. So for an industry that hasn’t seen a new franchise company since 2012, adding three in the last five years seems like…
Michael Hilleary’s industrial-design education initially led him to a job designing zoo exhibits. Once, he fashioned an exhibit with clear, clean, chemical-free water for otters to play. It gave him an idea. “After watching the animals enjoy swimming, I began to think about how people could enjoy the same quality of water,” Hilleary says. From…
You’ve probably placed your big orders for the year — pallets will start showing up at the shop any day now. But maybe you’re dreaming of the day when you will do enough volume to buy in bulk. However, businesses of all sizes across the industry demonstrate there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to buying channels. Distribution:…