Pleatco, LLC, with longtime co-sponsors GENESIS and the Pool & Hot Tub Alliance, announced the winners of the 2019 Perfect Pool Guy and Gal Search. The annual Pleatco PoolGuy/Gal Search is an innovative way to honor the hard-working men and women of the pool and spa service industry. More than 75 pool professionals were nominated this year.
Jim Hedlund, owner of Advanced Spa and Pool in Boston, won the prestigious title of Pleatco Perfect PoolGuy 2019.
“It was extremely humbling to find out my daughter nominated me for the Perfect Pool Guy 2019 award,” Hedlund says. “Operating a seasonal family business in New Hampshire has its challenges and one of them is [in season] you are always running 100 miles per hour, so I really never get to see these things as they are happening. Being nominated forced me to take a few minutes to slow down and think about what the business means to myself and my family. I am grateful to Pleatco for sponsoring this contest, the industry for affording us the opportunity, my team — without them we could not achieve any of this, my family for their support during all the good and bad times and mostly my wife for standing beside me though all we’ve accomplished.”
This year’s Perfect PoolGal 2019 is Averi Edwards, a second generation pool professional at Edwards Pool Construction in Andover, Kansas. She has been in the industry for six years and wears many hats within the family business. She started as a rookie in the field, but has a never-ending hunger for knowledge that has helped grow her abilities as a service technician. In the last several years Averi has been splitting her time between managing a hectic service department, assisting with day to day operations of the construction side of the business and running her own service and repair route three days per week.
“I am honored to receive the Pleatco Perfect Pool Gal title,” Edwards says. “This is clearly the most significant event of my professional career thus far. I look forward to the educational and networking opportunities I am being offered. I would like to thank my family, friends and fellow pool professionals for their support in this endeavor. Thank you Pleatco!”
With so many worthy entrants, Pleatco once again expanded the contest and created additional awards. “During our final interviews, we were impressed by the caliber and diversity of so many individuals that we felt it was proper to recognize the outstanding achievements of several other entrants,” says Rick Von Drehle, CEO of Pleatco. “In that spirit, we selected contestants for Special Awards based on their contribution to their community and the pool and spa industry.”
- 2019 Lifetime Achievement Award: Ed Zaborski, Rhode Island
- 2019 Community Leader Award: Katie Poppa, Pennsylvania
- 2019 Backyard Hero Award: Jay Crittenden, Tennessee
- 2019 Future Leadership Award: Kayne Zamorano, Arizona
“The service industry is extremely important when it comes to helping owners fully enjoy and appreciate their pools,” says Brian Van Bower, co-founder of GENESIS. “We are proud to help honor our hard-working service professionals through the Pleatco contest!”
This year’s Perfect Pool Guy and Perfect Pool Gal will each receive a trip for two to the International Pool | Spa | Patio Expo held in New Orleans in November. Both winners may attend a GENESIS school free of charge ($5,000 value) being held at the show. Winners (and finalists) will receive a Pool & Hot Tub Alliance course ($1,100 value) free of charge, also offered at the show.
