To Robert Daniels, branch manager for Pool Doctor Service & Supplies/National Pool Partners, a pool technician is more than someone who cleans and balances your pool. “Behind the scenes,” he says, “we are ensuring you and your family are safe while swimming. When you are out of town, we are normally the first to report anything out of the ordinary around your house as well that may not even involve the pool.”
Daniels is passionate about the pool industry now, but that wasn’t always the case. What brought him to the industry was a love of water. He had been working as the first mate on a barge; he had his captain’s license and was hoping to become a charter captain. He needed a job to help him buy a boat and landed in the pool industry, starting as a pool cleaner at Pool Doctor. “I enjoyed working with pools more than I thought I would,” Daniels says. He worked his way up at Pool Doctor, learning about the industry — and learning to love it as well.
“The pool industry is very unique — pools are more than just water and fun,” Daniels says. “Until you work in the pool industry, you do not realize how in-depth the chemistry and mechanics really get.” Daniels says he sees the industry as a long-term career because pools always need to be taken care of and equipment is evolving rapidly.
“My goal is to make a positive impact on the views of working in the pool industry,” he says. “I want to make the pool industry an even more exciting and adventurous career for everyone.”