Latest

PP22-5

Pay Day — What Pay Structure Works Best?

Tracy Bond, owner of Great Valley Pool Service in Frazer, Pennsylvania, pragmatically shares the benefits and drawbacks of paying per job and paying per hour, explaining that, while paying per job seems to create more incentive for techs to maximize their time, hourly pay tends to produce better-quality work.

Commercial

Cleaning Versus Disinfecting

As a certified pool operator (CPO) instructor and consultant, I’ve spoken to countless pool operators over the years who lack an understanding of cleaning and disinfecting swimming pools. These knowledge gaps may be putting your facilities and customers at risk.

Operator

Dress for success

Uniforms are a big part of your brand. They can speak to your professionalism or lack thereof, especially in our industry where the standard is basketball shorts and flip-flops.

Profile

Philip Lloyd Leslie Sr. 1934−2022

The year was 1963. Working in a small, rented building in the Hollywood Hills with $900 to his name, Philip Lloyd Leslie Sr. followed his passion for entrepreneurship and founded Leslie’s, a swimming pool supplies retail enterprise, which would sell chlorine and other pool chemicals directly to customers. This pioneering entry into the pool care industry led to a company that still dominates its market nearly 60 years later.

Service

Perfecting the Pool Cover

Pool covers are an essential tool for the safety of a pool and those around it, both from the elements and for preventing accidents: To maintain that peace of mind they need to be replaced every so often.

Pool Ops

Successful Fuel Management

With the recent surge in gas prices, fuel expenses have increased from $1,300 to $1,600 per month, to more than $3,500 per month over the last two years. To trim costs, Frank Disher, owner of Poolwerx Keller in North Richland Hills, Texas, says his company is taking measures to be more efficient. However, scrutinizing operating expenses can be stressful, tedious and potentially fruitless.

Welcome

Commemorating the Human Cost of COVID

First of all, can I just mention how happy our cover this issue makes me? What a bunch of joyous...

Features

Turning with the tides

Earlier this year, the pool service industry saw has seen widespread cost increases for things like chemicals, labor and, especially, gas for service vehicles. These increases have strained operating expenses for many in the business.

Builder

Covering Your Investments

When a customer is conceptualizing the pool of their dreams, industry experts will invariably throw in a suggestion or a reminder to include an element that — somewhat ironically — may literally shroud their masterpiece from view.

Marketing

Get a Grip on Drip Marketing

Business owners who want to reach their customers on a more personal level have relied on drip marketing campaigns for many years now, but despite being a widely utilized practice, many newer business owners still don’t know what such a campaign entails, while others may not understand how to find the balance between direct marketing and direct badgering.

At The Shop

Klenswite Pools & Spas Can Trace Its Roots Back Three Generations

Family-owned businesses often face the unique challenge of adapting to current trends and practices while remaining true to the company’s original mission. For three generations, Klenswite Pools & Spas management say they have focused unwaveringly on their customers, even in the face of dramatic shifts in the market.

Coronavirus Features

Coming Up for Air

As we move toward something resembling normality, we are honored to share a few of the many stories of people in the pool industry who are still rebuilding the lives they almost lost, or coping with the absence of loved ones that they did lose.

That’s a Wrap

Light It Up

Flattering First Impressions

A Fresh Perspective

The Heart of Haviland

Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Buys Shares of POOLCORP

With these tips in mind, your business can RULE THE POOL in 2025