apsp quarterly power 2009 compressed.pdf · apsp quarterly your ability to recruit, train, and...
TRANSCRIPT
SUMMER 2009
AQAPSP QUARTERLY
Your ability to recruit, train, and retain a quality team is paramount to your success.
POWER TO THE
PEOPLE
APSQ_0209_C.indd 1 6/3/09 11:44:19 AM
2 | AQ A P S P Q UA R T ER LY
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SUMMER 2009 | 5
features10 Coaching for Improved Business Performance
The benefi ts of coaching for the pool and spa industry are many. Here’s a look at how some APSP members use this critical tool to improve their operations.BY MARY LOU JAY
14 Sweating the Little ThingsConcord Pools gets it right – with their customers and their employees. BY MICHAEL FICKES
18 Entrapment Prevention Has No BackupHow adoption of the ANSI/APSP-7 standard led to a new approach in safety: preventing entrapment – and not just reacting to it.BY TOM ODESKI
25 You and the APSP Career InstituteThe Career Institute exists to create a comprehensive approach to training professionals in the pool and hot tub industry. BY MICHAEL REED
27 Maintaining Workforce Stability in the Pool BusinessHuman resource managers have a greater challenge in tough economic times. Learn how to get the right people into the right jobs. BY W. ROBERT WOOD
28 Spa Testing: The Devil’s in the ComponentsLearn the details about black-box testing of pumps, heaters, and other spa components. BY GARY SIGGINS, P.E.
30 Not Any Employee Will Do – The Right Employee Drives the Best ResultsFire up your employees – and smoke the competition!BY JAY FORTE
32 How Pool Professionals Manage Staff Change During a DownturnP.K. Data asks industry professionals how the recession has impacted their human-resource decisions.BY BIL KENNEDY
34 Recession Proofi ng Your BusinessRecessions are a normal phase in every business cycle. Does it make sense to downsize your operation when an economic upturn could be right around the corner?BY BRAD DAWSON
37 Avoiding Pool Tile ProblemsInstalled properly, tile and stone will last the life of the pool. BY CAROLINA OLIVIERI
departments7 President’s Message
BY BILL WEBER
9 Guest EditorialBY KIRSTIN PIRES
39 APSP News & Resources
42 Advertiser Index
10 34 37
SUMMER 2009
AQAPSP QUARTERLY
Cover image © istockphoto.com
SUMMER 2009 | 7
The Association of Pool & Spa Professionals (APSP)2111 Eisenhower AvenueAlexandria, Virginia 22314-4695703.838.0083 • Fax 703.549.0493Email: [email protected]: APSP.org
APSP OFFICERS (2009)
APSP Chairman of the BoardTerry Brown, CBP
APSP Chairman-ElectCharlie Schobel
APSP Secretary-TreasurerKathleen Carlson
APSP Past Chairman Gene Fields
AQ EDITORIAL STAFF
APSP President and Chief Executive OfficerBill Weber
APSP Director of CommunicationsKirstin Pires
AQ Contributing EditorKen Suzuki
AQ Associate EditorJeanette Smith
AQ ContributorsHelen BlochCarvin DiGiovanniMichael ReedNina SchwartzLauren Stack
Published by Naylor, LLC5950 Northwest 1st PlaceGainesville, Florida 32607800.369.6220, 352.332.1252 Fax 352.331.3525www.naylor.com
Publisher John KilchensteinEditor Leslee MastersProject Manager Yoruba HaneyPublication Director SaraCatherine SedberryAdvertising Sales Amanda Blanchard, Cheryl Miller, Jamie Harmon, John O’Neil, Robert Shafer, Paul WoodsMarketing Amanda EverettLayout & Design Deb Churchill BassoAdvertising Art Reanne Dawson
AQ (APSP Quarterly) is published four times a year for The Association of Pool & Spa Professionals. Copyright ©2009 by The Association of Pool & Spa Professionals. All rights reserved and all commercial use of the contents prohibited except if expressly authorized in writing by the association. Opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily represent offi cial positions or policies of APSP.
PUBLISHED JUNE 2009, APS-Q0209/8048
THERE IS A reason why professional is part of our name. Professionalism is our assurance to clients and to each other that we do business with the highest standards and best practices.
Professionalism is a personal choice. It’s something each one of us must take on as a com-mitment. It’s why you’ve chosen to be a member of this organization. It’s why we, the staff and volunteers of APSP, work so hard to provide the tools you need to establish and continually raise your level of professionalism. It’s why we work so hard to advocate for a business environ-ment where professionals thrive.
Our industry requires more knowledge, better skills, and more motivated workers than ever before. We need to recruit, retain and nurture the best people, and APSP, through the Career Institute, is working across the industry to help new workers learn the fundamental prin-ciples of our industry. At the same time, we’re providing tools like the new webinar series, the Builders Institute, and the APSP Hot Tub Technician Manual to help experienced professionals raise their personal bars. Certification programs like the CBP Certified Building Professional®
and CSP Certified Service Professional® let your customers know that you stand out from the crowd as a professional.
Standards are a hallmark of professionalism and they exist to ensure the safety of the things we build and manufacture. The American National Standards Institute has recognized APSP as an accredited standards developer for more than a quarter century. Standards help build rela-tionships with local code officials. Compliance with these standards can help to position your business against lawsuits. Your customers will have greater confidence in your work knowing you follow national standards. APSP not only develops standards, but it advocates for their adoption at the national, state, and local levels.
Many of you took part in National Water Safety Month in May, showcasing your pro-fessionalism and involvement with your local community. A joint promotion of APSP, the National Recreation and Park Association, and the World Waterpark Association, the month-long celebration brought the safety message to consumers across the country.
To maintain your level of professionalism, you need to educate yourself continually about the business climate in which you work. That just got a little easier with APSP SmartBrief, to which everybody should subscribe (www.smartbrief.com/apsp/). News that affects the indus-try is gathered in an easy-to-read format with links to the full stories and delivered via e-mail to members and nonmembers alike.
APSP is working hard to make it easier than ever to acquire the knowledge and expertise you need to be successful in your business, and to foster the business environment you need to prosper.
Best regards,Bill WeberPresident & CEOThe Association of Pool & Spa [email protected]
president’s message
Human Resources: Power to the People
AQAPSP QUARTERLY
Volume 2, No. 3 • SUMMER 2009
Professionalism is a personal choice. It’s something each
one of us must take on as a commitment.
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The Two-Speed Advantage:
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SUMMER 2009 | 9
guest editorial
Familiar Face
AFTER SIX YEARS at the helm of AQUA magazine, I’m pleased to join the staff of APSP as its new director of communications.
It’s an exciting time to be in the pool, spa, and hot tub industry, despite – or perhaps because of – the challenges posed by our economy. Developments in technology – for example, the variable-speed pump – are making our indus-try’s products more cost effective and energy efficient than ever before. Medical research, much of it funded by our industry, is quantifying the health benefits of using these products. Academic research such as that conducted at the National Pool Industry Research Center at Cal Poly State University is providing knowledge on best practices to the entire industry. The APSP Career Institute is developing and delivering credentialing programs that will assure your clients that APSP members are the best qualified in the field. Slowly but surely, the level of skill and profes-sionalism in the pool and spa world is rising. And it will be my job to make sure everyone knows about it.
My time as editor of AQUA provided an excellent education in the pool, spa, and hot tub industry, but I’ve been involved in communication nearly all my life. My work experience includes the editorship of Billiards Digest magazine, where I covered a different kind of pool; a post as media-relations director for the men’s professional billiards tour; and a position with a design/build firm. I started out as a high school art teacher – perhaps the most rewarding communications challenge of all.
I look forward to greeting old friends – and meeting new ones – at industry gatherings throughout the year, such as the upcoming International Pool | Spa | Patio Expo in Las Vegas this fall. I hope you’ll be in touch by phone or e-mail to offer suggestions or just say hello.
Kirstin PiresAPSP Director of [email protected]
The industry reference
The APSP Hot Tub Council and APSP Service Council have joined resourcesto develop the first definitive manual for the hot tub specialist. Learn hot tubservice and maintenance for all makes and models. Topics include Hot TubStructures and Finishes; Electrical Systems; Circulation, Plumbing andFiltration; Pumps and Equipment Systems; Control Systems; Heaters andAccessories; Hot Water Chemistry; Practical Knowledge; and Hot Tub Safety.
The APSP Hot Tub Technician Manual is the basis of a new training andcertification program being developed by APSP for hot tub technicians.
Members $99, Non-members $199. To order your copy, or to find outmore, contact the Member Services Center at 703.838.0083, ext. 301,or at [email protected].
APSP.org
The first comprehensive manual for the fast-growing hot tub industry.
for hot tub service.
It’s an exciting time to be in the pool,
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10 | AQ A P S P Q UA R T ER LY
o reach their peak
performance levels, athletes have
often used coaches who serve as both
mentors and critics, providing support
while remaining objective enough to
identify problems and suggest solutions.
Today, business coaches help company
owners and executives in the same way.
Coaching
SUMMER 2009 | 11
BY MARY LOU JAY
People in the pool and spa industry recognize coaching’s benefits, says Michael Reed, APSP director of professional development. “I think part of that is due to the economy, and part is that our businesses, both on the manufacturing and the retail side, are just getting more and more sophisticated.”
Coaching should serve as a guide to the participant’s inner knowledge and truth, Reed continues. “It helps them identify and explore new areas based on the expertise that they already have.” Coaches can help their clients see new opportuni-ties, close performance gaps, and achieve greater alignment between what they say they believe and how they actually act.
Guy Larsen, vice president of All Seasons Pools and Spas and president of the Mid-America Pool and Spa Show, joined coaching group Vistage International a few years ago. “I was looking for a way to network and improve myself and our company, for someone to help me see things outside my own perspective,” he says.
for Improved Business
Performance
12 | AQ A P S P Q UA R T ER LY
Larsen’s Vistage group averages 13 to 15 members, all CEOs or owners of small-to-mid-size companies with revenues from a few million to more than $50 million. “We have attorneys, manu-facturers, service people, professional services. It’s amazing how the same issues pop up in companies that seem so different from yours,” Larsen says. Each Vistage group has a coach, or chairman, who meets individually with members each month.
At their monthly meetings, group members hear a presenta-tion from a speaker, look at each other’s financial reports and then discuss issues that they’re struggling with. “The issues have to be prepared,” says Larsen. “There’s a form that you fill out that makes you think everything through: what the issue is, what the impact is on your business, what’s keeping you from resolving it, what you’ve done so far, and what kind of help you’re looking for from the group and the coach.” During group and individual meetings, members formulate lists of action items and are held accountable by the coach and the group for following up on them.
Belonging to the coaching group “forces you to step back and look at your business,” Larsen says. “You actually work on your business for a couple of days a month instead of just working inyour business.”
Larsen believes that coaching has improved his business and helped him find good solutions to problems. One time, for exam-ple, he was having disagreements with employees who were not following the direction for the company culture that he wanted to
Informal CoachingSometimes companies and individuals have
evolved programs or management techniques that contain coaching elements.
Paul Kurke, dealer training manager at Arch Chemicals Inc., develops “Aquanology forums,” classes that provide dealers with information on company products and business issues. Arch Chemicals does some informal follow-up with class participants. “Dealers attend a workshop and learn all of these diff erent things. Then, as soon as they get back and the season really hits, many times they don’t implement what they’ve learned,” Kurke says. When they’re visiting these dealers, territory manag-ers often review the classes they took and suggest some action related to them, such as setting up a consumer seminar.
Tommy Johnson, owner of Johnson Pools and Spas in Huntsville, Alabama, has his own coaches – a network of national pool and local geo-technical and architectural colleagues he can call upon when he needs advice on technical issues.
Johnson coaches his own employees by ask-ing them once quarterly for their ideas on how to improve things. Employees write the suggestions down, and Johnson follows up once or twice a year to see if they have implemented those changes. “If you ask for somebody’s idea and you don’t even rec-ognize it by making some changes, they don’t feel like the input is worth the time that they spent on it,” he observes.
“Another thing that I’ve learned is that if you can get employees to think that they, rather than you, came up with an idea, it’s easier to implement it. I guess you could call that a kind of coaching.”
How to Find and Choose a Business
Coach
SUMMER 2009 | 13
establish. “The coach was a sounding board; he listened to me explain it and then he asked questions as my employees would. He was more able to tell me where he thinks I’m wrong than an employee might,” Larsen says. The coach helped Larsen see things from his staff’s viewpoint and find better ways to work with them.
Coaching is not inexpensive, but Larsen feels it is a good investment. “When you make one correction in your business that can save you $10,000 or $20,000, it’s pretty easy to pay the dues,” he says.
Not a Silver BulletRex Richard, who ran his own successful pool contracting business
for several years, began offering training seminars for the pool and spa industry in 1999. Although the seminars were well received, Richard wanted to do more to help participants actually make the changes necessary to achieve better results. So in late 2005, Richard launched Extreme Success LLC, a coaching business designed specifically for the pool industry. “My emphasis changed from passing information in a passionate and clear communication style to focusing instead on behavioral change,” he says.
His first coaching program was MBS Extreme (for marketing, busi-ness, and sales). Today he offers three distinct Extreme Success pro-grams for each of those areas. Each runs three years and includes both group and individual sessions.
“The first year you get the results of changing the behavior that you need to be successful and laying the foundations of success,” he
says. “The second year is growing your business, and the third year is growing a successful model where your business could be sold or replicated as a franchise.” After that, members continue to work together in mastermind groups that help them keep their business skills sharp.
Richard says successful coaching programs include four compo-nents: consistency – so ideas are repeated over and over to become rel-evant and understood; frequency – interactions weekly, not just a few times a year; accountability – checks on group members to see if they’re actually doing what they’ve said they would; and a feedback loop – a way of communicating back to participants who are getting off course or not following through. Members being coached also must measure and record their results so they can track their progress.
Richard’s approach has yielded results. One builder/retailer in the initial group saw a 300 percent increase in profitability. “Another member had a long-term dream to stabilize his business and work Monday through Friday so he could leave weekends free to pursue his passion, which is flying. He now has time to fly,” Richard says.
Pool and spa businesses can benefit from coaching in many ways, but Richard says few are willing to let go of their fear of success – and their fear of the commitment that is required to achieve it. “It’s not a silver bullet; I don’t have a success pill that they can take. It’s hard work.”
The results that can be achieved through coaching, however, may well be worth all the hard work involved. AQ
Write down your expectations for that coach, just as you would when you were hiring an employee, recommends Guy Larsen of All Seasons Pools and Spas. That can help you clarify your goals and aid in your initial discussions with coach candidates.
Determine your coaching budget. The cost of coaching can vary widely, depending on the services provided and the type of coaching experience you’re looking for.
Contact business associates and friends for referrals or suggestions.
Search databases of professional coaching associations such as the Worldwide Association of Business Coaches (http://www.wabccoaches.com), the International Coach Federation (http://www.coachfederation.org/) and the International Business Coach Institute (http://www.businesscoachinstitute.org/). All off er databases of their members. Unfortunately, there are currently no universally recognized standards or credentials for the industry. You will have to investigate for yourself to determine what level of education and training each organization requires for credentialing.
Check out the coach’s work background. Rex Richard, founder of Extreme Success, recommends that a coach have at least 20 years of broad-based business experience. (It doesn’t have to be in the pool and spa industry.)
Ask for – and absolutely follow up on – references from a coach’s current and former clients. Ask them what they liked and did not like about their coaching experiences.
Hold an initial meeting with the coach to see if your personalities and styles mesh. Discuss your expectations. Ask if the coach has a particular area of expertise – is it one that will benefi t you?
Before you sign onto any coaching program, make sure that you have a clear understanding of what you’ll be spending and what is covered in the charges. Find out up front if and when additional charges will apply.
14 | AQ A P S P Q UA R T ER LY
BY MICHAEL FICKES
There is a management theory that says if you do the little things right, you will find it easier to do the big things right.
It’s a philosophy that fits the imperatives of a pool building company that must build the pool exactly right the first time – because in the world of pool building, there are no second chances.
APSP member Michael Giovanone, CBP, president and CEO of Latham, N.Y.-based Concord Pools and Spas, applies this principle to building and managing his $14 million pool-building company.
Giovanone pays strict attention to little things: When he turns into the firm’s parking lot at 6:00 a.m., he looks for litter. If he sees a piece of paper on the ground, he picks it up. If anyone is standing around, he asks, “How come you couldn’t see this, and I could?”
Each of the company’s four stores remains meticulously clean year round. “If we don’t win the local Chamber of Commerce beautification award every year, we want to know why,” Giovanone says. “In fact, we’ve
Sweating the
Little ThingsPOOL BUILDER HAS only
one chance to get a pool
right. Here’s how Concord
Pools does it.
Michael Giovanone
SUMMER 2009 | 15
fired landscapers for failing to keep the lines straight when they mow our lawn.”
Giovanone and all his employees address customers as sir, ma’am, Mr., Ms., and Mrs. Employees carry purchases to the parking lot for customers.
If a product doesn’t work or doesn’t live up to expectations, Giovanone’s policy is to take it back and refund the customer’s money, no questions asked. Giovanone once gave a refund to a customer who returned a deflated beach ball with tire tracks on it.
Eventually, the little things accumulate and produce large accom-plishments. In the case of Concord Pools, the little things add up to a well-trained professional staff, a marketing plan and store design tailored precisely to Concord Pools’ customers, a pool-design partnership with a major manufacturer, 10,000 inground pools installed over 30-plus years, and numerous industry honors.
Finding and Training Concord Pools PeopleA lot of people may not make it at a company with such high
standards. They may just find that the jobs are too difficult. Then again, the people who do work for Concord Pools tend to stay for decades.
“Our newest manager, the freshman, has been here for 27 years,” Giovanone says.
Giovanone makes no secret of what is required to make it at Concord Pools. You have to want to do things right the first time, every time. You have to read the company handbook, which lists all of the little things you’re expected to do, and you have to sign an agreement saying that you will follow the handbook’s direction. Even Giovanone has signed.
Giovanone is constantly looking for people who will fit the Concord Pools bill. “I can tell within a few minutes of meeting
16 | AQ A P S P Q UA R T ER LY
someone whether he or she will do well here,” he says. “I was at lunch one day, and the waiter was personable, professional, responsible, and intui-tive. I gave him my card and asked him to come and see me if he ever decided to leave the restaurant. A couple months later he came by and asked for a job. He’s been here for 13 years.”
Giovanone trains employees constantly. He even teaches a seminar on systematic planning and strategies for APSP. The idea behind the seminar is to develop processes and systems that are easily duplicated. “At Concord Pools we train everyone – stock clerks, sales people, managers, and everyone else – to give customers the same answer,” Giovanone says. “When a sales person answers the phone, I don’t want to hear his or her opinion. I want to hear the company policy regarding the question.”
The emphasis on training has worked. Consider the company’s response to the recession. According to Giovanone, the company expects to see a 20 percent decline in inground pool sales this year. “We’ve cut our overhead by 20 percent to deal with that,” he says.
In addition, he has shifted two of the company’s inground construc-tion crews into renovation. The well-trained crews haven’t missed a beat. “It’s early yet, but our renovation business is doing well so far this year,” Giovanone says.
The regular service business is helping to pay the bills as well. Giovanone expects to do more than 5,000 pool openings and winteriza-tions this year, about the same as the company does every year.
Selling the Company, Instead of a Pool Concord Pools targets customers who can afford swimming pools,
spas, and water features, but who don’t want any hassles. “Price is second-ary for our customers,” Giovanone says. “Our customers have the money to buy high end pools, but they don’t have a lot of time. We’ve designed our business to take care of this kind of customer.
“A customer can come to our stores, talk to us for an hour or two, and we will plan, design, and schedule the construction of a pool and the installation of a spa and water features.”
Take a look at Concord Pools in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. It features what Giovanone has dubbed the “Backyard Dream Center.” It is a show-room staffed by professional designers and fitted out with pools, spas, fencing, electrical equipment, pavers, irrigation equipment, landscaping examples, and everything else it takes to bring a backyard dream to life – right down to a financing plan.
“We aim to satisfy our customers completely by inspiring confi-dence, eliminating guesswork – along with the need to comparison shop – and relieving anxiety about the capabilities of the construction team,” Giovanone continues. “The idea is not to sell a pool, but to sell the company.”
Pool Design and Pool ManufacturingConcord Pools works with another Latham-based company to design
and manufacture molds for pools and a variety of other pool components.
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SUMMER 2009 | 17
Pacific Pools, a division of Latham Plastics, Inc., is the only manufacturer offering exclusive Graphex technology. Graphex pool walls are molded from a high-strength resin similar to the materials used to increase strength, resil-ience, and durability in sports equipment, cars, and even the stealth bomber. It is a honeycombed panel with vertical and horizontal ribs for extra strength. Offering the comfort of a vinyl surface, Graphex retains its shape and never corrodes, despite the harsh climate of the northeastern U.S.
Concord Pools assembles all of its pools from components manufac-tured by Pacific Pools. “We like having everything we install manufac-tured right here,” Giovanone says. “When you install liners from one manufacturer and steps from another and so on, you have to hope that everything fits together. We’ve taken that problem off the table by using one manufacturer whose components fit together flawlessly.”
Concord Pools even participated in the design of one of the key com-ponents of a Pacific Pools Graphex system. The companies collaborated on the design of the I-Brace. “It is the strongest brace in the pool building industry,” Giovanone says. “We patented it with Pacific Pools in 1989.”
In any inground swimming pool design something must support the weight of the pool deck and the weight of the surrounding soil. In many conventional pool designs, the walls of the pool provide this support. But in a Graphex pool system, a series of braces shaped like I-Beams surround each Concord Pool. Each brace attaches in six places up and down the height of the pool. Each brace is filled with concrete. The result is an integral part of a one-piece footing and support system.
With this system, no weight rests on the pool walls. Instead, the load is distributed over the support system of braces and concrete footings in a way that mirrors bridge construction. The technique provides approximately 4,000 pounds of support per linear foot – more support than provided by the founda-tions of most single-family homes.
The ResultsAt Concord Pools, the cultural imperative of getting all of the little
things right has produced, over the past 30 years, more than 10,000 in-ground swimming pools.
What’s more, Concord Pools’ work has earned numerous industry honors, including the APSP International Awards of Excellence. Pool & Spa News consistently ranks the company in the magazine’s “Power 50” list of the top inground pool builders in North America. The magazine has also awarded the company four Masters of Design awards. In addition, Concord appears regularly on the AQUA 100 list of top industry professionals.
And as the largest dealer of Pacific Pools in the U.S., Concord Pools has earned a place in the Pacific Pools “Hall of Fame.”
The do-it-right philosophy has also created a close-knit company. “There aren’t any employees here,” Giovanone says. “Our common beliefs and common goals make us into a family.”
What happens when a family member doesn’t get it right and makes a mistake?“We make mistakes every day,” Giovanone says. “But on our worst day,
we’re way ahead.” AQ
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18 | AQ A P S P Q UA R T ER LY
BY TOM ODESKI
The year 2007 marked a turning point in how we approach pool and spa entrapment hazards. Congress passed and the pres-ident signed the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act (VGB Act). Until then, pool and spa safety advocates, health and code offi cials, and manufacturers approached entrapment hazards with a reaction mentality.
Devices and systems that are designed to sense a suction entrapment event would be tripped by the entrapment – and acti-vated to then break the vacuum and free the victim (a “catch and release” process). This point of view was expressed in both the International Code Council’s (ICC) International Residential Code (IRC) of 2006 and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s (CPSC) Guide for Entrapment Hazards: Making
Pools and Spas Safer of 2005.Back then, reaction devices and systems, including the
SVRS, were recommended for all pools and spas with drains. But things have changed since the end of 2006.
The VGB Act is based in part on the ANSI/APSP-7 2006
Standard for Suction Entrapment Avoidance in Swimming Pools,
Wading Pools, Spas, Hot Tubs, and Catch Basins, a technical stan-dard developed by APSP through the rigorous consensus proce-dures of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).
This new standard changed the direction of the entrapment issue in two key ways. First, instead of focusing exclusively on suction, the ANSI/APSP-7 standard, along with the new man-dates of the VGB Act, addresses fi ve types of entrapment: body entrapment, limb entrapment, hair entanglement, mechanical entrapment, and evisceration. Second, the new federal law, in alignment with the ANSI/APSP-7 standard, is oriented toward
EntrapmentPrevention
ONFUSION IS A stubborn thing. Despite
an abundance
of news articles,
industry notifications,
and regulatory rulings in
the past two years, pool and spa
industry professionals still struggle with the array of
questions associated with entrapment hazards. One
issue that cries out for clarity is: “What is the role of the
Suction Vacuum Release System (SVRS) with regard to
the new federal safety requirements?”
SUMMER 2009 | 19
prevention instead of reaction. The new thinking, which APSP had been tirelessly advocating since the completion of the standard in late 2006, can be thus summarized: the fi ve known types of entrapment hazards are preventable if the three root causes – suction, water fl ow rates, and mechanical binding – are addressed in the design and maintenance of pools and spas.
This new point of view, that prevention is preferable to reaction, persuaded the ICC to adopt the ANSI/APSP-7 standard by reference in the new editions of two ICC codes – the 2009 International Building Code (IBC) and Appendix G of the 2009 International Residential Code (IRC).
The CPSC is the federal agency responsible for interpreting and enforcing the VGB Act. That agency has issued VGB guidelines that also demonstrate a shift away from the reaction orientation of its 2005 position. Every CPSC tech-nical guidance ruling on the VGB has been consistent with the ANSI/APSP-7 standard and refl ects actual prevention.
A number of states have also made the transition from reaction to prevention.
Florida formerly required reac-tion systems on all pools regardless of the number of drains. It has now switched to the new prevention approach by adopting the ANSI/APSP-7 standard into its Uniform Building Code.
Similar actions were taken by West Virginia, which recently adopted the ANSI/APSP-7 standard, and Minnesota, which adopted laws consistent with ANSI/APSP-7.
States that took a fresh look at entrapment over the past year have sided with the prevention orientation advocated by the VGB Act and the ANSI/APSP-7 standard. The only states that still mandate reac-tion devices or systems for pools and spas with dual drains are those states still working from versions of the ICC codes that are older than the 2009 IBC and 2009 IRC. When these states complete the process of adopting the newer 2009 codes, they also are expected to switch to the prevention orientation.
Entrapment prevention rests on four pillars: 1. A Key Device: Drains have covers/grates that conform to the
ASME/ANSI A112.19.8 Standard for Suction Fittings for Use in
Swimming Pools, Wading Pools, Spas, and Hot Tubs. 2. Design: If pools and spas have drains, they have either an unblock-
able drain or multiple drains. 3. Hydraulics: Drain fl ow rates are regulated to not exceed the
ANSI/APSP-7 standard and the requirements of the covers/grates.
4. Vigilance: Pool owners must immediately close their pools when drain covers are missing, dislodged or broken. Covers/grates, when expired, must immediately be replaced. The fourth pillar, vigilance, is an attitude and, therefore, intan-
gible. It is unobserved, defi es quantifi cation, and it tends to receive scant attention in discussions on entrapment issues. However, this oft-neglected pillar is just as vital. When the cover/grate is missing or broken, the entire entrapment prevention system is compromised – an extreme hazard.
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The importance of vigilance can be seen in the ANSI/APSP-7 standard, which explicitly calls for the closing of pools when covers/grates are missing or broken. Also, the CPSC’s rigid stance on the closure of all public pools without proper drain covers is another expression of this vigilant attitude regarding the cover/grate. There is no substitute measure, device or tech-nique that can compensate for an improper, missing or broken cover/grate.
Do the VGB Act and the ANSI/APSP-7 standard specify a role for reac-tion devices such as the SVRS? Yes, these are appropriate for pools and spas with a single main-drain system when one of the four pillars – unblockable or multiple drains – is missing from the pool or spa. In other words, the pool or spa with a single drain “other than unblockable” lacks the full array of components necessary to prevent entrapment; therefore, a reaction device or other back-up system would be mandated. CPSC interpretations of the VGB Act have consistently isolated reaction devices and systems to this one application.
If a pool or spa has an entrapment prevention system, some have asked whether it would be prudent to add a reaction device as an additional “backup” layer of protection to guard against a missing or broken cover/grate or a blocked drain. In the simplest and most practical form, the ques-tion is stated, “Should an SVRS device be added to all unblockable-drain, dual-drain or multi-drain systems?” The answer is “No.” There are four reasons – all related to safety:
1. The Absence of Technical Evaluative Criteria. Currently, there are two technical standards on SVRS: the ANSI/ASME
A112.19.17 Manufactured safety vacuum release systems (SVRS) for
residential and commercial swimming pool, spa, hot tub, and wading pool suc-
tion systems and the ASTM F 2387-04 Standard specifi cation for manufactured
safety vacuum release systems (SVRS) for swimming pools, spas, and hot tubs.
Both specify testing and approval of SVRS systems on single-drain applica-tions only. There are no criteria to measure SVRS performance on dual-drain or multi-drain pools or spas. The absence of technical criteria creates two gaps in the entrapment safety scenario: manufacturers have no verifi able standard for calibrating their devices for the dual-drain or multiple-drain systems; and safety advocates, regulators, and public health offi cials have no method to verify safety effectiveness. Without a standard, nobody has assurance these systems will perform as intended when applied to a multiple-drain system.
2. The Absence of Successful Testing. Imagine this hypo-thetical situation: Children are playing in an inground spa with dual drains when a toy fi nds its way to the bottom and blocks one drain. Now, the water fl ow that was previously split between two drains is exclusively drawn through one drain. Hypothetically, hasn’t this sce-nario created a single-drain system and therefore a hazard? According to some SVRS promoters, this potential situation demonstrates the need for an SVRS device on pools with dual or multiple drains.There are two problems with this scenario: it is hypothetical and safety decisions must rest on factual criteria; and, as mentioned, the SVRS is designed, tested and approved for single-drain systems only. There are no documented tests demonstrating consistent, successful tripping of an SVRS device when operating on a dual-drain system with one drain blocked. On the contrary, there does exist documentation
SUMMER 2009 | 2 3
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on the erratic function of the SVRS when installed on a dual-drain system with one drain blocked. In other words, the hypothetical situ-ation that supposedly would demonstrate the need for an SVRS, actu-ally yields very disturbing results with this scenario created in the lab. The APSP Technical Committee sponsored and performed this test in 2007 as part of the verifi cation process for the ANSI/APSP-7 standard. The test report concludes: “Not all SVRS tested to the ASME/ASTM SVRS standards will reliably ‘trip’ when combined with dual outlets and/or skimmers…” Was the test reliable and credible? Some SVRS manufac-turers participated in the test and CPSC staff members were on hand to observe. More relevant, however, is the fact that no SVRS manufac-turer has refuted the test conclusions, either in writing or by publishing the results of their own tests employing the same protocols. For more information, see the report at www.apsp.org/32/index.aspx titled APSP
Technical Committee Report on Suction and Outlet Safety and the Effectiveness
of ANSI/APSP-7.
3. A False Sense of Security. We saw the role of vigilance in prevent-ing entrapment events. Saddling the prevention system with a “backup” device will weaken this essential pillar. Think of this chilling scenario: “It’s okay, honey, go ahead and let the children play in the spa. The cover/grate is missing, but don’t worry. We have a backup.” For the sake of safety, we should never give pool owners a rationale to drop their guard in the face of a drain hazard – or procrastinate on repairing or replacing the cover/grate.False security is further highlighted by the SVRS test failures – and the restricted application of the device to only one of fi ve entrapment hazards.
4. “Backup” is a misnomer. What if someone invented an automo-bile airbag that deployed in only 25 percent of auto collisions? Would sensible people label this a “backup” safety system for auto collisions? An SVRS, by design, can address only one of the three root causes of entrapment – suction. Therefore, the device is relevant to only one of the fi ve entrapment hazards – body suction entrapment. This event accounts for 25 percent of reported entrapment accidents. The SVRS offers no pro-tection against the four other entrapment hazards: limb, hair entangle-ment, mechanical, and evisceration – which, together, account for about 75 percent of reported events.
Of course, the future will bring changes. New technology, new stan-dards, and new testing techniques could alter our approach to these technical safety issues. But until then, pool and spa safety rests on the four pillars of the entrapment prevention system. Imposing additional reaction devices and systems would be a violation of now-accepted safety principles and techniques. There is no “backup” for entrapment preven-tion. AQ
Tom Odeski is the owner of Pool Cover Resource, an APSP member company in Dal-las, Texas. Odeski serves on the APSP Region 3 Advisory Council and is the chairman of the region’s Government Relations Advisory Committee (GRAC). He also serves as board secretary for the Aquatic Professional Education Council (APEC), an industry advocacy group. Th is article was written with assistance from APSP senior techni-cal director Carvin DiGiovanni, APSP outside counsel Steven Getzoff , and APSP-7 Standards Writing Committee member Dan Johnson.
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The problem is, very few people view our industry as a career oppor-tunity. When asked, most people will tell a funny story about how they landed a job in the pool industry and never left. As the industry’s trade association, it’s our responsibility to defi ne the knowledge, skills, and abilities it takes to be a success in the pool, spa, and hot tub industry. After a thorough analysis, the APSP board of directors established the Career Institute to create a comprehensive approach to training and make the development of professionals a top priority of the organization.
The Career Institute will work for members to oversee the imple-mentation of a comprehensive education program that leverages the top minds of the industry – all in an effort to develop a new wave of learning and networking. By closely examining the retail, service, and building experience, we’ll focus our efforts on building tools and techniques for improving the entire consumer experience. For the business owner, this means developing a highly competent staff that knows how to work in teams, and who are engaged and committed to making a difference.
In an effort to meet the changing regulatory environment, the Career Institute will also be positioning our programs to meet the needs of states and other jurisdictions who are interested in licensing profession-als in our industry. By partnering with lawmakers, we can demonstrate the strength of the ANSI/APSP Standards supplemented with a solid education program that delivers real value to consumers out in the fi eld. This is vital to our members, because the more we can do to highlight knowledgeable professionals from unscrupulous operators, the stronger the industry will be.
These changes will mean taking a fresh look at some longstanding programs and modifying them to meet the needs of today’s profession-als. We’ll be looking for new ways to distribute educational content, including online learning and maximizing the use of APSP’s social net-working site: myapsp.org. Guiding us through these efforts will be a set
You and the APSP Career Institute
PEOPLE ARE AT the heart of our industry. Sure, we have pool and hot tub statistics, and sales
processes, and new product development – but at our central core, people are what matter
most. For our manufacturing and distributor companies, “customers” are the network of
individuals who own or manage retail shops, run service routes, and build amazing water
experiences. These are the people on the front lines working directly with the consumers to
make their backyard dreams a reality. Our business is a people business!
of Standards from the National Commission for Certifying Agencies and several other “best practice” organizations that will help APSP to develop a world-class program. The benefi t for members will be easier access to pro-grams and over time an improvement to industry education.
We can’t do this alone. As an industry, we have to harness the industry resources dedicated to professional development and work with like-minded organizations to improve public perception. There are many organizations working to educate pool, spa and hot tub professionals—and together we can make a difference.
All of these efforts are designed to create pathways for a lifelong career in the industry – and to provide greater and more accessible opportunities for your professional development, no matter how little or how much experience you may already have. AQ
BY MICHAEL REED
www.APSP.org
APSP membership can give you the competitive edge you need to achieve your goals. Being an APSP member is tangible evidenceof your commitment to excellence. Whether you are a distributor,manufacturer, agent, builder, retailer, or service company, join todayto become part of the vibrant community of APSP members andenjoy the many benefits of membership.
Industry promotion and market insightsMarketing can be a challenge, so APSP helps consumers find serviceslike yours through APSP.org, HotTubLiving.com, PoolPeopleUSA.com, and SplashZoneUSA.com. You’ll reap the benefits of APSP advertisingthat shows the value of buying from an APSP member. And, APSPindustry research helps you learn what your customers are thinking so you can meet their needs.
Safety standards and advocacySafeguarding the public and looking out for your interests are all in aday’s work for APSP. The ANSI/APSP standards help you protect yourcustomers, minimize your risk, and gain a competitive edge. AndAPSP is your effective voice shaping the policies critical to yourbusiness on the federal, state, and local levels.
Professional development, training, and certificationEnsure your employees do things right the first time by involvingthem in APSP education and certification programs for builders,retailers, and service personnel. Plus, stay on top of the latest trendsand innovations and learn new ways to run and improve yourbusiness operations using APSP publications.
Improve your bottom lineGet essential business products and services that will help you save time, reduce expenses, mitigate risk, and maximize profits.APSP membership gives you access to top-quality insurancecoverage and business services that will suit your needs.
Join today!Learn more about APSP membership. Get a free DVD aboutmembership benefits by filling out the coupon below and faxing it to 703.549.0493. Or contact us at 703.838.0083, ext. 301, [email protected]. Visit APSP.org to join today!
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SUMMER 2009 | 27
How the tides have turned. A moderately buoyant economy that prevailed little more than 12 months ago has degenerated into a severe and likely prolonged recession. And now the grief is not limited to one specifi c region of the world. The effects of the economic down-turn are being felt globally.
Many long-time labor market trends have been obliterated. A worker presently seeking employment faces a signifi cant challenge in that the employees’ (sellers’) market that pre-vailed for years has become an employers’ (buy-ers’) market, seemingly overnight. Due to the increasing availability of labor, the focus of the human resource manager (often the president in small organizations) is changing. Companies are taking advantage of this opportunity to get the “right people” into the “right jobs.”
Despite the rising unemployment rate, there continues to be surprisingly bullish demand for workers who hold unique skill sets and diverse toolboxes. Pool builders and installers might well fi t into this category. Regardless of who is in the better negotiating position now or at any time, the fundamental question remains: How do we keep our present workers content and our workforce intact?
To create a productive team and a healthy workplace environment, the pool and hot tub sector will need to address at least three monu-mental and persistent challenges. First, the seasonal nature of much of the work – com-pounded in northern climes – tends to drive workers off to jobs that offer regular paychecks throughout the entire year. Second, “cannibal-ism” is commonplace throughout the indus-try, often resulting in chosen employees being lured away to the competition. Third, the sec-tor must overcome an ingrained mindset in some circles that trained workers will necessar-ily choose to leave and start their own compet-ing companies.
Maintaining Workforce Stability in the Pool Business
Many highly respected business management gurus have been critical of the extraordinary lengths some fi rms have taken to attract new can-didates – in contrast to the often-paltry efforts that have been invested in employee retention. While it is obvious that a worker who is underpaid, unmo-tivated, unappreciated and maltreated would have little reason to stay with any organization, what is far less clear is how to create the ideal conditions that bring about job fulfi llment.
The departure of a key member of staff in a small company creates a huge hole to fi ll. If turn-over is an ongoing issue causing major disruption, serious consideration should be given to offering additional benefi ts to employees beyond standard wages. Incentives can be strong motivators. In addition to the need for a respectable wage, work-ers greatly value the following:
• increased job security • job flexibility (e.g., hours, length of shifts)• profit-sharing programs and bonuses• improved vacation-time allowances• fringe benefits (e.g., health, dental, insurance,
pension plans) • the nurturing of a strong sense of belong-
ing and self-worth within each individual employee
• recognition of a job well done and general appreciation for responsibilities maintained (awards and rewards)
• engagement – the opportunity to openly par-ticipate in decisions and provide input
• equitable treatment within the organization• management styles that convey empathy,
understanding, and trust • investment in professional development
(training, education)Investing in human resources – your employees
– is absolutely critical to maintaining competitive-ness. A well-trained workforce improves produc-tivity and the overall effi ciency of operations. Staff should be encouraged to take courses offered by
associations, foundations, schools, and consult-ing fi rms. It is frequently necessary to convince employees that it is in their own best interest to upgrade their skills. The recent development of a strategic plan by the Pool & Hot Tub Council of Canada identifi ed the need for both technical train-ing and business education within our industry.
Staff recruitment can pose other challenges, and while there is no quick fi x, promotion of the exciting, challenging careers to be had in the pool and hot tub industry is one way to start turning things around. Seasonal employment tends to result in an unstable, nomadic workforce with a high job turnover, so attempts have been made to lessen the effects of such seasonality. Horizontal diversifi cation into compatible product lines (i.e., billiard tables, Christmas decorations) has met with some degree of success.
Unfortunately, while extensive knowledge is required of design and engineering disciplines in this fi eld, the industry as a whole still has an undeserved reputation as a low-tech sector. Furthermore, much of the pool and spa industry is not known for being a highly lucrative sector of the economy.
Public opinion takes years to turn around, and one cannot completely mitigate all the fac-tors at play in this new economy. One can only dampen the intensity level of the threats. One way to do this is by exploiting any overlooked opportunities as we look forward and plan for better times ahead. AQ
W. Robert Wood is the executive director of the Pool
& Hot Tub Council of Canada, located in Vaughan,
Ontario. He has 30 years of experience in association
management. Wood is past chairman of Technical
Committee 6 of the International Organization for
Standardization (ISO), and the former managing
editor of the Journal of Pulp and Paper Science. He is
currently a member of the board of directors of the
Canadian Society of Association Executives.
BY W. ROBERT WOOD
2 8 | AQ A P S P Q UA R T ER LY
The Devil’s in the Components
Components are the major building blocks of many products. They are usually covered by UL under its component-recognition program. Since they are only components of a larger system they cannot by themselves be listed by UL. That is why components do not carry the familiar mark of UL in a circle. These components are “recognized” and carry a much different mark. Components also have conditions of acceptability (CoA) associated with them. The end-product designers must make sure that each component is not used in a way that exceeds the limits under which it was tested. The component manufacturer is seeking an extreme testing simulation so the CoAs will allow use in as many spas as possible without retest. UL has a well-developed component program for the industry.
PumpsThe pump is listed, so it’s okay, right? Well, maybe. The
biggest issue with any component used under the skirt of a self-contained spa is heat. All the insulation used raises the ambient temperature under the spa skirt to between 40 and 50 degrees Celsius (104 and 122 degrees Fahrenheit). This
elevated ambient temperature will cause most standard swimming pool pumps to overheat because they are basi-cally inhaling their exhaust. Pumps need to be tested while installed in an enclosure (the black box) such that warm air can be pumped in to simulate an actual spa installation. The maximum ambient temperature the pump can handle with-out overheating is noted in the CoA for the pump.
HeatersMalfunctioning temperature controls could result in a
risk of hyperthermia or even scalding. Spas must also have controls to deal with the spa water level dropping and the controller calling for heat. If the heating element is on and exposed to the air, it could burn up (called a dry-fi re). Heater testing is therefore mainly concerned with temperature con-trol systems and dry-fi re protection. As with the other com-ponents, the heater and its controls are placed in an elevated ambient temperature box and plumbed to a test tank. The high ambient temperature is needed for two reasons – to obtain the highest temperature on components and materi-als, and to see if the ambient temperature has any effect on the temperature controller’s ability to sense properly.
BY GARY SIGGINS, P.E.
HE SAFETY OF portable residential spas contemplated by APSP-6 depends
greatly on the requirements in UL 1563, the Standard for Electric Hot Tubs, Spas,
and Equipment Assemblies. To give spa manufacturers maximum flexibility, the
manufacturers of the major components have worked hard to have their products
pretested by Underwriters Laboratories (UL) to help reduce the complexity and cost of the
final product investigation. This article will explore this “black-box component testing” and
what happens at UL when a really new component comes along.
Spa Testing
SUMMER 2009 | 2 9
ControllersFrequently, the spa controller includes the
heater and heater control and is referred to as a “component equipment assembly.” An equip-ment assembly might also include the pumps and a partial plastic alcove. The controller usually includes some sort of time clock for fi ltration cycles plus outputs for all loads, both present and future. Controllers are not one-size-fi ts-all, but they are frequently very close. A control-ler is usually available in many versions with a range in the number and type of outputs con-trolled. All the heater testing noted here might be needed in addition to a worst-case normal use temperature test. This is simple if the con-troller is such that you can simply turn every output on at once. If you can’t, multiple tests are needed to obtain the scenario that results in the highest temperatures in each internal area of the controller.
Ozone GeneratorsOzone generators, like other components,
need an evaluation when installed in an elevated ambient temperature. Not all the ozone gener-ated is dissolved in the water; some of it enters the air around the spa. This off-gassing has pre-cise limits.
Most spa ozone generators are negative-pressure designs: the ozone is pulled into the circulation piping by a venturi fi tting. To obtain a worst-case off-gassing simulation, the ozone generator is plumbed to a test tank where the fl ow through the venturi fi tting can be varied. The fl ow is adjusted to obtain the maximum amount of ozone generation.
New Spa ComponentsUL both tests and certifi es (lists) products.
UL is also a standards development organization (SDO). Responsibility for the content of UL 1563 as well as membership on Code Making Panel 17 for Article 680 of the National Electrical Code (NEC) puts UL staff in a position to understand what the present requirements are and also why each one is there. This allows UL staff to quickly develop requirements for the latest innovation in spa components and spa construction.
In order to reduce the time necessary to interpret existing requirements or generate new ones, a special process was developed. In this case, skip all the intermediate steps and start
at the top with the principal engineer for the type of product. These types of investigations result in either a formal interpretation, called a Certifi cation Requirements Decision (CRD), or the creation of an Outline of Investigation. The CRD would quickly evolve into a pro-posal to change the standard. The Outline of Investigation would be formally published.
Preliminary InvestigationsCRDs and Outlines of Investigation are usu-
ally the result of a special class of product evalu-ation called simply a Preliminary Investigation. These are useful for innovations to existing types of spa components or components never before used in spas. They can be conducted on pre-production samples, hand-made pro-totypes or even pencil drawings. Early design sketches can help prevent costly construction changes when a new design challenges some of the assumptions on which UL 1563 is based or that might confl ict with requirements in the NEC. UL always encourages manufacturers of components or spas to engage UL as early in the process as possible so that any needed changes can be made easily and at low cost.
Black-Box Component Testing – the Key to Spa Design Flexibility
UL and the spa-component manufactur-ers have worked together to generate a wealth of spa-component test data. This allows spa manufacturers maximum flexibility to do what they do best – build attractive, comfortable spas to meet a wide range of customer needs. When all the major components have established test simulations (Component Recognition), UL can quickly adapt to address the latest innovations and expedite certifications. AQ
Gary Siggins, P.E., is the principal engineer for
pumps, swimming pool, spa, and whirlpool bath
equipment at Underwriters Laboratories, Inc.
(UL). He is responsible for the requirements used
to test and certify all products related to these indus-
tries. He earned a B.S. in electrical engineering
from San Jose State University and is a registered
Professional Engineer (electrical) in the state of
California. He is also a member of Code Making
Panel 17 for the National Electrical Code (NEC).
Siggins has worked in the fi eld of product safety
certifi cation for more than 30 years.
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8642 Hwy. 20, P.O. Box 98Garden Prairie, IL 61038
www.ccsiusa.comEmail: [email protected]
1-800-537-8231
Garden Prairie Pool Enclosures aredesigned to give you a light, crisp gardensetting, letting you enjoy summer activities
all year, guaranteeing a relaxing andenjoyable environment.
®
30 | AQ A P S P Q UA R T ER LY
Not AnyEmployee Will Do - The Right Employee Drives the Best Results
Sound familiar? Sound the alarm. You are suffering from smoldering employees; they have the embers of performance, but no fire.
Today, employees change jobs every 18-36 months. Statistics by the Gallup Organization indicate approxi-mately 60 percent of your employees do just enough at work to not be fired; only 20 percent actually come to work committed to making a difference. There are too few people properly hired into the right jobs. This mismatch of talent is killing performance. Today, not any employee will do; organizations must have the right employees in the right roles.
This mismatch of talent is more a management than an employee issue. Most employees want to perform,
but do not know where their best fit is; they rely on their managers to hire them into the right jobs. But most of today’s managers are stuck in industrial-age thinking – they believe any employee can do any job. But when our workplace changed from the industrial age of making things to today’s intellectual age of providing service, it significantly changed what we want and need from our employees. “One-size-fits-all” jobs no longer exist; thinking is personal and not all employees think the same way. To maximize employee performance, man-agers now must know the talents and strengths of each employee or candidate to be able to cast the right person into the right role. When done, employees become more engaged and passionate about what they do and perform
BY JAY FORTE
OUR TEAM’S PERFORMANCE is just average; they do just enough
to get by. Customers don’t excite them. Their work doesn’t excite
them. They have to be constantly watched, even to do the basics. You
are afraid to travel and leave them on their own. You catch them playing on
the computer and hear them talking of what other jobs are paying. Achieving
performance and financial targets is a constant struggle.
SUMMER 2009 | 31
at greater levels; boredom, discontentment and average perfor-mance disappear from the workplace.
To find, hire and retain the right employee, consider doing what Mike Miller of the Miller Davis Agency of Salisbury, N.C., does:1. First, create an employee-focused workplace culture. Build a work-
place culture that is openly employee-focused – one that appre-ciates, values and develops employees. This creates a powerful workplace brand that attracts great candidates – and when you have many candidate choices, you significantly improve the chances of hiring the right employee. Limited choice almost always ensures hiring the wrong employee. In today’s net-worked society, word also gets out very quickly about organiza-tions that actively support employees and help them succeed. Build a powerful employee-focused culture and the best will apply and, once hired, they will remain.
2. Hire and promote based on talents. Once you have a greater choice of candidates, it is important to remember that you “hire for tal-ent, but train for skill.” Each employee possesses distinct talents and strengths (talents and strengths are based on the natural hardwiring which is unique to each of us). Not every employee is a good fit for every role. Consider the impact on performance of hiring a more social sales person into an analytical account-ing role, or vice versa. Each would be very unhappy in his or her role – yet both would excel in roles that better matched their talents and thinking. Learn the language of talents by going to www.FireUpYourEmployees.com and taking the Talents and Thinking Style Assessment. It will explain 16 major talents and help you to identify your primary four talents or strengths. By having your employees go through an assessment, the results can be used to realign employees into roles that are a better fit for their talents, and to clearly define the talents needed by role when hiring future employees.
3. Customize each role around what employees do well. Once employ-ees are well matched to their roles, you can still encourage even greater performance and loyalty by customizing each job. All employees have talents, values and interests. The more their roles relate to what engages them, the more emotionally con-nected employees feel and the better they perform. Critical
to the success of job sculpting is to identify those tasks and responsibilities that both appeal to the employee and address a business need. This way, the employee is actively involved in an area that he or she enjoys, which also makes a significant difference to the business. Spend time job sculpting with each employee, adding new responsibilities that address the employ-ees’ interests and passions, and critical issues for your company. Create a customized job for each employee. Remember – no employee quits a dream job.
4. Provide recurring and effective performance feedback. Employees who feel confident and competent remain with an organization. Key to this is recurring and effective performance feedback. As employees control more of their performance, the manager acts more as a coach and educator, encouraging employees to continually improve their skills to advance their performance. The more contact managers have with employees in a positive and supportive way, the stronger the personal connection. This connection drives employee loyalty and encourages greater on-the-job learning. Providing constant and supportive feedback encourages employees to continually learn, own their perfor-mance, and drive results. The world has changed; it is time to write a new chapter on per-
formance. This one has to be bolder, more engaging and feature the employee. Employees are the brains and heart, the knowledge and emotions, the actions and passion of the organization. This powerful new organizational asset must be well understood and well managed. Many of today’s managers misunderstand the performance power of this asset and never ignite its potential. Exceptional employee performance starts with great management. Engage and inspire them. Listen to and care about them. This is what Mike Miller does with his team – he fires them up! And in return, they smoke his competition. AQ
Jay Forte is an author, speaker, performance consultant and president of
Humanetrics LLC. He has more than 20 years of experience in teaching
adults, with a focus on employee development. See his daily BLOGucation at
www.HumanetricsLLC.com and his new book, “Fire Up Your Employees and Smoke Your Competition,” at www.FireUpYourEmployees.com.
32 | AQ A P S P Q UA R T ER LY
How Pool Professionals During a
Within that context, P.K. Data recently spoke to 200 swimming pool industry professionals, including business owners, managers, and execu-tives. The sample included pool builders, dealers, and a mix of manufac-turers, reps, distributors, and service techs. Seventy percent of the sample came from California, Florida, Arizona, New Jersey, New York, and Texas, with the remainder reporting in from across the U.S.
We asked each survey participant how his or her company’s perfor-mance this past year impacted human resource decisions; for example, whether the recession has necessitated layoffs to-date and, if so, how the separations have been administered. We also asked our respondents—who collectively averaged more than 11 years of experience running their respective businesses—what advice they might offer others in the industry with regard to hiring practices, separation procedures, and related issues.
To set the stage, it should be noted that the builders in our panel expe-rienced an average sales decline of 13% in 2008. (The average revenue loss was 27%, no small drop.) Only 23% of the builders claimed an increase in sales. Moreover, our panel collectively experienced a 25% decrease in sales leads last year.
Participants by Segment
Builder Dealer Service Tech Other
35%
30%
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
34%
17%15%
34%
Average Number of Employees
45
Dealer
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
26
16
Builder Service Tech
BY B IL KENNEDY
On the other hand, dealers actually cited a 4% increase in sales from 2007 to 2008 while still reporting an average 3% decrease in store traf-fi c. Upon closer analysis, however, only 10% of dealers reported increased traffi c while 40% described their fl oor traffi c as “fl at.” One reason for the wide discrepancy here is that more than half sell other lines besides pool products (e.g. backyard goods). Also, several suggested that their service/repair business “saved” their year.
Faced with projects that have been canceled, orders that have been postponed, and new housing starts that have all but dried up, our survey participants have already taken a number of steps to manage their payroll. Saddled with sales decreases, 68% of the builders we surveyed opted to reduce their staff.
Among dealers, product line diversification enabled the majority of them to maintain the status quo in terms of existing staff. Still, 20% of dealers surveyed did make staffing cuts in 2008.
When separations were deemed necessary, 37% of builders offered sev-erance, but this treatment was typically reserved for senior staff and super-visory personnel. Dealers rarely offered severance, with the exception of
T THIS WRITING, more than 5 million laid-off Americans are receiving unemployment benefits.
First-time claims are at the highest they have been since October 1982, and an additional 1.4
million people are now receiving benefits under an extended compensation program approved
by Congress last year, bringing the number of jobless Americans collecting unemployment to 6.5
million. With consumer confidence dipping toward an all-time low, it’s not surprising that the pool
industry is dealing with a myriad of challenges, including how to – or even whether to – maintain a
workforce during a potentially lengthy recession.
SUMMER 2009 | 33
Manage Staff Change Downturn
Average Years in Business
Builder
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0Dealer Service Tech
13
12
9
State
Florida
35%
30%
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%California Arizona New York Texas New Jersey Other
21%20%
8%7% 7%
6%
31%
Title
Owner President/CEO Manager VP Director
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
51%
21%
15%
8%6%
Average Sales Change 2007-2008
4%Dealer
Service Tech
Builder
Other
-10%
-13%
-11%
-15% -13% -10% -7% -5% -2% 0% 3% 5%
occasional packages to senior staff (larger firms). Only 7% of builders con-sider their separations as furloughs, while 47% define layoffs as permanent terminations due to lack of work; 46% let the circumstances dictate the terms of the separation.
This survey demonstrated that builders and dealers exhibit varying degrees of rigor in their screening and hiring practices. For example:
• 68% of the builders and 74% of the dealers say they always check applicant references.
• 39% of the builders and 47% of the dealers require pre-employment drug screening.
• 19% of the builders and 21% of the dealers perform background checks.
Some of the best-practice suggestions from our panel:• Builders who fear losing business to former employees should con-
sider the use of non-compete agreements (but always discuss this with an attorney).
• Hire the best people you can afford.• If you pay competitive wages and offer good benefits, you are building
loyal employees from day one.
• Get it right the first time because turnover is a costly drain on your resources.
• When you screen applicants, remember that you are evaluating potential as employees, not marrying them or picking friends. Always take an unbiased look at their strengths as potential workers and decide whether they are a good match for your company’s needs as well as its corporate culture.
• Consider hiring older salespeople. Maturity not only makes for bet-ter presentation skills, but also for more stable relationships.
Fostering strong employee-employer relations:• Don’t get so wrapped up in promoting your business that you forget
to promote your employees.• Reward performance and pay commissions on time.• Invest in training your people; it always pays off.• Don’t put off terminating people who are performing below your
standards. One “screw-up” can have a negative impact on morale and the productivity of the whole operation. If you let things fester, soon enough everyone will think sub-par is standard. AQ
Bil Kennedy is president of
P.K. Data, an Atlanta-based
market research fi rm special-
izing in trade and consumer
surveys, competitive assess-
ments, industry reviews, and
merger and acquisition advice.
P.K. Data has served clients in
the swimming pool and hot tub
industry since 1992.
3 4 | AQ A P S P Q UA R T ER LY
Recession Proofi ng Your Business
THE GLOBAL ECONOMY
is in another recession. A
faltering financial industry,
high unemployment levels,
and sky-high material costs
all play into the economic
instability. Not surprisingly,
the pool and spa industry
is experiencing fewer
orders, slower-paying
customers, and tighter
credit restrictions. The
first reaction by many
businesses has been to
batten the hatches and
prepare for the worst. But
is that the right approach?
Does it make sense to
downsize your business
when an economic upturn
could be right around the
corner?
SUMMER 2009 | 35
The good news is that recessions are a normal phase in every business cycle – one that often follows a period of economic exuberance. Simply put, they are a natural refl ection of the market to close one cycle before starting another. Instead of fearing recessions, business owners should actively position themselves to leverage the next logical step in the eco-nomic fl ow – innovation and corporate growth. This article offers sev-eral ways to proactively move your organization into a position that will help you achieve higher levels of corporate value.
Off ering RelevanceDo your products and services still make sense, or have they gone
the way of the wagon wheel – still useful, but hardly appropriate for today’s market? Most businesses cling far too long to treasured products and services, hoping that new customers can be found to revive ailing revenue. But with revenues slowing down, pool and spa professionals are in an ideal position to invest in simple forms of market research and predictive analysis.
Your customer marketplace is always evolving in response to eco-nomic factors. Where will your new customers come from? What prod-ucts and services will be needed to satisfy your evolving marketplace? How can you get your offerings ready to meet the next business cycle?
Asset UsabilityIn periods of economic exuberance, businesses waste corporate
resources. After all, when times are good, why should business own-ers try to squeeze a little more out of their assets? However, when a recession is looming and fi nancials start tumbling downward, owners frantically seek to exploit hidden value from their organizations – some-times mistakenly jettisoning assets that may appear worthless. Although maximizing corporate value should be a full-time effort, regardless of the business phase, it’s only during recessionary periods that owners are motivated to take action.
The biggest mistake pool and spa industry professionals make when a recession hits is to fi re trained employees on a last-in, fi rst-out basis. Instead, take a critical look at your workforce. Do you have long-term employees that are, at best, marginal workers? Likewise, do you have some new employees, hired during the last economic peak, who show a great deal of promise but lack seasoning? Ask yourself: On which employees do you want to bank your next business cycle?
Under-performing customers are another area that should be reviewed from an asset usability standpoint. Many pool and spa indus-try professionals sell one-time offerings to their customers – that is, they only sell a single product, with no form of follow-up selling. What results is a large customer base with a relatively low revenue-per-cus-tomer metric (total fi rm revenue divided by the number of customers). The goal should be to mimic your largest customer – where all custom-ers attain the same revenue fi gure as your largest customer.
A Time to BuyRecessions create wonderful opportunities to buy undervalued busi-
nesses. Debt-wary business owners are often stuck between declaring bankruptcy and fi nding a suitable buyout partner. Like well-groomed vultures, investors carefully pick at folding business carcasses – looking for any morsel that can be had for a song. Low-cost growth – the result of buying undervalued assets – is a legitimate and attractive growth strategy.
What type of business should you look to buy? The answer revolves around the principle of horizontal and vertical market expansion. Horizontal expansion is defi ned as moving into markets that are logi-cal extensions of your current business model, while vertical expansion relies on maintaining a subset of your existing customer base and adding niche offerings that satisfy a smaller percentage of that base. Although there is no single right answer for how to expand, most business owners have found success in horizontal market expansion as a ready means to quickly grow in a recessionary economy.
Non-core DistractionsIn periods of economic slowdown, owners spend an inordinate
amount of time “trying to optimize” the sales, marketing, fi nance, and administrative activities – an effort akin to shuffl ing deck chairs on a sinking ship. It’s a nonproductive use of time, as these functions are non-core activities that have little (if any) impact on overall corporate value. Instead, resources should be expended on refi ning the core func-tions of the business: operations and delivery. These are the real value and differentiation that set your business apart from its competitors.
Of course, that’s not to say there aren’t opportunities to reduce costs and increase productivity in these non-core functions. After all, opera-tional gurus know it’s possible to reduce the cost of any business by 20 percent without negatively impacting the entity’s productive output. What’s important to remember is the basis for savings is less about refi n-ing the current practices and more about completely changing the way you do business. Are you really willing to signifi cantly overhaul your non-core functions during a recessionary period?
Although the prudent answer to the question is “no,” many of you will still seek to extract some level of savings from these non-core activ-ities. Should you venture down that path, consider outsourcing. For nearly every business there is an ability to completely outsource your non-core activities. Online (on-demand) accounting systems can now be leased for as little as $20 a month, allowing you to pass off all the responsibilities of technology ownership (i.e., upgrades, backups, main-tenance). Other applications associated with customer relationship data-bases, inventory, and warehousing can all be found in solution packages that eliminate the need to maintain any software at your site. The cost savings and operational advantages are substantial – but are you willing to make these changes during a recessionary period?
BY BR AD DAWSON
What’s important to remember is the basis for savings is less about refining the current practices and more about completely changing the way you do business.
36 | AQ A P S P Q UA R T ER LY
Reinvesting in Your Short-term FutureThis is not the time to buy long-term assets like new offi ce furniture
or technology. However, with lower levels of employee productivity, it may make sense to upgrade the skills of your workforce. Most business owners can rationalize the value of employee training, but are hesitant to take those employees away from revenue-generating activities in periods of high productivity. Now, as customer markets cool, employees are looking for ways to increase their value to your business.
Employee training can take many forms, although technology train-ing appears to generate the most valuable return. Whether it’s learning how to master new products in your industry or interacting with new computer applications, keeping employees abreast of industry changes only increases their value once the recessionary period passes.
Training also serves another purpose: it takes the employees’ mind off the recession and settles their fears of losing their jobs. Nervous employees will often jump to a competitive fi rm in hopes of retaining a paycheck—taking with them both corporate knowledge and, in some cases, customers. Employees who see their employer actively increasing their value to the market are less likely to leave – feeling a moral indebt-edness to their employer.
Resolve the “Need vs. Want” ArgumentWhen an employee enters my offi ce with a purchase request, the
immediate argument in my head is whether this purchase solves a need or a want. In simple terms, a “need” is an item that will increase the
productivity and revenues (or profi ts) immediately and has an estab-lished return on investment that can be measured. Conversely, a “want” often replaces an existing item that has fallen out of favor due to style or age. I will always listen to a “need” argument and very quickly silence a “want” discussion.
Recessions have a way of moving the demarcation line between need and want. Although your business may want new computers, the reality is that your current technological setup, though aged, will certainly do the job until the recession breaks. Technology represents a long-term asset – a purchase that has a professed useful life of at least three years. But here’s an interesting fact: even though IT experts will tell you it is prudent to replace your computers every three years, most fi rms are able to effectively conduct business on the same technology platforms for fi ve to seven years. Therefore, technology purchases are rarely a “need.”
Recessions are periods of corporate rebirth. Although many owners fl ounder while seeking resolution, it’s the prudent owner who realizes recessions are part of every economic cycle and an opportunity to rees-tablish one’s fi rm in a new competitive light. Focus on predicting your next market demand, and position your fi rm to reap the benefi ts of the next upswing. AQ
Brad Dawson is the managing director of LTV Dynamics and has more than 28 years of management-consulting experience. He is a frequent lecturer to international entrepre-neurial businesses and contributes to several national and international business and leadership magazines. You can contact him at BLDawson@LTVdynamics. com.
Innovation in Cabinetry.
888-441-0537www.danver.com
SUMMER 2009 | 37
Avoiding Pool Tile ProblemsTILE CAN ADD so much beauty to a pool – but what do you do when
pool tile or stone falls off, or an installation goes bad? Tile and stone
installers need to closely follow product instructions and know the
industry standards established by the Ceramic Tile Institute of America,
the Marble Institute of America, the Tile Council of North America,
and the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) committees.
Tile installers need to understand which tile or stone is most suitable
for a particular application. Tile or stone that is installed correctly will
perform well and last the life of the pool. To avoid problems and ensure
BY CAROLINA OL IV IER I
3 8 | AQ A P S P Q UA R T ER LY
The density of porcelain tile requires that only a good quality poly-mer or latex-modifi ed thin-set mortar be used, meeting the ANSI A118.4 Standard. According to Pompo, “Tile industry standards require between 95 percent and 100 percent of thin-set contact between the tile and the substrate. Often, installers don’t use enough thin-set and don’t apply the tile properly. That results in substantially less thin-set con-tact and greatly diminishes the overall bond strength.” In addition, it is critical for the installer to prepare the substrate properly, with a suitable, waterproof coating (browncoat).
What can the pool builder do to ensure that pool tile is installed cor-rectly? Pompo recommends the following:
1. Make sure you are using suitable (and compatible) products and methods for the surface preparation and tile installation.
2. Have the tile supplier provide assurance in writing that it is suitable for the application; and
3. Only use installation products with both a labor and materials war-ranty. This guarantees that the products will perform as advertised, ensures product compatibility, and clarifi es how the tile should be installed. It does not cover incorrect installations. It is the installer’s responsibility to install tile correctly per the manufacturer’s direc-tions and industry standards. AQ
CTaSC does forensic investigations of tile failures, qualifi es suitability of sur-
faces, tile products and applications, writes installation guidelines and quality
control plans, provides testing and on-site quality control inspections, and pro-
vides tile and stone training services. The fi rm has worked on large Olympic-
sized competition swimming pools, small and large residential swimming pools,
spas, refl ection pools, and swimming pools that have only waterline tile.
Carolina Olivieri has authored or contributed to articles in APSP publications,
including AQ and APSP Industry Currents.
a successful and lasting tile installation, one can have a qualifi ed consul-tant evaluate the application and the tile selected, prepare detailed instal-lation guidelines, and provide a quality-control plan and daily monitoring during the tile installation, says Donato Pompo of Ceramic Tile And Stone Consultants, Inc. (CTaSC), an APSP member company in Jamul, Calif. “Our seasoned tile installers end up training the tile installer on the job, showing them how to install correctly, and making sure they do so throughout the installation.”
When tile failures occur, it’s often because the wrong installation products were used, or the installer did not prepare the pool surface properly. These failures are often compounded by several factors, includ-ing the weather.
The installer or builder should always consider the climate condi-tions and the suitability of the material when selecting pool tile or stone. Glazed or glasslike porcelain ceramic tiles are very dense and durable and are the most common tile used in swimming pools. Natural stone is becoming more popular today, but it is not always suitable for pool applications, especially in colder climates. Water in the permeable stone can freeze, causing the stone to fl ake and deteriorate.
Most kinds of tile expand when subjected to heat and moisture and contract when conditions are cold and dry. Because tile moves, there must be “soft movement joints” (expansion joints) within the tile work. Debonding failures occur when there are no expansion joints, leaving the tile nowhere to go but up.
SUMMER 2009 | 39
APSP news & resources
APSP Supports Energy Law Amendment to Include Title 20 Test Procedures for Portable Hot Tubs
APSP met in March with legislative aides for the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources in support of S.598, an amendment to the Energy Policy and Conservation Act. Amendment S.598 includes the test procedures and methods for portable electric spas contained in section 1604 of Title 20, California Code of Regulations (as amended on December 3, 2008). APSP Senior Director Carvin DiGiovanni delivered the message that the APSP wholeheartedly sup-ports this language and APSP is committed to making pools, spas, and hot tubs more energy efficient. APSP offered to assist the Senate Energy Committee with energy-efficiency initiatives relative to industry products.
Manufacturers Council Funds Consumer Supplement to Promote Pools, Spas, and Hot Tubs
The Manufacturers Council funded an industry promotion for con-sumers that appeared in major media outlets in May. Entitled “Backyard Fun Guide,” the newspaper supplement contained pool and spa safety tips and stories about the benefits of pool and spa ownership. The newspaper supplement was published throughout the U.S, including San Diego, CA, Miami, FL, Kansas City, MO, Sacramento, CA, Hartford, CT, Las Vegas, NV, Palm Beach, FL, and Naples, FL. Since May is National Water Safety Month, four pages of the 12-page supplement were dedicated to water safety. This year APSP jointly sponsored National Water Safety Month with the World Waterpark Association and the National Recreation and Park Association.
Opportunities to Sponsor the APSP Live WorkshopsThe Builders Council and Service Council will be presenting the APSP
Live Workshops on November 16-18 at the 2009 International Pool | Spa | Patio Expo in Las Vegas. If your company is an Expo exhibitor, sponsoring this hands-on interactive education can give you a unique opportunity to display and demonstrate your products for 30-40 minutes at a demonstra-tion site on the show floor – and to have your company name listed on signage and in the Program & Event Guide. From $500 to $1,600 – you can find the sponsorship level that’s right for your company. For more informa-tion about sponsorship opportunities, contact Tracy Beaulieu at [email protected] or 972.536.6366.
Advanced Education for Builders and Service Professionals
The 2009 Expo in Las Vegas will be held on November 16-18 (Monday-Wednesday), but you also will want to mark your calendar for advanced edu-cational opportunities during the weekend immediately before the show. The APSP Builders Institute will take place on November 14-15 (Saturday-Sunday) and the APSP Technical Service Institute will be presented on November 15 (Sunday). Look for more details about these outstanding and popular programs - featuring instructors among the very best in their field - in the APSP Smart Brief e-newsletter and on the APSP.org website.
Kirstin Pires new APSP Director of Communications Kirstin Pires, former editor of AQUA magazine, joined the APSP staff in
March as director of communications. In addition to her journalism experi-ence, Kirstin brings to the APSP team a strong public relations background
and a wealth of knowledge of the industry. Among Kirstin’s responsibilities are AQ magazine and the APSP SmartBrief e-newsletter.
New VGB Toolkit Available with Discounts for Purchasing Several Products
A new toolkit is available from APSP to help your company understand and comply with the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act. The toolkit provides discounts when buying several products. Featured products are a new APSP brochure that explains to consumers how to avoid suction entrapment; a brochure that provides industry professionals a step-by-step guide to VGB compliance; an updated “Field Checklist to Identify Suction Entrapment Hazards;” and the ANSI/APSP-7 suction entrapment avoidance standard. Plus there’s a free bonus. You will also receive a free copy of the new “Verification Procedures for Suction Outlet(s) Safety.”
Generate new residential business while promoting safety by purchas-ing the APSP consumer brochure “Entrapment Avoidance Guidelines.” The brochure lists requirements for pool/spa drain covers and lists backup systems for single main drains. You will want to purchase copies to inform your customers about the requirements of the VGB Act. To order copies of the consumer brochure and the VGB compliance brochure, contact APSP Member Services at [email protected].
Two New Energy Standards Launch for Portable Hot Tubs/Swimming Pools
APSP is developing two new standards related to energy efficiency: APSP-14, energy efficiency standard for portable hot tubs, and APSP-15, energy efficiency standard for residential swimming pools. APSP member companies that would like to help write the standards should contact Carvin DiGiovanni ([email protected]) for more information.
APSP and FedEx Announce a New Member Benefi tAs an APSP member, you are eligible to receive valuable discounts on
select FedEx® shipping services. Save 15% to 26% on select FedEx Express®
services and 4% to 12% on select FedEx Ground® services.To enroll, visit https://advantagemember.visionary.com/4720/ and enter passcode PM2YPB. Questions? Call 1.800.MEMBERS (1.800.636.2377), 8 a.m.-6 p.m. EST, Monday-Friday.
New APSP Membership Options in Eff ectThe APSP Board of Directors has approved the implementation of several
new dues options for members that will make their dues payments easier to understand and budget. The membership dues cycle is now on an anniversary date rather than an annual July 1 through June 30 year. New memberships begin the month in which dues are paid and run for 12 months. Members may now pay their annual dues on a monthly or quarterly basis, or in one payment. Dues for builders, retailers, service companies, and professional pool management companies are no longer based on annual sales volume. New members from these segments of the industry now pay a flat $550 dues. In addition, one-year enhanced membership benefits valued at $392 will be provided to those paying dues at the $550 level, including a CD containing all of the ANSI/APSP standards and the Workmanship Guidelines and Practices for
Residential Inground Swimming Pools and Spas, and gift certificates for APSP publications, webinars, and the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) Hotline service. Members who paid $350 dues in 2008-09 may renew at the same dues
4 0 | AQ A P S P Q UA R T ER LY
APSP news & resources
Green
Marketplace
MA
RK
ET
PL
AC
EAdvertisers Pages Follow
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amount; however, by upgrading to the $550 dues level, they will also receive the $392 in enhanced benefits.
Hot Tub Council Votes to LaunchGrowth Initiative
The APSP Hot Tub Council voted at their meet-ing at the Atlantic City show to launch the Hot Tub Industry Growth Initiative (HTIGI), and the APSP Board of Directors at their March meeting autho-rized APSP CEO Bill Weber to execute the necessary legal and management documents including articles of incorporation for the new entity, called “HTIGI Inc.” The new HTIGI, Inc. and APSP are to be sepa-rate but affiliated 501(c)(6) organizations. The two organizations will have independent governance poli-cies and boards of directors with separate fiduciary responsibilities.
While the current economic climate creates new challenges for this initiative, it also increases the need for a unified industry-wide effort to grow the hot tub market by boosting sales and enhancing the image of hot tubs.
The components of the HTIGI are as follows:• Increase current sales that bring in customers
through global, tactical sales initiatives. More
than 6 million U.S. households say they would be very likely to buy a hot tub if approached (1,260 tubs per retailer). To increase current monthly sales, the HTIGI will offer innovative, customizable, monthly industry-wide sales initia-tives; consumer lead generation marketing; and specific skills and selling tools with each sales initiative.
• Create continuous demand by funding a national hot tub awareness campaign conducted via the internet, public relations, and advertising that will increase consumer awareness of the experi-ence and the benefits of hot tubs. The initia-tive will also create ongoing demand through research of the medical benefits of hot tubs and consumer buying habits and lifestyle awareness.
• Build consumer confidence by setting and deliv-ering quality standards for products, services, industry best practices, and enhancing the pro-fessionalism of people in the hot tub industry.This component will include sales, service, man-agement, and business education and certifica-tion. HTIGI, Inc. will also benefit from APSP IN the educational programs, APSP standards writing, and APSP advocacy efforts.
©20
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1-800-447-2838 | www.coverpools.com
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Visit our website, request a DVD or call for details about custom pool and spa cover options for your customers.
• One coat coverage – you’ve GOT to try this! NO second coats needed.• Easy to mix and apply – use standard painting tools and techniques.• Smooth, tile-like finish – Create a gorgeous pool!• Easy surface preparation – Only a high-pressure wash is necessary!• Maintains that "blue pool" sparkle for a years!• Will not chip, crack or peel – Avoid costly repairs and replacements.• Engineered for coating green concrete – complete projects FASTER!• No fumes (VOCs) – Easy to ship and store AND environmentally friendly.• No odor – make painting crews and customers happy.
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SUMMER 2009 | 41
42 | AQ A P S P Q UA R T ER LY
ADVERTISER Websites
ALARMSGeorge Risk Industries Inc. ................................................................42
ANTI-HAIR ENTRAPMENTVacless Systems Inc ...........................................................................22
AUTOMATIC CLEANERSMaytronics US, Inc. ....................................................Inside Back CoverWater Tech .............................................................. Outside Back Cover
AUTOMATIC POOL COVERSCover-Pools, I nc. ................................................................................41
CABINETRYDanver ...............................................................................................36
ADVERTISER index
CHEMICALSAdvantis Technologies................................................................. 17, 36
COATINGSPoly Solutions, Inc. ............................................................................41
COPING Federal Stone Industries Inc ..............................................................42
COVERSCoverstar Inc. .....................................................................................16
CPSC COMPLIANT DRAINSBeeSafe Systems ...............................................................................23Lawson Aquatics ...............................................................................21Paddock Pool Equipment Co., Inc. .....................................................23The Unblockable Drain Cover Company.............................................17
CPSC COMPLIANT SVRSPentair Water Pool & Spa ..................................................................20
DRAINS - COVERSWaterway Plastics ...............................................................................6
FILTERSWaterway Plastics ...............................................................................6
FILTERS - EQUIPMENTWaterway Plastics ...............................................................................6
FITTINGSWaterway Plastics ...............................................................................6
HEATERSRaypak, Inc ........................................................................................24
LIQUID SOLAR BLANKETSFlexible Solutions, Inc. ..................................................................... 40
MAINTENANCE ACCESSORIESWater Tech .............................................................. Outside Back Cover
MOTORSA.O. Smith ............................................................................................8
POOL CLEANERSWater Tech .............................................................. Outside Back Cover
POOL CLEANING EQUIPMENTAqua Products Inc. ...................................................Inside Front CoverWater Tech .............................................................. Outside Back Cover
POOL COVERSPool Cover Specialists National, Inc. ..................................................41
POOL ENCLOSURESCCSI International, Inc./Garden Prairie Pool Enclosures ....................29
POOL VACUUMSWater Tech .............................................................. Outside Back Cover
POOL/SPA PRODUCTSLatham International ..........................................................................4
PUMPSWaterway Plastics ...............................................................................6
PUMPS/FILTERSWaterway Plastics ...............................................................................6
SAFETY COVERSLoop-Loc, Ltd. .....................................................................................3Pool Cover Specialists National, Inc. ..................................................41
SKIMMERSWater Tech .............................................................. Outside Back CoverWaterway Plastics ...............................................................................6
SPA ACCESSORIESWater Tech .............................................................. Outside Back Cover
SPA PARTSWaterway Plastics ...............................................................................6
TILENational Pool Tile Group ....................................................................38
VALVES/FITTINGSWaterway Plastics ...............................................................................6
FEDERAL STONEINDUSTRIES, INC.
“Casting the World’s Safest Pool Edge”
Email: [email protected]: www.federalstone.com(P) 301-271-7121 (F) 301-271-1870
Commercial and Residential
• Swimming Pool Coping • Slotted Coping
• SBN/DBNCall for more details…
[email protected] • (800) 445-5218
U.L. & ETL Listed Models.All exceed BOCA Code.• Instant On• Seven Second Delay• Remotes for multiple door openings• Single door kits
MADE IN U.S.A.
Door Alarms forPools & Gates
A.O. Smith ................................................................................................www.aosmithmotors.com .....................................................................8
Advantis Technologies ..........................................................................www.poolspacare.com ...................................................................17, 36
Aqua Products Inc. .................................................................................www.AquaProducts.com ............................................ Inside Front Cover
BeeSafe Systems ....................................................................................www.beesafesystems.com ..................................................................23
CCSI International, Inc./Garden Prairie Pool Enclosures ...............www.ccsiusa.com ................................................................................29
Cover-Pools, Inc. ....................................................................................www.coverpools.com ..........................................................................41
Coverstar Inc. ..........................................................................................www.coverstar.com .............................................................................16
Danver ......................................................................................................www.danver.com .................................................................................36
Federal Stone Industries Inc ................................................................www.federalstone.com .......................................................................42
Flexible Solutions, Inc. .........................................................................www.flexiblesolutions.com.................................................................40
George Risk Industries Inc. ..................................................................www.grisk.com ....................................................................................42
Lawson Aquatics ....................................................................................www.lawsonaquatics.com ..................................................................21
Loop-Loc, Ltd. .........................................................................................www.looploc.com ..................................................................................3
Maytronics US, Inc. ................................................................................www.maytronicsus.com .............................................. Inside Back Cover
National Pool Tile Group ......................................................................www.nptgonline.com ..........................................................................38
Paddock Pool Equipment Co., Inc. ......................................................www.paddockpool.com ......................................................................23
Pentair Water Pool & Spa .....................................................................www.pentairpool.com ........................................................................20
Poly Solutions, Inc. ................................................................................www.polysolutionsinc.com .................................................................41
Pool Cover Specialists National, Inc. ..................................................www.poolcovers.com ..........................................................................41
Raypak, Inc..............................................................................................www.raypak.com................................................................................. 24
The Unblockable Drain Cover Company .............................................www.unblockabledraincovers.com ..................................................... 17
Vacless Systems Inc ...............................................................................www.vacless.com ................................................................................22
Water Tech ..............................................................................................www.watertechcorp.com ......................................... Outside Back Cover
Waterway Plastics .................................................................................www.waterwayplastics.com .................................................................6
