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PHTA UPDATES
A coalition of water safety partners, including the American Red Cross, the National Recreation and Park Association, the Pool & Hot Tub Alliance, and the World Waterpark Association, along with dozens of other water safety groups, will work together to promote May as National Water Safety Month (NWSM). NWSM engages the public to raise awareness about water safety and highlights the importance of public education regarding safer practices for kids and adults when they’re in and around water. Follow along on PHTA's social media accounts all month long for tips and information on water safety. We are excited to have Pentair as the NWSM Program Sponsor.
  
What are the Awards of Excellence? The PHTA Awards of Excellence recognizes and rewards installations of pools, spas, hot tubs, and water features that showcase the most beautiful and creative work in the industry. Hundreds of entries are submitted each year, representing member firms across the United States and around the world. Who can enter the Awards of Excellence Program? Current membership in PHTA is required for submissions. The competition is open to pool, spa, or hot-tub builders and installers, designers, retailers, or service companies that receive payment for the installation being submitted. A manufacturer or distributor may submit entries on behalf of PHTA member builders, installers, and designers; however the recognition will go to the firm that received payment for the installation. How are the installations judged? Entries are judged on a point system. The judging panel is comprised of industry professionals, as well as representatives from related fields including architecture and landscape design. How are the winners’ projects promoted? The winners are honored and presented at the annual PHTA Awards of Excellence reception held during the International Pool | Spa | Patio Expo in November. The International Awards of Excellence winners are listed on the PHTA website and a press release is sent to industry media. PHTA promotes award-winning projects and photos on its website, blog, social media, industry trade publications, and via press releases. A marketing toolkit is provided to include customizable press releases, logos, and social media posts to help market award-winning work and earn invaluable press coverage. Ready to enter? Click here! PHTA is currently seeking council and committee volunteers for the next leadership year. We need you to help us brainstorm ideas, make plans, and develop programs. These volunteer-led efforts are essential to the pool and hot tub industry, and any PHTA member interested in serving the industry is encouraged to apply. If you are ready to offer up your expertise and make a difference in the industry, apply now! Applications will be accepted until June 15, 2021, with volunteer terms beginning November 2021. Make an important contribution to PHTA’s future by volunteering for a council or committee. For more information or to submit your application via email, please contact Amy Cannon, PHTA's Director of Councils & Chapters.
EDUCATION AND EVENTS
 C201 GENESIS® CONSTRUCTION SCHOOL: Concrete Pools is one of our most popular courses, partly because it is a foundational course for our advanced construction and engineering programs. But don't just take our word for it! Jacob Adams of Executive Pools, Inc. in California took C201 in February. He says, "This is the best course I've ever taken. The instructors' collective knowledge is impressive, and I can't wait for the next one." Find out for yourself and register today! Class begins May 17. C201 is taught by six industry experts with more than 150 years of combined experience.
D231: Color Theory and Its Application begins June 8. After this course, students will be able to: --List light, vision, and color physics; color theory; primary colors; mixing; blends; and color wheel. --Discuss color psychology, how color affects the viewer, and influences of color and texture on purchasing decisions. --Understand the makeup of a color DNA and the ability to reproduce and match colors. --Understand the meaning of the color illusion and work through case studies analyzing how color can make or break the design concept. Register today to take your pool design to the next level.
Two of our most popular seminars from the 2020 World Aquatic Health Conference (WAHC) are now available for purchase on the PHTA Online Store, for you to watch on demand.
Thank you to everyone who made our first-ever GENESIS® Symposium such a success! All attendees should have received a survey this past Monday, May 3. If you would like to receive CEUs for the sessions you attended, please make sure to complete this survey. Transcripts will be sent at the end of May. If you have any questions, please email education@phta.org.
MEMBERSHIP
Stay on top of what others in the industry are talking about. This week on the myPHTA Online Community, the newest discussions are about:
Join these discussions and more at my.PHTA.org. Meet Luke Stautzenbach, who has been a PHTA member for less than a year but has jumped right in and joined the Manufacturers Council. His favorite thing about being a PHTA volunteer is "the opportunity to see all of the work that goes on behind the scenes that helps makes our industry so great."
COUNCIL CORNER
Your PHTA Councils have been hard at work this spring, working on your behalf to better the industry. Here is a brief update on their current initiatives:
If you are interested in joining a PHTA Council or Committee, we encourage you to complete the Willingness to Serve form. Applications are being accepted now for terms that will start in November 2021. If you have questions, please contact Amy Cannon, Director of Councils & Chapters, at acannon@phta.org. STANDARDS AND CODES
The PHTA Recreational Water Quality Committee (RWQC) offers a $5,000 Dr. R. Neil Lowry Grant to recognize outstanding contributions and programs of public health officials or departments that advance safer and healthier use of recreational water in pools, spas, and waterparks. An award presentation will be held on July 15 during the National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) 2021 Annual Educational Conference (AEC) & Exhibition. The application deadline is 5:00 p.m. EDT, May 21, 2021.
Make a difference in the pool and hot tub industry by applying to serve on the Glossary Committee. We are looking for participants to serve as voting members. The committee, led by Jeff McGalliard of JMK Associates Inc., is responsible for reviewing and approving all terms and definitions used in PHTA’s published standards. The committee will also consider terms and proposed definitions that are new to the industry or not currently defined within PHTA’s existing American National Standards Institute (ANSI) approved standards. Please contact standards@phta.org for more information. Standard Writing Committee (SWC) members have been appointed to serve as official voting members to revise the ANSI/APSP/ICC-15 2011 American National Standard for Residential Swimming Pool and Spa Energy Efficiency. Below is the list of PHTA-15 SWC voting members:
Additional details and application forms are available here. Please send completed application forms to standards@phta.org. The American Concrete Institute (ACI) will be developing a new pool-specific standard and has asked PHTA and its members to participate. The development process is at the earliest stages and ACI would like interested parties for a first call to discuss the standard’s scope and focus. They are looking for experts on concrete pool design, serviceability and durability, engineers, and related professionals. If you are interested in learning more and possibly participating in this standard’s development, please contact Nicholas Capezza, Senior Manager of Codes & External Standards, at ncapezza@phta.org for additional information.
ADVOCACY
The PHTA Government Relations team continues to press on, monitoring state and local legislation as well as rulemaking nationwide. With 48 state legislatures meeting this week, the GR team is currently advocating in 20 states around the country, lobbying for legislation and rulemaking that benefits PHTA and its members. Priority issues surround the adoption of the International Swimming Pool & Spa Code (ISPSC), Portable Electric Spa Energy Efficiency via adoption of the APSP-14 Standard, Licensing/Certification/Training, Pool & Hot Tub Safety and Education, Prop 65 in California, as well as other areas. The following are a few highlights:
*Code Update: As part of the current ICC code cycle, PHTA participated in the International Swimming Pool & Spa Code (ISPSC) Committee Action Hearings on April 29. Originally, the ISPSC Committee had 35 proposals to hear but two were withdrawn after PHTA provided feedback to the proponents, creating a win for PHTA. The majority of the remaining proposals were submitted by PHTA with only two of our proposals being disapproved by the Committee. The Committee provided excellent feedback on those proposals and how we can revise them for the next phase of this process, the public comment period. The next steps include PHTA staff providing a detailed update to the PHTA Technical Committee and working with the Technical Committee and interested members to provide public comments during the public comment period. PHTA members with feedback on any proposals or who want to engage in the code process should reach out to Nicholas Capezza, Senior Manager of Codes & External Standards, at ncapezza@phta.org. Questions or input on any legislative, regulatory, or local matters should be directed to Jason Davidson at jdavidson@phta.org. For a full, comprehensive report on PHTA Government Relations activities nationwide, click here. FOR YOUR BUSINESS
U.S. Small Business Administration
Supplemental Targeted Advances will provide $5 billion in additional assistance to 1 million small businesses and nonprofit organizations that have been most severely affected by the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Forbes
Workers at small businesses are putting in extra hours to compensate for colleagues who lost or left their jobs or to cope with the extra workload created by the pandemic. While this has led to a spike in productivity, it’s not sustainable in the long term. Pool and Spa News
Pool and spa contractors must ensure their workforce is solid -- and legal. E-Verify provides an important tool to verify the status of employees. Inc.
Video allows consumers to see for themselves what a business can offer them and why they should trust that business. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently released new FAQs for employers who are recommending or requiring employees to get the COVID-19 vaccine. If you require your employees to get vaccinated, and one of them has an adverse reaction, it is considered work-related. If the reaction results in hospitalization, it needs to be reported to OSHA. If you did not require a vaccination, then the adverse reaction is not work-related and does not need to be reported.
INDUSTRY NEWS
PHTA and others across the industry are mourning the passing of Al Rizzo. Rizzo was known as "the godfather of the industry" in the northeast and gave a tremendous amount to our industry for over three decades. He was a member of the NESPA Board of Directors for more than 30 years and also served as president, he was involved in the CONSPA Chapter, and he served on the PHTA Board of Directors. Rizzo was also part of many "firsts," such as being the first CBP and the first chair for both the Education Council and Builders Council. This loss will be felt throughout the industry.
PoolPro magazine is looking for 30 exceptional young professionals under the age of 40 to feature in its November/December issue. Open to anyone working in any facet of the swimming pool industry. Nominate yourself, an industry colleague, employee, or coworker to be recognized for the contributions they make to their company and the pool business at large. Sponsored by PHTA’s WAVE Young Professionals Network and Fluidra.
Los Angeles Times
California’s water parks can now reopen under new health guidance released this week. Water parks will still be subject to a host of safety restrictions however. Lawn & Landscape
Design for Story: Create Immersive Outdoor Living Experiences focuses on the needs of pool designers, landscapers, and builders and examines how successful designers, artists, builders, salespeople, and inventors leverage storytelling techniques to build relationships with clients and sell more.
UPCOMING EVENTS
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Awards season is here! If you're considering submitting your projects this year, take a look at our 
C201 GENESIS® CONSTRUCTION SCHOOL: Concrete Pools
