The Pool & Hot Tub Alliance’s participation in the Pool | Spa | Patio Expo that was held last week in Dallas, Texas, was an overwhelming success. PHTA President & CEO Sabeena Hickman, CAE, noted, “It was great to have the industry together after two long years. The attendees were engaged, the energy was at an all-time high, and our educational sessions and booths were flooded throughout the week.”

Giving Tuesday is just around the corner! We hope you will consider supporting Step Into Swim, an initiative committed to safe swim education and drowning prevention. Step Into Swim, in partnership with Every Child a Swimmer and the International Swimming Hall of Fame, has set a new $500,000 fundraising goal. 100% of your donation goes to learn-to-swim programs. We appreciate your support!

PHTA is proud to announce the winners of its 2021 Awards:
– Builder of the Year: Joseph Vassallo, Jr., Paragon Pools
– Service Professional of the Year: Noel Conley, Jr., Miracle Pool Service, Inc.
– Retailer of the Year: Crystal Pools
– Young Professional of the Year: Allen Jerabeck, Tarson Pools & Spas
– Chapter of the Year: North Carolina Chapter
– PHTA Fellow: Rudy Stankowitz, Aquatic Facility Training & Consultants

During last week’s PSP Expo, PHTA launched a new industry Mentor Program. This unique, members-only program can help you take your business to the next level. We match you with a seasoned industry leader with a proven record of success who will guide you through solutions to your business dilemmas. With one-on-one coaching, you’ll gain new knowledge and share real-world experience that can help you to build your business and achieve long-term success.

PHTA cares about safety and is developing tools and resources to help your company operate in a safe environment. Make our industry stronger and safer, and level up your company culture with the new PHTA Safety Tools. Check out the new PHTA Model Safety Manual for Builders and Service Professionals.

Lisa Zarda, the executive director of the United States Swim School Association, shares her insights regarding the state of the swim school industry post-COVID. You can find the Step Into Swim Podcast on the PHTA website, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts.

PHTA produces data-driven studies and market reports and now has thousands of resources available for members in the new Resource Library: an easy-to-use database of PHTA documents for members to search, download, and utilize. Check it out!

WAHC 2021 kicks off in just two weeks! Join us on December 7-9 to experience cutting-edge aquatic research presented by industry experts and network with like-minded professionals, industry leaders, and experts. Earn the CEUs you need in order to recertify before the end of the year!

If you attended any of the GENESIS® construction courses at PSP/Deck Expo and are eager to learn more, C410: Advanced Pool Construction begins Tuesday, November 30! This course delves into alternative pool construction materials, major defect repair, and the rehabilitation of old pools.
Photo provided by Aquatic Consultants, Inc.

If you currently hold one or more of the following PHTA certifications and have a 2021 expiration date, you have until December 31 to complete your recertification! 

– CBP
– CMS
– CST
– CSP
– CPI
– CHTT
– CRP

In order to maintain your status as a PHTA-certified individual, you must submit a completed recertification application along with documentation of 24 hours of continuing education credits (CEUs).

Does a work question have you stumped? Interested to see if other pool industry professionals around the country are experiencing the same challenges as you? Have a funny or insightful anecdote that you think others would like to hear? Share all of this and much more at myPHTA, the online community exclusively for PHTA members.

Pool and Spa News
Many people hit the road during the holiday season to visit family and friends. Fiberglass pool professionals have found that the visibility of a fiberglass pool shell display outside their stores is the best advertising media outside of the internet.

PoolPro
To draw in better talent for labor-intensive pool work, the industry must compensate better and demonstrate potential – which also will help the industry gain respect as a trade.

Leadership Freak
As a leader, how do you know you’re doing things right so your employees and clients will trust and respect you? Check out these recommendations, written in fewer than 300 words.

The Hill
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is suspending enforcement of the Biden administration’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for large private businesses after a federal appeals court upheld a stay on it last week.

The pool and spa industry has been left with a void this past week with the loss of two iconic figures, Bob Lowry and Grant Smith.

Bob Lowry, a pool chemistry expert, created the Pool Chemistry Training Institute with the late Greg Garrett. Throughout Lowry’s career, he wrote multiple articles, books, and manuals on the topic of water chemistry. Lowry worked with numerous manufacturers and organizations to provide quality education for the pool and spa industry focusing on water chemistry.

Grant Smith, owner of AquaLink Pools and Spas in Carlsbad, CA, passed away Monday, November 15. Smith, a former marine, was actively engaged in GENESIS® education throughout his career and achieved SWD Master status in 2017. Grant was the epitome of a professional. He provided guidance and education to any student or colleague who asked for assistance while focusing on providing the highest quality of product to his customers.

Our thoughts are with their families at this time.

Pool Corporation recently announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Largo, Florida-based Porpoise Pool & Patio, Inc., including its main operating subsidiaries, Sun Wholesale Supply, Inc. and Pinch A Penny, Inc. Pinch A Penny, Inc. is the largest franchisor of pool and outdoor living-related specialty retail stores in the United States with approximately 260 independently owned and operated franchised stores in Florida, Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, and Georgia and brings substantial opportunities for expansion.

PoolPro
As a pool professional, don’t let yourself or your pool owner clients be caught unawares. To offer leak detection as a complete service, multiple tools are required.

AQUA Magazine
Pools in Texas have been built and maintained to pass the off-season without winterizing procedures. Up until Valentine’s Day 2021, no one ever thought that two things would happen at the same time: temperatures below freezing and the loss of power supply.