In the newest episode of the Step Into Swim Podcast, Maritza McClendon, an Olympic medalist and swim champion, sits down with Rowdy and Sabeena. Maritza discusses her personal and professional achievements, as well as her efforts in the DEI sphere, and how she's working to enhance drowning prevention.

Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and directly on the PHTA website!

Now is your opportunity to have a say in the educational resources PHTA offers! We're looking for volunteers to serve on the PHTA Education Committee. Committee members will be responsible for providing guidance and oversight for PHTA education in support of the PHTA Strategic Plan. Applications are due this Friday, March 18!

Thinking about entering the PHTA Awards of Excellence, but not sure if you're eligible? Keep reading! All entrants must be a current PHTA member. 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 a PHTA member builder, installer, or designer, but the recognition will go to the firm which received payment for the installation. Submissions are due July 1!

PHTA and GENESIS® education programs are designed to provide you with timely, relevant, and engaging expert advice and information on the industry and management issues you encounter daily. We have on-demand education that you can take anywhere, anytime, across 10 categories. From pool construction and design to safety and water quality, get the information you need when you need it.

GENESIS® is putting you on the fast track to becoming a Certified Advanced Pool Builder Professional (Advanced CBP). In one week, you can take both C201: GENESIS® CONSTRUCTION SCHOOL: Concrete Pools and E211: Fluid Hydraulics for Pools & Spas to earn your Advanced CBP designation. The first three days will be an intensive school encompassing all of the necessary disciplines for building a structurally sound water vessel. The last two days will help you develop a basic understanding of hydraulic principles in order to design more efficient and serviceable hydraulic systems.

Class starts March 28 at NESPA Headquarters in Hamilton, NJ! Sign up today to save your spot.

WAHC 2022 will be October 12-14 in Houston, TX! You can start preparing now. If you think you'd like to present at this year's WAHC, we're accepting applications for the Call for Presenters through March 31. We also have a hotel block at the Omni Houston Hotel Galleria, and you can make your room reservation today! Stay on top of all things WAHC by signing up for our WAHC mailing list.

PHTA members save up to 25% off Budget base rates, plus get other great offers like dollars off, a complimentary upgrade, or a free weekend day. Plus, with a complimentary membership in Budget Fastbreak, enjoy the fastest, easiest rental experience! To make a reservation, visit Budget.com/PHTA or call 1-800-527-0700.

Current Angi members can buy more and save more! You're eligible for 15% or 30% off leads + 3% quarterly rebate for the month of April, depending on how much you spend on leads in the month of March.

New Angi members can get 25% off leads for the first 30 days + 3% quarterly rebate on all lead spend.

If you hold a PHTA certification and are a new or existing Angi member, you can save even more!

Existing Angi members are eligible for 15% or 30% off leads + 6% quarterly rebate for the month of April, depending on how much you spend on leads in the month of March.

New Angi members can get 50% off leads for the first 30 days + 6% quarterly rebate on all lead spend.

It pays to be certified!

PHTA’s unique, members-only mentoring 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. Sign up to become a Mentor or Mentee today!

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.

A virtual meeting of the PHTA Standards Consensus Committee (SCC) will be held Thursday, March 24 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. EST. This is an open meeting of the ANSI consensus voting body. All attendees will need to register in advance. If you are interested or would like more information, please email standards@phta.org.

The RWQC will hold a meeting on Tuesday, April 12 and Wednesday, April 13 in Fort Worth, TX, in conjunction with the National Drowning Prevention Alliance’s National Water Safety Conference. RWQC Chair Jody O’Grady, Dr. Jim Egan, and John Weber will present a conference session on Indoor Air Quality on April 12. For more information, please email standards@phta.org.

The PHTA Energy Coalition finalized our response to the DOE Dedicated Purpose Pool Pump RFIs, and submitted on March 9. This is the beginning of the Department’s DPPP review process; PHTA and its members will continue to engage with the DOE as they look to make any revisions to the current DPPP rules. In tandem, we will continue working on a corresponding DPPP motor rule. PHTA's comments are available to read and download.

If you missed the U.S. Access Board’s webinar on accessible swimming pools and spas, you can access the webinar recording and presentation materials in their archives. This webinar reviewed provisions in the ADA and ABA Accessibility Standards that address independent access to swimming pools and spas.

AQUA
Ninety-one percent of businesses with 12 or more employees use a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software system. The pool industry routinely deals with complicated projects worth a minimum of tens of thousands of dollars, making a CRM an important tool for pool builders.

AQUA
Control technology is hot in luxury pool construction, but the existing pool market is an opportunity for enterprising repair and renovation companies.

Inc.
Virtually every business is dealing with supply chain issues to some degree. New technologies capable of providing a full picture of a business’s supply chain are available.

PHTA is sad to announce the passing of Jason Fortney. Jason was a pool builder for many years and later worked for Pentair. He was a long-time member of the PHTA Central Texas (Greater Austin) Chapter. PHTA gives our condolences to Jason's family, friends, colleagues, and industry peers.

PHTA Strategic Partner LOU recently launched a new online course, How Pools Operate. This four-module course covers types of pools, circulation, cleaning and filtration, and water chemistry.

S.R.Smith, now part of PHTA Strategic Partner Fluidra, is proud to announce the release of the kēlo®XL pool light. The kēloXL is the newest addition to the reputable kēlo® LED pool light family and is the first 10” 2VAC large-format niche LED pool light from S.R.Smith.

The Consortium for Energy Efficiency’s 2022 Integrated Home Competition is under way and rewards market leaders whose connected home solutions not only provide energy savings and load management capability, but also deliver upon consumer expectations for interoperability, reliability, and simplicity. The competition is seeking connected swimming pool products that help consumers manage their energy use and highlights connected residential pool pump equipment available for purchase in 2022. Last year’s category winner was PHTA Strategic Partner Hayward. For more information, check out the connected pool pump category page and enter your product by the April 8 deadline.

Pool Magazine
Joe Vassallo of Paragon Pools, based in Las Vegas, NV, shares how he found his way into the pool industry and insights into the bull and bear markets he’s seen over the decades.

Pool & Spa Marketing
Sand filters are a popular option for maintaining water quality at commercial aquatics facilities. However, these systems can develop an issue called channeling when backwashed improperly.