This year, there are 18 categories to choose from when submitting your best work to the PHTA Awards of Excellence. From residential pools with a vanishing edge to commercial competition pools to swim spas, we want to see it all! The deadline is fast approaching. All entries must be complete and submitted by Friday, July 1.

You now have until this Friday, June 24 to fill out the PHTA Willingness to Serve form! We're looking for leaders to serve on our councils and committees. Whether you're looking to work with others in your industry segment (builders, manufacturers, retailers) or want to focus more broadly on things like PHTA membership, education, or government relations, there's a group for everyone!

You have two more days to submit your nominations for the PHTA Superlative Awards! We're looking for Builder of the Year, Service Professional of the Year, Retailer of the Year, Young Professional of the Year, Volunteer of the Year, and Chapter of the Year. The deadline has been extended to this Friday, June 24!

Please join PHTA and CPSA tomorrow, June 23 at 6:00 p.m. PT for a special Town Hall Meeting, where we will talk about:
– What CPSA is doing to represent our members
– Drought facts and information about pools, spas, and hot tubs
– Resources for our industry
– Resources for consumers
– What YOU can do at a grassroots level to help

This will be a facilitated discussion with the CPSA and PHTA Advocacy Team Members. You will walk away armed with the latest information about California’s drought, what CPSA and PHTA are doing to fight for you, and the tools and resources for you to do your own part in quashing legislation that will harm our industry and consumers.

You've registered for the 2022 World Aquatic Health Conference, and now it's time to book your hotel room! WAHC has a block of rooms available at the Omni Houston Hotel Galleria. The room rate is $175/night, plus taxes, and is available October 8-17. We encourage you to book your reservation in the block soon to save your spot! This discounted rate will no longer be available after September 26.

We're one month away from the next virtual C201: GENESIS® CONSTRUCTION SCHOOL: Concrete Pools! In this course, you will learn about basic pool plumbing; geotechnical, structural, and electrical engineering; layout, forming, and excavation; shotcrete and waterproofing; and so much more! C201 moves each student through all phases of concrete pool construction in great detail, unlike anything else offered in the industry. Class starts July 25! Register today.

The four-night Advanced Builder Workshop teaches the advanced skills you need to build a structurally sound water vessel and will put you soundly on the path to acquiring your Certified Master Pool Builder & Design Professional certification. E245: Standards, Codes, and Ordinances will offer you a deeper understanding of the standards, codes, and ordinances to help you work more effectively with building and health officials. C410: Advanced Pool Construction will focus on elevating your construction methods, from understanding soil mechanics and concrete science to building on difficult sites. Spots are filling quickly—register today for the workshop, which runs September 19-22!

PHTA members save up to 25% off Budget rental car 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.

PHTA is looking for seasoned industry professionals who want to give back to the industry by sharing their knowledge, experiences, and advice with another PHTA member through our unique, members-only mentoring program. Your level of commitment is in your hands – you can select your start and end dates, identify how many mentees you’d like to accept, and approve or decline requests from prospective mentees. View our Mentor Toolkit to learn more.

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.

Public health officials are welcome to stop by the PHTA booth in the Exhibit Hall on June 28 & 29 at the 2022 National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) Annual Educational Conference (AEC) in Spokane, Washington. Information about PHTA programs, education, standards, GR, codes, membership, and more will be available. Sessions on the draft of the PHTA-2 Standard for Public Pool and Spa Operations and Maintenance and indoor air quality will be presented on Thursday, June 30.

The new members of the PHTA Standards Consensus Committee (SCC) represent these interest categories: Rich Anderson of the International Code Council in General Interest, Bruce Carney of American Pools & Spas in Producer, and Terri Stroupe of NC Pool School in User-Consumer. There are now a total of 28 Voting Members.

The Dr. R. Neil Lowry Grant is a $5,000 grant that honors a public health official or department who has made outstanding contributions to advance the public’s health and safe use of recreational water in pools, spas, and waterparks through educational, safety, operational, and technical programs. The submission deadline is August 12!

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has announced that its optional standard mileage rate will increase to 62.5 cents per mile driven for business purposes. The increase takes effect on July 1, 2022. Use of this rate is optional, though it is widely used by employers as a standard rate for calculating mileage reimbursement for employees who use their personal vehicle for business purposes. If your organization uses the IRS rate to calculate mileage reimbursement, be sure to update your systems to account for this change.

U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Customer surveys help businesses discover their strengths and weaknesses. This step-by-step guide outlines types of surveys, tools and features, and how to help ensure the success of your survey.

SpaRetailer
Industry veterans in spa retail share how post-sale nurturing can turn customers into advocates. Engaging with and creating value for customers are key.

PHTA Strategic Partner Lyon Financial shares the best five backyard improvements for the money—including, of course, backyard pools!

If you know a young professional in the swimming pool industry who deserves some recognition, please nominate them for the PoolPro 30 Under 40.

30 Under 40 is sponsored by Jandy and the PHTA WAVE Young Professionals Network.

NASDAQ
According to Hotels.com, which analyzed searches for trips set for summer 2022, the most in-demand hotel amenity is a pool. As a 2021 PHTA analysis noted, residential pool designs are increasingly including features for outdoor fireplaces, pavilions, and larger seating areas. It appears that hotels are following suit by ramping up their pool designs to include more outdoor amenities as well.

Pool Magazine
The CDC determined that an E. coli and C. difficile outbreak at a public pool in Pennsylvania last summer was caused by a broken automatic chlorinator. Experts in the industry weigh in on what went wrong and what can be done to protect the public.