Advertise on podcast: Pool People

Omar Plasencia, Western U.S. and Latin America Sales Manager at AquaStar Pool Products, shares the career path that took him from delivery driver at Pool Corp to branch leadership and manufacturer sales. Omar and Parker discuss the difference between distribution and manufacturing, customer experience, AquaStar's history in white goods, the Pipeline filter, the Latin American pool market, vertically integrated U.S. manufacturing, distributor access, and why pool pros should keep evaluating new products and ideas. CHAPTERS00:00 Introduction00:21 Pool Dial01:33 Sixteen years in the pool industry03:02 From delivery driver to branch leadership06:44 Distribution versus manufacturer sales08:52 Leadership and customer experience13:33 Joining AquaStar16:58 The Pipeline filter and challenging “bigger is better”18:59 Pool Brief19:32 White goods and AquaStar's origin22:13 Omar's territory and day-to-day role23:36 The pool industry in Latin America26:43 Vertically integrated U.S. manufacturing29:27 Where pool pros can buy AquaStar products31:21 Omar's advice for pool professionals37:43 Closing Pool People is presented by Pool Dial, pool service software built for pool professionals. #PoolService #PoolIndustry #PoolEquipment #AquaStar #PoolPeople

Rory, Director of Facilities at Pikes Peak Athletics Training Center, explains what it takes to operate two busy commercial pools, including a 350,000-gallon Myrtha competition pool. Rory and Parker discuss staffing four CPOs, overnight alarms, CO2 versus muriatic acid, surge tanks, regenerative DE filtration, UV treatment, chemical feeders, chlorine cough, indoor-air design, closure decisions, hiring, commercial bidding, vendor relationships, and preparing for large swim meets. CHAPTERS00:00 Introduction00:14 Pool Dial01:27 Running a commercial aquatic facility03:31 From competitive swimming to facilities leadership05:13 Commercial pool maintenance and four CPOs07:22 On call for overnight pool alarms08:59 CO2 versus muriatic acid09:53 Inside the 350,000-gallon pool system14:22 How commercial chemical feeders work15:58 The pool company that drained the pool overnight16:58 What CPO training teaches18:42 Chlorine cough and indoor-pool air quality21:15 Pool Brief21:52 When a commercial pool should close23:51 Hiring a multidisciplinary facility team25:21 Teaching CPO courses28:32 Colorado hot-spring pools29:45 Moving from residential to commercial pool service31:40 The commercial bidding process33:16 What to outsource and vendor relationships35:26 Preparing for a large swim meet37:43 Career advice for facility operators39:23 CPO and pool-inspector courses Learn more about Rory's facility and courses at pikespeakathletics.com. Pool People is presented by Pool Dial, pool service software built for pool professionals. #PoolService #CommercialPools #CPO #Aquatics #PoolPeople

Dewey Case, Aquatics Coordinator for Williamson County Parks and Recreation and Technical Director of the Council for the Model Aquatic Health Code, explains the science, standards, and operational judgment behind safer public pools. Dewey and Parker discuss leading a 230-person aquatics staff, when to call a commercial specialist, county bid requirements, the knowledge technicians need, emerging research on filtration, Legionella, indoor air, and cyanuric acid, what the Model Aquatic Health Code covers, and why pool professionals should never trust a single source. CHAPTERS00:00 Introduction00:32 Pool Dial01:45 Dewey's roles at Williamson County and CMAHC04:00 Raising standards for safer aquatic facilities06:10 How a 230-person aquatics team operates10:30 When to call a commercial pool specialist11:20 When a $50,000 job requires a bid13:00 Breaking into commercial pool service13:36 Why commercial pools are Ferraris16:09 The technical knowledge pool professionals need19:19 Quarter-million-dollar pools require expertise20:39 Pool Brief21:11 The pool research changing the industry22:25 Researchers to follow in filtration, hot tubs, and indoor air26:23 Dewey's work with CMAHC and the CDC29:17 Public-health guidance for aquatic operators31:17 What the Model Aquatic Health Code covers33:25 The fragmented U.S. pool-policy landscape37:24 Career advice for pool professionals41:15 Why you should never trust a single source43:21 Where to learn more and find Dewey's CPO courses Learn more about Dewey's aquatics programs and CPO courses at wcparksandrec.com.Explore the Council for the Model Aquatic Health Code at cmahc.org. Pool People is presented by Pool Dial, pool service software built for pool professionals. #PoolService #CommercialPools #CMAHC #CPO #PoolPeople

Poolify CEO Rahul Mangalore and COO Ravi Kurani explain how they are building a tech-enabled pool service company by acquiring strong local routes, learning the field work firsthand, and modernizing operations without losing customer trust. Rahul, Ravi, and Parker discuss what running 100 pools teaches you, three-person route crews, the limits of phone-based field software, customer onboarding after an acquisition, what Poolify looks for in route sellers, route diligence, service and repair economics, standardized pricing, hospitality, and why anyone designing for pool professionals should do the job first. CHAPTERS00:00 Introduction00:30 Pool Dial01:46 What Poolify is03:46 Rahul's path from product management07:13 Ravi's pool-industry upbringing and Sutro10:29 Poolify's team and growth12:00 What running a pool route teaches you15:04 Why field software starts with workflow18:15 Pool Brief18:56 Autopay and why customers still want a human20:57 Onboarding acquired customers and earning trust22:17 Which route sellers fit Poolify24:17 Diligence and acquisition timing25:18 Route optimization without disrupting customers26:57 Service and repair economics28:34 Standardized service tiers29:34 Learning from “the Terminator”31:34 Applying unreasonable hospitality to pool service32:51 Running 100 pools in a week34:08 Learning through immersion and IPSSA37:12 Do the job before designing for the customer39:17 Where to learn more and contact Poolify Learn more about Poolify at poolify.us or email [email protected]. Pool People is presented by Pool Dial, pool service software built for pool professionals. #PoolService #PoolRoutes #PoolBusiness #Poolify #PoolPeople

Grant Baldwin, founder of Best Day Pools and The Speaker Lab and host of The Pool Pros Podcast, joins Pool Dial founder Parker Conley for a collaborative conversation about entering the pool industry from two very different directions. Parker explains why he chose pool-service software, how he thinks about established competitors and fast-moving new tools, and what it feels like to build without “chlorine in his veins.” Grant shares his transition from professional speaking to acquiring pool routes, growing Best Day Pools from zero to roughly 150 accounts, cold-calling Nashville route sellers, learning pool operations as a new owner, and applying lessons from The Speaker Lab to hiring and culture. CHAPTERS00:00 Introduction00:39 Pool Dial02:20 Parker and Pool Dial05:23 Why Parker chose the pool industry07:54 Software competition and vibe coding09:47 Imposter syndrome and industry knowledge12:27 Grant Baldwin's background13:23 The Speaker Lab and business education15:01 Why Grant wanted a local service business17:11 From 17 pools to 15018:34 Learning pool operations as the new owner19:46 Pool Brief20:18 Resources and why Grant chose pools22:45 The business of pool service24:50 Why buying routes can work25:26 Cold-calling route sellers26:34 Building trust with sellers27:36 Why Nashville works for pool service29:02 Supply, demand, and service standards29:28 $130 versus $350 monthly service30:39 Seasonality and year-round revenue31:15 Repair economics34:09 Hiring and retaining technicians34:47 Building the best place to work36:32 The path to 1,000 pools37:38 Learning in public38:49 Small business beyond Silicon Valley40:54 Choose your own game42:07 Pool Dial and poolrates.fyi43:16 Closing Try Pool Dial at pooldial.com and explore pool-service rate data at poolrates.fyi. Find Grant Baldwin:Best Day Pools: https://bestdaypools.comThe Pool Pros Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/51L5wInWBz3AZqEZcgPjqUThe Speaker Lab: https://thespeakerlab.com Pool People is presented by Pool Dial, pool service software built for pool professionals. #PoolService #PoolRoutes #PoolBusiness #GrantBaldwin #PoolPeople

Joe Wilmot is the owner and creator of Pool Trader, an online marketplace where pool service companies buy, sell, and trade accounts and routes without brokers. He started in pool service in 2005, built H2Joe to 85 accounts in Fountain Hills, Arizona, sold the business seamlessly to his technician, and then built Pool Trader to fix the broken pool route marketplace. Find Pool Trader at pooltrader.net or on the Facebook group.

Mitchell Baker is the owner-operator of Baker Pool Maintenance in Mesa, Arizona. After a decade running a Farmers Insurance agency in Washington state, he moved to Arizona and stumbled into pool service through the guy who cleaned his own pool. Four and a half years later, he's running 101-102 accounts with one full-time technician — having grown almost entirely through Google reviews. In this episode, Mitchell shares how he started with 15 purchased pools, his "wait for the attaboy" strategy for getting Google reviews, his approach to flat-rate billing and raising prices without losing customers, and what changed when he hired his first tech.

Andrew Kanetsky is the Territory Sales Manager at Speck Pumps with 20 years in commercial pool operations. He previously served as President of American Pool, one of the largest commercial pool operators in the world. Topics covered: what is commercial pool service, how to bid on commercial pool contracts, common mistakes when entering commercial pools, prerequisites for commercial work, and moving from tech to management. Subscribe to Pool Brief today for pool industry news: poolbrief.com. Start your 30-free trial of PoolDial today: pooldial.com

Nate is the owner of Blue Splash Pool Service in Southern California. As a solo operator with 55 pools, he shares his experience buying a 25-pool route and growing it organically over three years. Topics covered: buying a pool route through a broker, pricing lessons, day in the life of a 55-pool solo route, leak detection as an add-on service, and future goals for hiring. Subscribe to Pool Brief today for pool industry news: poolbrief.com. Start your 30-free trial of PoolDial today: pooldial.com.

Nate is the owner of Blue Splash Pool Service in Southern California. As a solo operator with 55 pools, he shares his experience buying a 25-pool route and growing it organically over three years. Subscribe to Pool Brief today for pool industry news: poolbrief.com. Start your 30-free trial of PoolDial today: pooldial.com.

Jarah Snyder is the owner of Jay's Complete Pool Service in Southern California's Inland Empire. After moving from Oklahoma with nothing lined up, Jarah bought 56 accounts from his first employer and has grown the business to around 285 pools with five technicians in just over three years.In this episode, Jarah shares his unconventional path into the pool industry, his approach to hiring people without pool experience, and his philosophy on building relationships with suppliers and customers. Subscribe to Pool Brief today for pool industry news: poolbrief.com. Start your 30-free trial of PoolDial today: pooldial.com.

Brian Wright is the owner of Arizona Mirage (https://arizonamirage.com), a 650-pool service company in the Phoenix area. He also runs Aquamosis (https://aquamosisaz.com), a reverse osmosis water purification service for pools. Brian started in the pool industry in 2004 after transitioning from commercial diving and underwater welding. He and his wife have built the business together over 22 years. Subscribe to the https://www.poolbrief.com for weekly pool industry news. Learn more about https://www.pooldial.com.