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.

CHAPTERS
00:00 Introduction
00:21 Pool Dial
01:33 Sixteen years in the pool industry
03:02 From delivery driver to branch leadership
06:44 Distribution versus manufacturer sales
08:52 Leadership and customer experience
13:33 Joining AquaStar
16:58 The Pipeline filter and challenging “bigger is better”
18:59 Pool Brief
19:32 White goods and AquaStar's origin
22:13 Omar's territory and day-to-day role
23:36 The pool industry in Latin America
26:43 Vertically integrated U.S. manufacturing
29:27 Where pool pros can buy AquaStar products
31:21 Omar's advice for pool professionals
37:43 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.

CHAPTERS
00:00 Introduction
00:14 Pool Dial
01:27 Running a commercial aquatic facility
03:31 From competitive swimming to facilities leadership
05:13 Commercial pool maintenance and four CPOs
07:22 On call for overnight pool alarms
08:59 CO2 versus muriatic acid
09:53 Inside the 350,000-gallon pool system
14:22 How commercial chemical feeders work
15:58 The pool company that drained the pool overnight
16:58 What CPO training teaches
18:42 Chlorine cough and indoor-pool air quality
21:15 Pool Brief
21:52 When a commercial pool should close
23:51 Hiring a multidisciplinary facility team
25:21 Teaching CPO courses
28:32 Colorado hot-spring pools
29:45 Moving from residential to commercial pool service
31:40 The commercial bidding process
33:16 What to outsource and vendor relationships
35:26 Preparing for a large swim meet
37:43 Career advice for facility operators
39:23 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.

CHAPTERS
00:00 Introduction
00:32 Pool Dial
01:45 Dewey's roles at Williamson County and CMAHC
04:00 Raising standards for safer aquatic facilities
06:10 How a 230-person aquatics team operates
10:30 When to call a commercial pool specialist
11:20 When a $50,000 job requires a bid
13:00 Breaking into commercial pool service
13:36 Why commercial pools are Ferraris
16:09 The technical knowledge pool professionals need
19:19 Quarter-million-dollar pools require expertise
20:39 Pool Brief
21:11 The pool research changing the industry
22:25 Researchers to follow in filtration, hot tubs, and indoor air
26:23 Dewey's work with CMAHC and the CDC
29:17 Public-health guidance for aquatic operators
31:17 What the Model Aquatic Health Code covers
33:25 The fragmented U.S. pool-policy landscape
37:24 Career advice for pool professionals
41:15 Why you should never trust a single source
43:21 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.

CHAPTERS
00:00 Introduction
00:30 Pool Dial
01:46 What Poolify is
03:46 Rahul's path from product management
07:13 Ravi's pool-industry upbringing and Sutro
10:29 Poolify's team and growth
12:00 What running a pool route teaches you
15:04 Why field software starts with workflow
18:15 Pool Brief
18:56 Autopay and why customers still want a human
20:57 Onboarding acquired customers and earning trust
22:17 Which route sellers fit Poolify
24:17 Diligence and acquisition timing
25:18 Route optimization without disrupting customers
26:57 Service and repair economics
28:34 Standardized service tiers
29:34 Learning from “the Terminator”
31:34 Applying unreasonable hospitality to pool service
32:51 Running 100 pools in a week
34:08 Learning through immersion and IPSSA
37:12 Do the job before designing for the customer
39:17 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.

CHAPTERS
00:00 Introduction
00:39 Pool Dial
02:20 Parker and Pool Dial
05:23 Why Parker chose the pool industry
07:54 Software competition and vibe coding
09:47 Imposter syndrome and industry knowledge
12:27 Grant Baldwin's background
13:23 The Speaker Lab and business education
15:01 Why Grant wanted a local service business
17:11 From 17 pools to 150
18:34 Learning pool operations as the new owner
19:46 Pool Brief
20:18 Resources and why Grant chose pools
22:45 The business of pool service
24:50 Why buying routes can work
25:26 Cold-calling route sellers
26:34 Building trust with sellers
27:36 Why Nashville works for pool service
29:02 Supply, demand, and service standards
29:28 $130 versus $350 monthly service
30:39 Seasonality and year-round revenue
31:15 Repair economics
34:09 Hiring and retaining technicians
34:47 Building the best place to work
36:32 The path to 1,000 pools
37:38 Learning in public
38:49 Small business beyond Silicon Valley
40:54 Choose your own game
42:07 Pool Dial and poolrates.fyi
43:16 Closing

Try Pool Dial at pooldial.com and explore pool-service rate data at poolrates.fyi.

Find Grant Baldwin:
Best Day Pools: https://bestdaypools.com
The Pool Pros Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/51L5wInWBz3AZqEZcgPjqU
The 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.