July 11, 2007

Six-Year-Old Minnesota Girl Injured in Suction Entrapment Incident
The APSP is following news reports that six-year-old Abigail Taylor of Edina, MN, was severely injured June 29 when she came in contact with a single unprotected drain (suction outlet) in a wading pool at the Minneapolis Golf Club. According to news reports, the drain cover had been removed. The suction caused a two-inch tear in her rectum and pulled out most of her small intestines. MORE.

Promoting Hot Tubs to Consumers
To reverse a three-year, industry-wide downturn, the APSP Hot Tub Council has rallied many hot tub manufacturers and suppliers to create a climate for change. This is a grassroots drive to develop a sustainable funding model to equitably share the load, provide a minimum of $10 million for national promotion, and improve the consumer experience at all levels. Get involved by coming to San Diego on September 19-20, when hot tub industry leaders will meet to move the initiative forward. Click here for details. 
 

Serve Your Industry! Join a Council
APSP Councils have the responsibility of representing the interests of the members of their business segment and offering marketing, technical, and management support to the national staff. Councils have representation on the APSP Board of Directors and make recommendations on how best to advance the business, image, and welfare of APSP members collectively. Council meetings are normally held at least annually and up to several times a year. Want to join a Council? Click here to learn how.
 

APSP Drafts New National Water Chemistry Code
The APSP Recreational Water Quality (RWQ) Committee has developed a new national water chemistry standard and is holding a series of meetings this year throughout the country to meet with local and state public health officials to discuss its adoption by local and state codes. MORE.
 

Attention, Manufacturers: Your Customers are Your Salesmen!
Your customers sell consumers an end product—be it a pool, spa, or hot tub—that contains or uses your products. Therefore, you have great incentive to properly train dealers to sell effectively and address consumers’ concerns with utmost professionalism. Eric Richardson of Growth Development Associates shared this unique insight with the APSP Manufacturers Council recently. To learn how Eric may help your business, visit www.growthdevelopment.com.
 

Be an Industry Expert for Media Inquiries
APSP is actively spreading its message as the leader and authoritative voice of the swimming pool, spa, and hot tub industry, leading to many additional media inquiries. To streamline the process for addressing media inquiries, and to give numerous APSP members a chance to appear in the press, we are creating a database of industry experts. If you are interested in speaking to the media as an APSP member company and industry expert, click here to take our survey.
 

Enhancing Your Membership Through Standards
The ANSI/APSP standards are an essential member benefit and a valuable customer resource, both before and after the sale. By applying all applicable industry standards to your business, you demonstrate commitment to your customers’ satisfaction and safety, giving you a competitive edge in the marketplace. Additionally, many APSP members have found that APSP standards are a good way to establish and strengthen working relationships with their local building and public health inspectors. If you don’t have a copy of the latest standards, Click here for more information.
 

Put Our Research to Work for Your Business
Industry research is one of the four pillars of APSP. That is why APSP partners with P.K. Data to produce the industry’s Market Research Library, a collection of research reports and maps ranging from $99 to $4,000 that covers everything from consumer attitudes to industry statistics and international data.

More information can be found by visiting P.K. Data’s website at www.pkdata.net/PKData/Special_Topic.htmor by contacting Loren Brown at lbrown@pkdata.net.
 

You can contribute to IC. Click here to find out how, or send an email to ic@APSP.org. You may also fax 703.549.0493.