Wednesday December 22, 2010 News from The Association of Pool & Spa Professionals

Dear APSP and MyAPSP Members,

In this issue you will find the 2010 APSP annual report and recommendations for winter pool closings from the Recreational Water Quality committee.

APSP offices will close from Dec. 24 through Jan. 3. The next issue of MyAPSP News will be the Jan. 5, 2011 edition.

Just Announced: Introductory Pricing Extended to November 30, 2010, for APSP’s Business Intelligence Service —Subscribe Today

Make sure you’re signed-in to your MyAPSP.org account, so you can follow the links in the articles. Sign in here

 

Happy Holidays From The Association of Pool & Spa Professionals

APSP staff would like to wish our volunteers, members and friends a Merry Christmas, happy holidays and prosperous 2011 season. May you all close 2010 with a bang.

holiday greeting

Annual Report from APSP CEO, Bill Weber

The new year is on it's way, but before we move on, let's take a look at the opportunities, challenges and successes the association and its volunteers experienced in the 2009-2010 fiscal year. Read the annual report, presented by APSP CEO Bill Weber here in the 2010 winter edition of AQ, or here on Weber's blog on MyAPSP.

Top Ten Recommendations for Winterizing Pools

Are you closing pools properly? Avoid costly issues and increase your opportunity for smooth openings in the spring with winterizing tips from the APSP Recreational Water Quality committee. This article was first featured in the fall 2010 edition of the Recreational Water Quality Newsletter here. You can also read and comment on this article in the RWQ blog on MyAPSP.org.

Call for Nominations: Third Annual Neil Lowry Memorial Award for Public Health Officials

In recognition of the contributions of public health officials to the healthy and safe use of recreational water, APSP announces the 3rd Annual Dr. Neil Lowry Memorial Award. Dr. Neil Lowry, a long-time member of APSP, influenced the pool and spa industry for over 25 years as a consultant to government and private industry. The award, which includes funding of $5,000, will be given in his honor to support continuing educational, technical and operational activities of individuals and departments. The nominees may be either individuals or departments. The nomination deadline is March 15, 2011. Visit www.APSP.org for more information and download the nomination form here.

Pool Safely Year in Review

Since May, 2010, media and volunteers, government organizations, campaign partners and advocates of The Pool Safely: Simple Steps Save Lives campaign have worked tirelessly to encourage parents and children to adopt and practice water safety steps. This year's campaign highlights include but are not limited to: 250,000,000 PSA impressions, national webinars and pool safety events, 70 million media impressions and the distribution of 32,000 Rapid Response communications. CPSC's Kathleen Reilly gives the 2010 Pool Safely campaign summary here, on MyAPSP.org, and encourages pool and spa industry professionals to continue to bring the message of pool and spa safety to Americans in 2011 as well.

Business Intelligence Service Deadline Extended

The APSP Business Intelligence Service (BIS) annual subscription introductory pricing has been extended to Nov. 30, 2011. APSP members have the unique opportunity to forego hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars in research for the money-making facts and figures presented in the BIS. Equip your business with economic and demographic marketplace data, consumer trends and best practices. Order the BIS on apsp.org at this special price here.

APSP Member Spotlight: Jose Luis Vargas

This week we get to know Jose Luis Vargas, the Director of Manufacturing at L.A. Spas, Inc., in Anaheim, Calif.

How did you get started in our industry?

By accident! I was working as a carpenter and during the slow season I applied to L.A. Spas for work as a temporary employee in the gazebo department. My first job with the company was a minimum-wage position, cleaning the factory and providing demolition work.  I’ve been with L.A. Spas for nearly 20 years and am still excited to go to work every day.

What are your greatest accomplishments?

My family is my biggest accomplishment.  I’m proud that my sons have grown to be good, productive people.  Professionally, my greatest accomplishment is my growth within the company. Having started in a factory worker position, I am proud to have worked my way up through L.A. Spas to my position now as the Director of Manufacturing.  I was hired as a full-time permanent employee as a result of seeing a problem and letting management know how they could reduce waste and save a lot of money by changing the way stain was applied.  I was promoted to carpenter, then quality inspector, then became supervisor of the entire gazebo department.  The production manager moved me to a variety of departments.  Eventually, I went from assistant production manager to director of manufacturing.

Click here to read more about Jose in the Member Spotlight