APSP Annual Report Fiscal Year 2009-2010

FEW INDUSTRIES CAME through fiscal year 2009-2010 unscathed by the punishing economic climate, and the pool, hot tub and spa industry was no exception. As consumers tightened their belts, so did manufacturers, builders, distributors and retailers, and APSP itself. But despite these challenges, the association continued to strengthen its offerings to members, forge important relationships with both government and non-government entities and make real progress in industry representation, professional development and communication. Just as our members are emerging from the recession leaner and stronger, APSP enjoys an enhanced position as the voice of the industry for best practices, responsible regulation and safety.

Government Relations, Technical and Standards- Advocacy continues to grow in size and importance as the industry is more often on a public stage. APSP scored a number of key victories in this area, securing its role as the “go-to” organization for regulators, lawmakers and other officials. Continuing strong relations with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission yielded an official partnership to promote the agency’s Virginia Graeme Baker Pool & Spa Safety Act “Pool Safely” campaign – the only partnership with industry in this effort. APSP also earned a significant contract from CPSC to develop and deliver education programs on the VGB Act to industry members across the country.

APSP volunteers and staff continue to work tirelessly on energy efficiency standards for both pools and hot tubs. Those standards are reflected in a Senate bill that will, if passed, codify the provisions of the hot tub standard. APSP’s strategic partnership with the International Code Council continues to prove fruitful. Through the partnership, APSP has entree to the larger building and engineering community and the opportunity to place our standards in front of building officials across the country and around the world. The latest ICC codes (I-codes) give states the opportunity to incorporate APSP standards into their respective building codes. The new ICC/APSP Model Pool and Spa Code is on track for an approval date in 2012.

Jennifer Hatfield, APSP’s director of government affairs, is expanding her APSP responsibilities going forward, concentrating on grassroots advocacy efforts to empower members to help carry out this vital function. Thanks to stepped up attention and resources, APSP scored many advocacy wins and expects to be engaged more frequently as safety, energy efficiency and code- and licensing-related issues bubble to the top of the regulatory brew.

Career Institute- A full suite of education programs with enhanced instructor materials will debut during the 2010-2011 education season. The Career Institute volunteers and staff have worked diligently to be able to offer more certification courses and exams in more locations. The scope of the program was dramatically expanded when policies were updated to allow independent instructors to teach certification courses in addition to those already offered through regions and chapters. The new Certified Hot Tub Technician (CHTT) program will be offered in three pilot programs, beginning with the Midwest Pool & Spa Show in mid-January 2011.

The Career Institute created a new opportunity to partner with other industry education providers who would like to provide industry accreditation to their programs. This new program allows accredited partners to use an APSP CI logo and the APSP website to help promote their classes. The program is designed to recognize more options for training and to raise the professionalism of the industry.

The Career Institute has launched Education on the Go!, an ondemand, online education initiative designed to meet the needs of busy industry professionals. Reasonably priced webinars will be archived in a library and as people have training needs, they can purchase and view them at their convenience.

The CPSC partnership with APSP and specifically the education contract will bring leading experts on suction entrapment avoidance and the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool & Spa Safety Act together to present technical training on compliance with the law and prevent entrapment accidents. Pool operators and building and service professionals are on the front lines in making sure that public pools and spas are in compliance with the VGB Act. Bringing residential pools and spas into compliance by installing compliant drain covers and other devices also builds good will and strengthens customer and community relationships.

Safety Initiatives- Safety continues to be a key issue for the industry and the Association. A successful National Water Safety Month included the World’s Largest Swimming Lesson – which was certified by the Guinness Book of World Records – along with numerous local activities produced by APSP members and NWSM partners. The CPSC reported a relatively safer swimming season compared to the previous year, and there were no known deaths or injuries associated with VGB-compliant pools. APSP’s Social Media Department launched successful Twitter and Facebook campaigns to support the effort. APSP’s safety staff and volunteers continue to work closely with CPSC on its Pool Safely campaign as well.

Membership and Marketing- Despite the economy, APSP members continue to deliver a vote of confidence in the Association. While membership was down slightly over the previous fiscal year, revenue from dues is up – a welcome indication that industry sales were higher than in 2008-09.

Membership renewals remain well above the average retention rate for trade associations nationally. A number of initiatives proved successful in recruiting membership, including targeted direct-mail campaigns, telemarketing and membership kits as well as staff and volunteer presence at Expo, dealer events, regional shows and dealer meetings. The Membership Ambassador Program was launched and provides incentive rewards to volunteers for successful membership recruiting.

The online member locator is now housed and maintained on APSP’s website and provides opportunity for members to reach consumers with enhanced listings. Bottom-line savings on business products and services ranging from liability insurance to overnight shipping, credit card processing and reduced utility costs helped make membership in APSP a good return on investment. Members also receive discounts on a wide variety of products and publications, including ANSI/APSP standards and consumer safety-awareness materials.

APSP’s corporate sponsors not only provide excellent support to the association, but have been instrumental in helping expand APSP’s recruiting efforts as well.

Outreach- APSP continues to strengthen its position as the go-to source for relevant information for the public. Media outlets from The New York Times and the Wall Street Journal to WebMD seek out APSP experts and officials to contribute to reporting that eventually reaches millions of readers.

The International Awards of Excellence program yielded more than 100 winning projects selected from around the world. Each of these projects will carry the APSP message to local media that cover their hometown winners. In 2011, APSP will publish the first AOE Annual featuring the winning projects and builders. This high-quality magazine will serve as a creative resource and a source of pride for members and their clients.

In response to growing demand, the APSP Manufacturer’s Council reinstituted and updated the former Leadership Conference. The council’s intent was to provide a forum for industry leaders to learn from each other and gain insight and understanding of how external changes will affect the industry. Renamed the Industry Summit, the day-and-a-half session was attended by more than 130 leaders – CEOs, vice presidents and business owners – who networked and learned from knowledgeable experts in leadership, consumer research, industry trends, social media and financing. Untold volunteer time went into creating a program that was universally praised by those who attended. Plans are under way for another summit to take place in 2012.

Field Services and Sales- With its cadre of representatives to support chapters and to initiate and respond to personal communications with members, the Field Services department continues to be boots on the ground for APSP.

In addition to launching the Membership Ambassador Program, the department has developed telemarketing services for special projects including membership and awards. Field Services also developed a new model for delivering APSP technical training programs in the field and successfully implemented a trial run of the model.

The department continues to produce regional design awards programs and exhibits at regional shows along with the APSP presence at the Expo. Working directly with volunteers, the department services and nurtures chapters, including new chapters like the one recently established in Alabama.

Communications- APSP’s publications continue to be well received based on steadily growing subscriptions and reader feedback. The www.APSP.org website is fully functioning on the new Full Partner platform. All available advertising positions have been sold, increasing revenue to APSP. The process of updating and reorganizing the huge number of pages on the site is ongoing.

Over the summer, APSP subscribed to Vocus, a public relations service that allows us to monitor and respond to media coverage of APSP and to access and customize databases that include virtually every media outlet in the country. This database will allow us to identify and deliver pertinent messages to a much wider range of media than was previously available to us.

Hot Tub Initiatives- The APSP Hot Tub Council works hard to research and interpret the needs of the portable hot tub industry’s manufacturers and retailers as it guides the Association in meeting those needs. A hot tub-specific monthly newsletter, “Hot Tub Council News,” was launched and an updated, easily accessed area of the website, www.hottubcouncil.org, was created specifically for the segment. Plans were made for an issue of AQ magazine to have a hot-tub focus, and that issue will continue annually. As detailed above, APSP’s advocacy staff and member volunteers successfully resolved several critical hot tub-specific advocacy issues, including energy efficiency and equipotential bonding.

Research- For many years the industry has lacked a definitive source of reliable and affordable statistics on industry characteristics and consumer buying habits. In response, APSP designed and launched its new Business Intelligence Service designed to put industry statistics and other economic and demographic data into the hands of members, exclusively. The service comprises the Yearbook, a detailed annual report of the pool, spa and hot tub industry; briefings and a quarterly update for Yearbook subscribers; and Marketplace, top-line data from Yearbook coupled with more detailed consumer-preference, retailer-specific information.

Financial Management and Control- Revenue remains a primary focus of the APSP, combined with strong cost control. Staff restructuring has been a key component of cost control and improved efficiency. We’ve maintained strong reserves despite the economy and are pleased to have received a totally clean audit report.

Looking Ahead- We’ve addressed the challenges of the bleak economy head-on and are cautiously optimistic for a fiscal year 2010-2011 that sees the industry emerge from the downturn smarter, more efficient and well equipped for the future. APSP will continue its mission to promote the very real benefits of our industry products and to enhance the business success of members. APSP works daily to be an essential partner to all businesses and professionals involved in and associated with the pool, spa and hot tub industry. We encourage all to keep abreast of APSP activities by participating in MyAPSP.org and visiting www.APSP.org regularly.

This fiscal year saw the launch and substantial growth of APSP’s social media and video production department. The department produced a multitude of videos, podcasts and webinars for various APSP departments. The Association’s social media presence on Facebook, Twitter and other outlets along with our own MyAPSP.org positions APSP on the cutting edge of these technologies, which grow in importance daily.

All communicators face the challenge of penetrating the clutter of messages that we are all subjected to on a daily basis. APSP efforts to communicate with members, the greater industry, outside stakeholders and the general public are subject to those challenges, too. The communications department will benefit greatly from planned communications research activities in FY 2010-2011 and from additional resources.