Pool Chasers Podcast

In this episode, we sat down with Pentair’s heater and lighting project manager Zack Pickard for a crash course on all things pool lights. Lights are another tricky part of the industry as it is mixing electricity and water, which do not typically go together. Needless to say, it is vital to be safe when working with any type of pool lighting. Zack shares some of the histories of lighting which is...

You may be wondering why Email? Well, the fact is that every day, millions of emails are sent from companies to their customers and suppliers. A well-written email can lead to business success, while a bad email can harm a professional relationship, derail a project, or hurt your reputation. People often think that emails can be less formal, but the messages you send are a reflection of your own p...

In this episode, we had the opportunity to sit down with Pool & Electrical Products (PEP) Sales Manager Scott Keck and First Choice Product Manager David White. We had a great conversation about how PEP was started and how it has developed into what it is today. Scott and David share with us what makes PEP stand out and how to this day, their goal is to fulfill every order to 100%. That proces...

In this special episode, we sat down with Brad Leavitt of AFT Construction, Jeromey Naugle of Premier Paradise, and John Martese of On-Demand Design Concepts to discuss what you need to be looking for when aligning yourself with a General Contractor, Pool Designer, or Pool Builder. Each of them has had their own experiences, both good and bad, and have now found each other and respectfully work wi...

In this episode, we sat down with Joe Sr, Joe Jr, and Ben of Primate Pool Tools. They are the creators of the industry’s first carbon fiber pool pole. Have you seen this next generation of pool service poles yet? Maybe you have seen the gorilla at a trade show or on social media and wondered what it was all about. Well, that is the mascot for the Primate 3x premium carbon fiber pool pole that has...

In this episode, we sat down with John Rotundo and Brian King from Pentair to discuss suction side, pressure side, and robotic pool cleaners. We had a great discussion about each option and how they are designed to work. We also discussed some of the key things that you need to know when dealing with each style. This information can make a world of a difference when communicating with a homeowner,...

Have you ever asked yourself what is SEO, or what does SEO stand for? Have you heard the term SEM and wondered what exactly is search engine marketing? These are questions we hear often and once had ourselves. It can be difficult to grasp these concepts, so for this special episode of the podcast, we sat down with Lorne  Sederoff  of  SearchKings  and we were also joined by Demetra  Mandrapilias  ...

In this episode, Eric Knight from Orenda joins us again, but this time it is to discuss eight bad habits that are costing you money. We first heard Eric talk about these on a Facebook live that he and Laura put on for Orenda. In that discussion, they laid out 6 habits, and for this discussion, we talk about those but throw in two of our own in the mix as well. After sitting through their FB live c...

Episode 100 is here and we can’t believe it! We have interviewed a ton of people over the last few years and while doing so, we have discussed with them how their pasts have shaped who they are today. The background stories are one of our favorite parts of each episode because you can really learn a lot about someone when you understand where they came from and what they have overcome to get to wh...

In this episode, we had the pleasure of sitting down remotely with Kevan Cooper who is the Sr. IOT Product Manager for Pentair. We asked Kevan to give us an overview of Pentair’s new flagship automation product the  IntelliCenter . We first saw the  IntelliCenter  control system at a trade show a few years ago and were very impressed, we could tell that Pentair took the time to put together a qual...

We had the pleasure of sitting down with Mitch Katz who is the General Manager at Land of Elite and the current President of NESPA. We first met Mitch in Atlantic City at the Pool and Spa Show in 2019 and knew that we had to have him on the show. We were excited that we were finally able to make it happen. Mitch shares his story with us about how he grew up in the family business and he learned fr...

In this episode, we sat down with Chas Bogardus of Budd’s Pools & Spas to discuss all things Pool Openings. This is a topic that we are not too familiar with being from Arizona, so we thought it was best to talk to an expert about it. Memorial Day is approaching quickly and we know many of you are starting to open your pools. Budd’s has been around since 1958, so they know what they are doing!...

This week we sat down with Brian Fullerton of Brian’s Lawn Maintenance and the Fullerton Unfiltered Podcast. Brian is doing some amazing things in the lawn maintenance space through his popular YouTube channel and now podcast. We wanted to have him on to share his story and talk about what it takes to be successful. This episode is a little more aggressive than normal for us, but it is the kind of...

We had the opportunity to sit down with Eric Knight of Orenda Technologies to discuss the Langelier Saturation Index also referred to as the LSI. This term may be brand new to you or you may have heard about it in a CPO class or even a start-up class, but it is definitely something that every pool professional should understand. We took one of Eric’s classes a while back and were very impressed wi...

In this episode, we sat down with Sarah Bess who is the Director of Marketing and Dealer Services for Lyon Financial. She jokingly refers to financing as the little “F” word that people throw around, but do not really understand and after recording the episode with her, we agree. As part of the episode, we break down financial terms such as secured and unsecured loans and interest rates so that yo...

In this episode, we sat down with Kirk Bianchi who is the owner of Bianchi Design and whose mission is to transform ordinary backyards into “waterscapes” or custom works of art.  Bianchi’s design approach was inspired by a trip he took to Japan as a senior in high school. He was struck by how the Japanese architecture and landscape design integrated and blurred indoor/outdoor spaces in a simple, y...

In this episode we sat down with  Sabeena  Hickman, Janay Rickwalder, and Jennifer Hatfield of the Pool and Hot Tub Alliance (PHTA), to discuss their recent efforts in response to the COVID-19 coronavirus crisis. With the number of cases of the coronavirus in the USA increasing, most states have issued some sort of social distancing or shelter in place orders. This has caused a ripple effect that...

In this episode, we sat down with Structure Studios founder Noah  Nehlich . They are the creators of the industry's leading pool design software Pool Studio and landscaping software  VizTerra . Noah’s journey is the true definition of what it is like to be an entrepreneur. It all started with a video game project he created when he was young, through this, he learned that when people can visu...

This episode threw quite a curveball at us, we were on our way to Long Beach and were prepared to record our final stop of the live tour when we found out that the city was recommending to not have large group gatherings. We decided it was in the best health interest for everyone if we canceled the event. We were pretty bummed about it but we adjusted and changed it to a Facebook Live, as well as...

In this episode, we sat down with Mike and Jacob of Sparkle and Splash Pool Care.  Mike & his wife Amy started the company in 2007 when they moved from the Bay Area to Tucson, AZ. They started out by purchasing a route of 50 customers and now service over 800 pools weekly. Amy actually took care of the pools for the first 6 months or so. Mike shared with us that he could not have done this wit...

In this episode, we sat down with Michael Erath who is the owner of The Traction Hub in Scottsdale, AZ. In the first 15 years of his career, Michael grew two businesses to over 45 million in revenue and over 200 employees. In 2009, the housing market crash, as well as a betrayal from a business partner and his own blind spots, caused him to lose it all. Late in 2010 Michael leveraged all that he h...

For this episode, we sat down with Lance Anderson and Brad Madison of Anderson Manufacturing Company to discuss all things leak detection. In the late 1940s, Francis Anderson started a radiator repair shop. He later invented rubber expansion plugs to make the leak testing process in radiators easier. In the mid-1980s changes, to the radiator construction and the arrival of replacement radiators cu...

In this episode, we sat down with David Sargent and Matt Lopez to discuss the Riptide Pool Vacuum System. We really enjoyed this episode because it dives deep into how their idea turned into a product. By embracing feedback from customers, they have taken the original prototype and shaped it over the years to create the best customer experience possible. Being across the table from these guys as t...

Another stop of the live tour is in the books and it was a great one! We had the opportunity to interview Lucas Congdon of Lucas Lagoons. You have probably seen him on the hit TV show Insane Pools Off the Deep End. We were very excited to have the opportunity to sit down with Lucas as we have been fans of the show for a long time. Lucas shared some of his backstory with us and how growing up in Ve...

In this episode we had the opportunity to interview our good friend Tony Arredondo of The Pool Guys of Tampa Bay - Tampapoolpro.com. He has been a big supporter of us from the beginning and we were excited to finally get him on the podcast. Tony is a member of the National Plasterers Council and currently the President of the Florida Swimming Pool Association (FSPA) Tampa Bay Chapter. Tony shared...