February 14 marked a big night in the industry as the Florida Swimming Pool Association presented awards to the winners of its annual Design Awards and honored one person as the Person of the Year. If you couldn't make it, here's what you missed:
The Design Awards
The Design Awards program gives FSPA members an opportunity to enter their pools, spas and water features for judging on workmanship, soundness of design, beauty, practicality and safety. The categories, customized for Florida pool construction, divide the entries by size, type of construction and features.
This year, the Design Awards committee passed out 22 awards to 10 companies. Here are just a few of the highlights:
AAA Custom Pools, Inc., of Jupiter received several awards, including:
- Award of Merit in the Residential Pool/Spa Vanishing Edge category for a pool in Jupiter.
- Silver award in the Commercial Water Feature category for a project designed by Krent Wielend Design, Inc. in North Palm Beach.
- Silver award in the Residential Pool/Spa Vanishing Edge category for a pool in Plantation.
- Gold award in the Residential Pool/Spa Combination 250 sq. ft. – 500 sq. ft. for a pool in North Palm Beach.
Almar / Jackson Pools, Inc. of Jupiter received three awards:
- Bronze award in the Residential Shotcrete/Gunite Pool 700 sq. ft. and above category for a pool in Jupiter.
- Gold award in the Residential Shotcrete/Gunite Pool 700 sq. ft. and above category for a pool in Hobe Sound.
- Gold award in the Residential Water Feature Category for a pool in Hobe Sound. The landscaping was done by Dailey Janssen Architects.
Brosseit’s Pool Plumbing, Inc. of West Palm Beach received a Silver award in the Residential Shotcrete/Gunite Pool 700 sq. ft. and above category for a pool in Tequesta. The project was entered for judging by Chad Brosseit. The design was done by Cadscape Design.
Lucas Lagoons, Inc., of Sarasota received four awards:
- Bronze award in the Residential Restorations category for a pool in Sarasota.
- Silver award in the Residential Restorations category for a pool in Sarasota.
- Silver award in the Residential Pool/Spa Combination 250 sq. ft. – 500 sq. ft. category for a pool in Sarasota.
- Silver award in the Residential Water Feature Category for a project in Bradenton.
Signature Pools & Spas, Inc. of Oakland Park won four awards:
- Silver award in the Residential Pool/Spa Combination Vanishing Edge category for a pool in Boca Raton. The pool was designed by Colestock & Muir Architects.
- Silver award in the Residential Shotcrete/Gunite Pool 501 sq. ft. – 700 sq. ft. category for a pool in Boca Raton. The pool was designed by PSJ Gardens Landscape Architects.
- Gold Award in the Residential Shotcrete/Gunite Pool 25- sq. ft. – 500 sq. ft. category for a project in Ft. Lauderdale. It was designed by Bomar Builders.
- Technical Achievement award in the Residential Water Features Category for a project in Boca Raton.
The Batts Company of Jacksonville Beach received Best of Show for a pool in Amelia Island. The project also received a Gold award in the Residential Pool/Spa Combination Vanishing Edge category. The pool was entered for judging by Jim Batts and Bill Hughes and was designed by Aquatic Consultants, Inc.
FSPA President Pete Coccaro said, “The FSPA Design Awards is a chance to recognize some of the best pools being built in Florida by FSPA members. The excellence and quality exhibited in these pools are a true testament to the builders.”
Person of the Year
In addition to honoring Florida projects, FSPA also honors an individual as the Person of the Year. The lucky person for 2012: Keith Johnson of Auburndale, Fla.
Johnson was recognized for his unwavering belief in FSPA as the leading trade association for swimming pool professionals. After many years of stagnant membership due to a challenging economy, 2012 brought an increase in members thanks to Keith’s focus on listening to the wants and needs of pool professionals. FPSA says this strong foundation of member-centric programming is expected to support its membership growth from all areas of the swimming pool industry for many years to come.
Keith has served on the state Board of Directors for the past nine years. He has been on numerous committees including serving as Service Council Chair in 2008. He was the Polk County Chapter President in 2004 - 2008, and was chosen as Director of the Year in 2006. In 2009 and 2010 Keith served on the Executive Committee as Secretary, in 2011 was Vice President and in 2012 was President.
