Waterfront: February 2010

Think Outside The Box

Join forces with the WQA for more revenue

"Consumers don't have enough time to be able to deal with many different vendors that touch upon water," says Peter Censky, director of the Water Quality Association. "Why not also extend your knowledge base into water treatment and water conditioning? It's the perfect complement to the swimming pool business."

The WQA is the trade association representing the residential, commercial and industrial water treatment industry, says Censky, and becoming a part of it, not to mention breaking into the water treatment industry, is a great way for pool and spa retailers and service techs to add more to the bottom line.

The good news is pool and spa professionals are more than halfway there, says Jamie Wakem, president of the Atlantic Filter Corporation, an original equipment manufacturer based in West Palm Beach, Fla.

"The pool person right now is doing so many things that our industry is already doing," says Wakem, noting the similarities between pool systems and home water treatment systems. From salt generated chlorine systems to UV systems to balancing the pool water maintaining the right pH level, "there are just an awful lot of similarities."

While Wakem originally specialized in water treatment systems, he says he got in to the pool service side of things because of constant requests from clients. "Over the years, we kept getting asked by our customers, 'Now that you've taken care of the water in my home or my drinking water system, do you have pool filters and do you sell pool equipment? What would you recommend for my pool?'

"So we said let's explore bringing those types of products in and try to do a lot of cross selling, which is what we did."

Wakem describes his setup as having two different water center locations, where one side of the store is all water-treatment oriented and the other is pool and spa oriented.

"When someone comes into our store, we try to have answers and solutions, for all their needs relating to water in the home, from drinking water to house treatment to their pool water."

According to Wakem, there is no better time than now to think about breaking in to the water treatment business. After all, more business means more income.

"Pool companies have the service vehicles available and the technicians on staff already. And many of them have billing systems and invoice systems and the follow-up sales programs that are required to run a pool business, which could very easily incorporate water treatment products and services."

For more information about the Water Quality Association, visit www.wqa.org.

'Twas The Season To Be Jolly

A Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada, choir made the most of busy schedules by holding Christmas choir practice in what may be the oddest of places - a pool.

The "swimming singers," as the local CBCnews (Canada Broadcasting Corporation) has dubbed them, first met in an aqua aerobics class nearly nine years ago and decided to form a choir that would travel around and sing for nursing home residents in the area. Holding choir practice during water aerobics time seemed like the ideal multitasking solution.

"We have to practice somewhere," Alic Belliveau told the CBCnews. "So we started to practice in the pool." And why not? Instead of meeting for water aerobics and choir practice two different times in a week, the ladies decided to merge the practices together.

They definitely have some fun with it. They often accessorize their swimsuits with Santa hats and reindeer antlers to get in the spirit.

From The Vault

Scott Maurer, AQUA's art director, recently found a rare gem in his father-in-law's basement: the January 1979 issue of LIFE magazine, which subsequently featured a great spread about the newly popular trend of "hot tub bathing." We thought you'd enjoy a few quotes and a brief look at the 30-year-old article.

"A dentist and father of five in Farmington, Mo., created what he calls a patio-tubatorium, an 850-square-foot expanse of redwood deck, gazebo, hot tub and patio costing $20,000. 'We just blew the whole wad, you know?' he says without a trace of regret."

"Doctors are purchasing tubs in large numbers, though precise therapeutic benefits have yet to be defined."

"It is a friendly aquasport called hot-tub bathing, and people are soaking it up in impressive numbers all across the country. . . A film executive reserves his tub for business meetings. And a minister in Venice, Calif., marries members of his congregation in a hot tub behind the church."

The Blue Lagoon

Don't be fooled by the name, Iceland really does have a "hot spot"

Nearly 30 minutes from Reykjavik, Iceland, there is a lava field home to the Blue Lagoon. This amazing geothermal spa is rich with silica, minerals and algae, and the temperature hovers between 98 and 102 degrees. The lagoon holds nearly 1.6 million gallons of geothermal seawater that is renewed every 40 hours, nixing the need for chlorine.

The Lagoon touts the water's healing properties, as well as its positive effect on the skin, and has even launched a skin care line based on what's found below the surface of the water. The Blue Lagoon also embraces its location in the lava field, respecting the natural surroundings. Because the Lagoon is built into the field, there are some areas where the lava rocks are a part of the natural architecture.