In The News: March 3, 2011

POOLCORP Shows Modest Growth in 2010

Pool Corporation (POOLCORP), the Covington, La.-based distribution giant, posted a 5 percent net sales increase for the year ended Dec. 31, 2010.

Base business sales rose 2 percent, an increase the company attributed to gains in market share and small improvements to larger economic factors, which led to increased discretionary spending.

"After several years of unprecedented market contraction during which new swimming pool construction decreased by almost 80 percent and replacement remodeling activity declined approximately 30 percent from normalized rates, 2010 was a welcome transition year for the industry," POOLPCORP president and CEO Manuel Perez de la Mesa said during a conference call. "We believe that overall industry activity in 2010 was flat to very modestly up, which, after what the industry has gone through, was certainly welcomed."

De la Mesa said he thinks the worst is over with, and that in the years beyond 2011, he expects consumer spending habits to return to normal.

"As that happens, we are poised to grow at an accelerated rate," he said.

POOLCORP is the largest wholesale distributor of swimming pool and related backyard products. The company operates 291 sales centers in North America and Europe, through which it distributes more than 160,000 national brand and private label products to roughly 80,000 wholesale customers.

The full text of the conference call, along with POOLCORP's current and past filings, can be found at www.poolcorp.com/newsroom.

Jacuzzi's Pasley Moves To Bullfrog Spas

Former executive vice president of sales at Jacuzzi Hot Tubs and Sundance Spas, Jerry Pasley, has taken the CEO position at Bullfrog International. David Ludlow, Bullfrog's former CEO and founder, will remain with the company as president and focus on research and business development, according to a story in Casual Living.

Pasley has nearly three decades of experience in the hot tub industry, has served on the APSP Hot Tub Council and currently sits on the APSP board of directors.

Calcium Carbonate And Saltwater Pools

Ever find little white flakes on the bottom of the pool near the return? These are little pieces of calcium carbonate that have broken off and traveled through the system. If it's a saltwater pool, they very likely came from the electrolytic chlorine generator (ECG). They formed around the blades or plates in the ECG and then chipped off, and were swept through the piping and into the pool. They may seem like a minor irritation, but mineral deposites are the No. 1 enemy of salt chlorine generators.

Read the rest of Scale It Back.