Swimming Safely
Pebble Technology paves a path for pool safety.
Because child drowings are not only tragic but also preventable, Pebble Technology is promoting water safety and helping kids learn how to swim. The Scottsdale, Ariz., maker of specialty swimming pool finishes recently donated swimming lessons at both the Scottsdale and Tempe April Pool's Day events. These water safety events offer information and demonstrations on preventing accidents, gearing up for safe summer swimming and what to do in an emergency. "Contributing the swim lessons was a heartfelt gesture that is greatly appreciated by the children in the Tempe community," says David Bucher of the Tempe Kiwanis Recreation Center, where one of the events was held.
Pebble Technology also donated swimming lessons to the Town of Guadalupe's Boys & Girls Club, as well as the Tempe Pappas School for the homeless.
Additionally, Pebble Technology is sponsoring of the City of Mesa's Making Waves scholarship program, which provides youths in low-income neighborhoods with a chance to learn how to swim. Aimee Manis, a spokesperson for Making Waves, says, "Pebble Technology's contribution will allow over 90 children the opportunity to participate in programs that they normally could not afford. This opportunity will improve their aquatic safety, physical fitness and potentially save a life from a drowning incident; after all, drowning prevention is our main objective."
Mysterious Marketing Materials
Investigotter cracks the case of the commonplace catalog.
The folks at Taylor Technologies had some fun with their latest marketing piece. Taylor's new product catalog (or test kit selection guide) is called Pool Detective Magazine and features the company's cartoon character, the "Investigotter." Styled after a retro detective magazine, the 24-page publication includes such capers as "The case of the green-haired swimmers and other terrifying tales of water-chemistry gone wrong."
While the authors may want to hold off on entering the Edgar Allen Poe Awards, the colorful manual is a delightful departure from the usual phone-book-like product catalogs.
Century Mark
The original Anchor Supply Company (later changed to Anchor Industries Inc.) building was built in 1892 on the riverfront in Evansville, Ind. The company manufactures safety pool covers as well as tents, awnings and other fabric structures.
It's For Dummies
A guide to better business meetings.
Ever sat in a business meeting, bored stiff, watching the seconds tick off the clock and wishing that you could get some "real" work done? If so, you, or perhaps the person in charge of those meetings, may want to take a look at Meeting & Event Planning For Dummies by Susan Friedmann. In the book Friedmann addresses how to plan and conduct all types of business meetings and events and stresses that knowing the meeting's purpose ahead of time and conveying that purpose to the attendees are keys to success.
First, Friedmann outlines the necessary components for preparing a small business meeting so that it accomplishes the planned objectives. However, if you deal more with large-scale events, like trade shows, she also addresses topics like "Planning a Successful Exhibit," "Ensuring a Productive Exhibit," and "Giving Visitors a Touch of Show Biz."
Later chapters cover how to successfully coordinate teleconferencing, videoconferencing and Web conferencing, which are becoming more common as technology improves and people have less time and money to travel.
Helpful appendices are included, as well; there's a comprehensive list of Web sites related to numerous aspects of business meetings and event planning. Another appendix is a collection of checklists, including the "small meeting checklist" with items such as: "Know exactly what the meeting needs to accomplish," "Decide what messages need to be communicated," and "Evaluate the meetings after it is over."
Overall, Friedmann's how-to manual is a down-to-earth guide that can help people successfully conduct business meetings and events, no matter the size.
—K.E.
Meeting & Event Planning For Dummies
By Susan Friedmann
Wiley Publishing
ISBN 0-7645-3859-4
Fiberglass Face-Lift
Industry members donate time and resources to build pool.
Just six days before producers for Extreme Makeover: Home Edition planned to demolish and rebuild a house in San Bernardino, Calif., they contacted Hawaiian Fiberglass Pools to ask for the company's help in installing a fiberglass swimming pool in the backyard.
"One phone call was all it took, and eight Hawaiian pool dealers offered to leave their businesses and bring employees, tools and equipment," says Michelle Stewart, national sales director for Hawaiian.
The group had only two and a half days to complete the swimming pool project, which was performed for free for the family and the ABC production. For each Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, a team of designers and 100 workmen have just seven days to completely renovate an entire house — every room, plus the exterior and landscaping.
Early in the afternoon of April 4, a wrecking ball finished demolishing the California house that was too run-down to be remodeled. After the lot was regraded, Hawaiian volunteers excavated and laid the sand bed in approximately one hour. The next morning, a 12-by-28-foot Hawaiian Luau kidney-shaped pool shell was lifted by a 70-ton crane up and over the house and into the hole in the ground.
After the pool was backfilled (with help from the local fire department), a cantilevered deck with brick-red colorant and a salt rock finish was set and finished before 11 a.m.
Just 28 hours later, the pool was complete. In all, the new pool features three laminar deck jets, two pumps, a filter and a Wireless Aqualink RS programmable controller donated by Jandy (Water Pik Technologies), and a mesh safety fence, donated by Cantar/Polyair Corp.
"These men and women worked around the clock, graciously offering their employees, tools and resources, all for the benefit of the industry," Stewart says. "It was an experience of a lifetime."
