Waterfront: October 2008

Perfection Personified

Pleatco announces Perfect Pool Guy and Gal

It's fair to say that nobody knew what to expect from the inaugural Pleatco Perfect Pool Guy contest. But with so many of what the company called "creative and inspiring" entries to choose from, Pleatco decided to pick two 2008 winners. Congratulations to Kirt Kleiner, KMK Services in Pennsylvania, and Jill Tillett, Nags Head Pools in North Carolina!

"This contest has caused a lot of excitement among the service people who are out doing hard work every day," says Kleiner. "The pool guy is not a glamorous job. Most days I come home filthy, dirty and very tired. So it's nice to know someone has noticed. Winning this contest has made me even more proud of my work, and it will continue to make me even better in my day-to-day work."

Tillett agrees: "When I saw the nominations posted on the vote page, I couldn't believe it. Since I've won, I've gotten so many nice responses from all of my customers. It's the most reassuring feeling in the world. I'm a tiny person, but this feels like a whole new world to me!"

Kleiner and Tillett will receive a trip for two to Las Vegas for the International Pool | Spa | Patio Expo in November, as well as $1,000 in Pleatco Microban Premium Filter cartridges and will star in the company's 2009 follow-up ad campaign. Additional award winners will also be flown out to the show, where all the winners will be recognized during a dinner and awards ceremony.

Keeping The Furry Critters Safe

There's more to pet pool safety than you think

We love our furry friends and want to make sure their safety needs aren't ignored. But there's much more to pet pool safety than just protecting them from falling in.

Here are some tips to keep man's best friend safe around the pool, courtesy of Petvideo.com:

1. Never throw a dog into a pool. Dogs don't necessarily know how to swim naturally. Throwing them in a pool can hurt them or cause them to panic.
2. Don't let a dog drink pool water. The chlorine can make them sick.
3. Teach a dog over and over where the pool steps are located. This repetitive exercise can help it find its way out in case it falls in.
4. Hose a dog off with fresh water once it gets out of the pool. The chlorine can dry out a dog's skin.
5. Look for signs of over-heating or too much sun exposure. A along, happy, wagging tongue lets you know a dog is hot.
6. Keep fresh water near and bring dogs to a shaded area if they need a break from the sun. Heat stroke is a real danger to dogs.
7. Put sunscreen on a dog's nose, ears and stomach. Certain breeds of dogs are more susceptible to sunburn than others. Most pet stores carry dog sunscreen.
8. Install a pool fence and alarm. If a dog falls into a pool, it can panic, become disoriented and drown.

Splashing For A Good Cause

BioGuard hosts Splash for CF day

This past July, 11 BioGuard dealers across Western Michigan took on the company's challenge to raise awareness about cystic fibrosis by hosting a Splash for CF Day in their stores (see May '08 Waterfront).

The stores hosted a variety of events, from donating a percentage of that day's sales to all-day family events, like the one put on by Zagers Pool & Spa in Jamestown. Zagers provided food, games and raffles to win a year's supply of BioGuard products.

Sixty percent of the $1,200 donation proceeds are staying in Western Michigan to benefit the CF Care Center at Helen DeVos Children's Hospital; the other 40 percent will go to causes such as the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

Voted One Of The Best

Forbes Traveler picks the world's best hotel pools

Forbes Traveler recently published it's list of the best hotel pools in the world. We thought it'd be a great chance to showcase some of these amazing waterscapes. Hope you enjoy!

Las Vegas is known for bright lights and over-the-top shows, so building a pool that features a 200,000 gallon aquarium wasn't that far off the mark for this city.

The Tank at the Golden Nugget recently received a $100 million makeover - $30 million of which was dedicated to the pool alone - to include a three-story pool complex complete with waterfalls, a waterslide, a poolside bar, live gaming tables, private cabanas, daybeds and the shark tank, which houses five species of sharks and various game fish.

"People will line up against the acrylic glass with their hands next to their face and watch the giant 8-foot sharks swimming by," public relations manager Justin McVay told Forbes. "People come from all around to see The Tank. I have people calling just to ask, 'Can we come just to look at the pool?'"

Don't Be Fooled. . .

If you look out your office window and see an "AQUA Mag" tanker truck barreling down the highway, don't be fooled, it isn't us! Sure, that'd be a pretty cool way to deliver our magazines, but the AQUA Mag tanker in question belongs to Carus Phosphates, a water treatment company. Although . . . it is kind of a coincidence that we both deal in water. Just saying.