PREMIER POOL PRO: NICK LEHMAN
Service Tech/Manager, Pinch-A-Penny Pool Patio Spa
Temple Terrace, Fla.
"I'm a small fish in the industry,” admits Nick Lehman of Pinch-A-Penny Pool Patio Spa. “I wasn’t expecting to even be considered.”
Being named one of the Premier Pool Pro Award winners of the 2025 Pentair Pool Pro Awards was not on Lehman’s list of expectations in the new year. In fact, thanks to his phone’s preventative measure that blocks unknown numbers, he almost missed the call that would notify him of the accomplishment. His colleagues had to track him down to get him to answer the call from Pentair that would congratulate him on the award.
Like many, Lehman’s journey in the industry has been life-long. “My father was working for Pinch-A-Penny when I was born, and a few years later, he decided to buy the store. The story is, I was carried into the store for the first time when I was a few days old, and the rest is history.”
These days, running the repair side of the store as a service tech and manager, Lehman says his passion continues to grow through the creativity that the service sector offers him. “I really enjoy finding ways to help out customers and fix their pools within their budget,” he says. His compassion for customers and the potential limitations of their budget is just one way Lehman shows up for those in his community, standing out among the rest.
Lehman gives the credit right back to those customers when asked to sum up the reasons for his success in the industry. “I have a strong intuition on how things work and how to fix things, but it’s all the customers that have come in over the years that helped me get to where I’m at,” he reflects. “They’re the ones that call me out to their backyard to use my skills. Without them, I literally couldn’t do what I do, so having a loyal customer base is great.”
Alongside the strong community, Lehman cites his family’s history at Pinch-A-Penny for his continued accomplishments. Following his father around the store as a boy, learning how to use each tool and being enveloped into the family business all served as crucial moments in his life that led to his subsequent triumph as a Premier Pool Pro Award winner.
“It’s just a great feeling knowing that I have such a huge support system out in our community,” he explains. “Without the people that have my back, I would have never made it through the voting phase. It’s really cool to see that a small fish can have such a big impact.”
PREMIER POOL PRO: JENA BEACH
Service Manager, Coastal Pools
Queenstown, Md.
"When I got the call, I thought, ‘There’s no way I’m winning it. I’ve not been in the industry long enough. I don’t have enough experience.’ I just thought that it would never happen.”
For Jena Beach, the service manager at Coastal Pools in Queenstown, Md., just two years in the pool and spa industry was enough to make a big splash with her peers. Thanks to her strong skills, like a customer-first leadership style and her commitment to team development, Beach was awarded one of the Premier Pool Pro Awards in 2025.
Despite her journey being in its beginning stages, Beach credits much of her success over the last few years to her support systems both at home and at Coastal Pools. “I definitely owe a lot to my mentor and boss, Jason Shanks,” she says, referring to Coastal Pools’ vice president of operations. “We have a similar work ethic, so he just took me under his wing, and he’s never let me fall. He’s got my back no matter what.
“And throughout my entire career, even before joining the pool industry, my family and my husband have been super supportive at home. I get so invested in my work and want to give it 125% all the time. It definitely wouldn’t be possible without that support at home, along with the leadership and support from Coastal Pools.”
Because of these people in her life, Beach says, she’s able to give even more energy to her team development. She cites customer impact and technician growth as two of her favorite parts of her role. “When I first came to Coastal, the service department was in its infancy,” she recalls. “So I started at a really unique time, where I was able to develop a lot of that department myself.”
One of the things she worked hard to expand in the service department was the trouble surrounding seasonal work in the area. “In our region, service techs are sometimes looked at as low-level summer jobs, where they get laid off at the end of pool season and hired on the following summer, probably by a different company.”
“That’s something Coastal Pools wanted to get away from,” Beach explains, “so we don’t lay off any of our technicians, even now, when all of the pools in our area are closed. I’m finding 40 hours for my guys somewhere, some way, somehow.”
It’s Beach’s commitment to her team that speaks wonders about her impact on her company and community. She may have only been in the industry for two years, but being recognized with such a prestigious award has strengthened her passion for her role at Coastal Pools.
“I just feel so honored. These are the earliest stages of my career in this industry,” she says. “To have already been recognized with this honor, I’m beside myself, honestly. I’m so grateful for the position I have with Coastal Pools and for the opportunity. I’m looking forward to the growth of my company in the future, and seeing where it takes me in my career.”
RECOGNIZING THE WINNERS OF THE...
Shannon Grave Jones, Owner of Graves Pools & Spas
Lifetime Achievement Award:
Spas Sean Johnson, Executive Vice President, Field Services at Amenity Pool Services
Unsung Hero Award: Jake Skipper, Owner/Operator of Skipper Pools & Spas
Safety Advocate Award: Chuck Helmick, Service Manager at Johnson Pool & Spa
Advancing Automation Award: Claudio Pámanes, Owner of Pámanes Pools
