John Poma of Lakeland, Fla., was on the job in Hudson when two pickup trucks rolled into the dirt lot, kicking up a cloud of dust. Talking Pools Podcast host Rudy Stankowitz and Don Douglass of Revdup Apparel handed Poma a championship belt and broke the news: He’d just been named the 2026 Talking Pools Podcast Pool Industry Mentor of the Year.
When a pool pro calls John Poma late at night, he picks up. Say the plaster looks wrong. Is it the water chemistry? Did something go wrong during construction? Poma shows the caller what to look for so they can make that call on their own next time.
Poma asks what they’re seeing at the pool and what they’ve checked so far. He calls his approach “Ancient Pool Warrior Methods.” To Poma, being a “pool whisperer” means “listening to the pool,” then using those clues to decide what to check first.
“I’ve always thought the point of mentoring was to teach someone to think for themselves. A good mentor helps you test your own reasoning,” Stankowitz says. “When someone calls from an equipment pad, ask what they checked, what they found and what they think it means. The best moment is when they can tell you what’s wrong and how they know.”
In an interview with podcast host Natalie Hood, Poma recalled an early mentor named Ollie, who took the time to explain why a job was done a certain way. Poma now does the same for others. He also helps run the 14 PSI Facebook group with fellow Top Ten honoree Jeff Hampe.
Poma's Selection Process
The award honors pool professionals who volunteer their time to mentor others outside their paid duties. Advice offered as part of a sales pitch does not qualify. Before the hosts scored the nominations, names and other identifying details were removed.
Talking Pools Podcast received 103 nominations from around the world and narrowed the field to 20 finalists. Names and other identifying details were removed before the podcast hosts scored the finalist entries on merit. Stankowitz did not score the entries.
The judges learned Poma had won at the same time he and the public did, during the November 10 jobsite reveal.
Poma made the Top Ten for the second straight year. He succeeds Rich Gallo, CEO of Pure Swim in Van Nuys, Calif., who took home the first championship belt in 2025.
A supplier to WWE and UFC made both belts. This year’s belt has a wide, gold-tone center plate with black scrollwork. A crown sits above the Talking Pools Podcast name, and “Pool Industry” runs across the middle in block letters. A banner reading “Mentor Award” sits above an engraved globe marked “2026.” Two smaller plates flank the center plate, one bearing the Blueray XL logo and the other the United Chemical logo.
Each of this year’s Top Ten mentors received a mentor polo from Revdup Apparel, a 2026 TOP TEN plaque made by TrophySmack, a Pool Industry Mentor challenge coin, a keychain with an inspirational message and a hat embroidered with the Talking Pools Podcast logo.
Blu-ray XL and United Chemical are the title sponsors. LaMotte Company is the gold sponsor, Revdup Apparel is a silver sponsor, and AquaComfort Water Group is a supporting sponsor.
