Meet the 2018 Pleatco Perfect Pool Gal

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Andrea NanniniAndrea Nannini

Like countless others, it was family ties that first led Andrea Nannini to the pool and spa industry. At 18 years old, she followed her mom to a pool service company as a way to make ends meet, but little did she know it would ultimately become a career — not to mention a career where she would rise to the top as the 2018 Pleatco Perfect Pool Gal.

In addition to ensuring pools in her area have that "Bahama sparkle," Nannini enjoys sharing stories from her route on a Facebook page called Adventures of the Pool Girl, including tales of celebrities she encounters and the animals she rescues from pools on a daily basis. Here, she shares more about her career "adventure" that led her to where she is today.

AQUA: What do you like most about the pool and spa industry?

ANDREA NANNINI: My favorite thing is saving all the animals. Picking up animals out of pools and stuff and getting to learn about them, too, is pretty neat. Because I have to know what it is so I can handle it safely.

AQ: How would you describe your business philosophy?

AN: I like to absorb everything there is to know about the industry. That's why I liked being able to take the Genesis class as part of my prize, and I'm super excited about getting the ASP certification. I just like to be able to have the answer for the customer if something weird happens or if some difficult question comes up. I take pride in knowing the difficult questions and having the answers. And if I don't have the answer, I at least know where to find the answer.

AQ: Tell us about Adventures of the Pool Girl.

AN: I actually I came up with the idea for it a really long time ago before there really was even Facebook. It was before cell phones and everything. I was just blown away by all of the stuff I saw all day long, like animals in the pools, or somebody doing something weird on the side of the road, or meeting a celebrity at a pool or at a gas station — I swear I saw Kid Rock one day at a gas station, and I found out later that he lives in the neighborhood so it's very possible that it was him.

So the idea came: I wanted to share everything I was seeing all day long. The funny stuff, the cool stuff and the weird stuff. So it was in my head for a long time, and one day, when I got the job at Custom Pools, I realized that none of my friends really care about pools as much as I do, so I decided to make a Facebook page — that way, I'm not flooding my friends with all this pool stuff all day long, and then people who want to see it can like my page. So I made the page and it has kind of taken off from there. It's been really fun for me. I really enjoy doing it.

AQ: What advice do you have for other women who would like to be the next Pleatco Perfect Pool Gal?

AN: I would say don't let anyone's negativity stop you. No matter what you do, if you love what you do, then that's all that matters. To any woman who wants to do anything, don't listen to anyone else's negativity

A Round of Applause

In addition to the Perfect Pool Guy and Gal accolades, Pleatco honored five other pool and spa techs for their contributions to the industry:

2018 Industry Leadership Award: Steve Goodale

2018 Big Heart Award: Chris Richards

2018 Community Leader Award: Eric Honeyman

2018 Customer Service Award: Libby McKennon

2018 Future Leadership Award: Lamar Jeantinoble

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