As fall settles over seasonal areas across the United States, many pool and spa professionals are reflecting on what has been a busy — and in many cases, unexpectedly strong — 2025 season. Dealers in the Midwest tell a story of strong pipelines, adaptive strategies and clear plans for growth.
Two companies exemplify this momentum: Arvidson Pools & Spas, with locations in Crystal Lake, St. Charles, and Palatine, Ill., and Swimming Pool Services, based in Waukesha, Wis. Both have seen healthy performance this year, and together, their perspectives offer a clear picture of how seasonal retailers are navigating the offseason.
A STRONG FINISH
For Arvidson Pools & Spas, 2025 was a year of consistent performance across all three of its divisions: new pool construction, service and maintenance, and retail. Dennis Marunde, president, says the company is closing out the year on solid footing.
“Overall combined performance has been pretty solid for us,” he says. “We’re very close to beating our best year ever, which was 2022. Construction is up, service is up, retail is flat. Certain categories within retail are actually down, but we’ll end the year relieved and healthy.”
Construction and service remain the company’s strongest pillars, with healthy backlogs carrying into 2026. Retail, meanwhile, has required a more measured approach. “The hot tub and swim spa categories have been lighter than expected this year,” Marunde explains. “We’re looking for ways to keep interest building and sales closing through marketing efforts, including new off-site events and promotions.”
In Wisconsin, Mike Panella, CEO of Swimming Pool Services, describes 2025 in more emphatic terms. “It’s been a banner year for us,” he says. “This is going to be our best year ever for several departments. From the folks I’m talking to, the Midwest in general is really thriving.”
Before the pandemic, Swimming Pool Services typically had a four-to-six- month backlog. That ballooned to two years during COVID and, though timelines have shortened, they remain well above historic averages.
“Now, consistently, we’re running nine to 12 months booked at any given time,” Panella explains. “By the end of October, we might already be sold out for next year.”
Hot tub sales have also hit new highs. “We’ve already sold more hot tubs this year than we ever have — with two and a half months left,” says Panella. Improving price margins on that volume will be a key focus going forward. He explains that while strong unit sales have built momentum, aggressive promotions have also squeezed profits. “The next step is making sure the profitability matches the volume. We want to keep growing, but in a way that’s financially healthy.”
RETAIL & CONSUMER BEHAVIOR
As the 2025 season progressed, both companies noticed changing dynamics on the retail side — particularly in how consumers approach the buying process.
At Arvidson Pools & Spas, Marunde has seen a clear shift in the quality and behavior of retail leads. Customers are entering the process earlier, requiring more education and followup. “The quality of leads in retail isn’t what it used to be,” he says. “People require more touchpoints, as they’re not coming to us as far along in the process. You’ve got to work harder. Our CRM tracks lead activity; we monitor it, coach, mentor. Nobody rests on their laurels.”
To keep the team engaged and aligned with these shifts, Arvidson relies heavily on its retail division manager, who meets with each store weekly. “She checks in regularly, keeps morale up, and makes sure best practices are being followed across the board,” Marunde says. “If someone’s struggling with leads, she can see it in the system and coach on the spot.”
Swimming Pool Services has observed some of the same patterns, but Panella frames them less as a new challenge and more as a return to pre-pandemic norms. “During COVID, decision cycles were compressed,” he explains. “People would spend hundreds of thousands on a pool after thinking about it for a few weeks. That wasn’t normal then, and it’s not now. We’ve just returned to what used to be typical — longer buying cycles, more nurturing of clients.”
Some leads have been in their pipeline for years. “We have projects now that started four or five years ago,” Panella says. “Others move quickly because our backlog is so long, and they want to secure a spot. It’s a mixed bag.”
Economic factors are also playing a role, though both companies say they haven’t seen demand drop. Instead, customers are becoming more priceconscious and are seeking value. Marunde points to the popularity of bundled equipment promotions as one example.
“People are looking for deals right now,” he says. “We’ve had success offering flat-rate installs and tiered discounts — the more equipment pieces they replace together, the better the deal. It prompts people to pull the trigger now, and it’s structured so it doesn’t hurt our bottom line.”
Panella shares the observation on price sensitivity but emphasizes his company’s focus on value over deep discounting. “Consumers care about the bottom line, but I need to stand behind what we sell,” he says. “There’s something to be said for the reliability of known brands. We’ll continue to sell the best products, not just the cheapest.”
BUILDING TEAMS FOR THE LONG GAME
While many pool and spa companies continue to cite hiring as a persistent challenge, Swimming Pool Services experienced a breakthrough year. Heading into spring, the company employed 41 people. By fall, they had hired 22 more and retained the majority.
“We set a goal of 55 people by yearend,” Panella says. “We’ll probably end up with over 60. That’s huge growth for a company our size — close to 40 to 50%.”
The company credits that success to a combination of culture, creativity, and a willingness to invest. Historically reliant on job boards like Indeed and ZipRecruiter, this year, they worked with two professional recruiters for the first time. “Recruiters aren’t cheap,” Panella admits. “But what’s the cost of not having the people we need? We took a shot, and it’s proven to be a wise decision. When someone lasts a year, two years, five years — the math works out fast.”
They also embraced more community engagement. One of the year’s most memorable efforts was a job fair targeting middle and high school students.
“We brought a cold plunge and challenged kids to keep their hands in 40-degree water for two minutes,” Panella recalls. “We probably engaged 500 to 1,000 kids that day. Some asked about apprenticeships. We stole the show — it was fun and memorable.”
The underlying philosophy, Panella explains, is simple: build a strong culture first, then attract people who fit it. “Let’s build a great culture, treat people well, pay them well, and they’ll stay,” he says. “That recipe is working for us.”
At Arvidson Pools & Spas, the focus is also on keeping its existing teams motivated and maximizing productivity within each division. Marunde says service capacity is largely limited by the number of qualified technicians available. “If we can grow our team, we’ll have the work,” he says. “The demand is there.”
To address this, Arvidson has implemented more incentive-based compensation alongside regular costof- living adjustments. “The cost of living doesn’t go down,” Marunde says. “We’re doing our best to control payroll costs by offering more incentive pay and bonus opportunities tied to performance. Underperformers don’t get cut out of raises entirely, but our best people can really benefit.”
Training also plays a key role in keeping teams sharp, particularly during the offseason. Swimming Pool Services had planned an intensive spring training program, but a ransomware attack disrupted it earlier this year. Panella says rebuilding and expanding that program is a top priority heading into 2026.
“With so many new hires, we want to get everyone the reps they need to feel confident,” he says. “We don’t fire people for making mistakes — we just expect they don’t make the same one twice. Empowerment is part of our culture.”
OFFSEASON STRATEGIES, STAYING BUSY AND STRATEGIC
As temperatures drop across the Midwest, both companies are shifting gears — not slowing down. Their approaches reflect the realities of seasonal business in northern climates: extending productivity, locking in early deals, and keeping customers engaged year-round.
For Arvidson Pools & Spas, much of the focus is on maximizing the fall construction window and maintaining retail momentum through structured winter promotions. In the Chicago area, late-season warmth sometimes allows projects to continue well into winter. “If we can get the hole dug and reach a certain point of progress before the frost sets in, we can keep working through winter,” Marunde explains. “I love it when we have enough projects to keep our teams active, even if it’s on a reduced schedule.”
On the retail side, Arvidson runs monthly events through the offseason without relying on deep discounts. “We’re careful not to go the Bed Bath & Beyond route,” Marunde jokes. “We don’t want to train customers to wait for a coupon.” Fall is also prime time for early buys and vendor negotiations. “We’re doing our early buys now for chemicals, equipment,” he says. “It’s about securing pricing and ensuring we’re set up for spring.”
Crews also pivot to holiday lighting installations, a side business that reliably boosts revenue from mid- October through mid-December. “It’s fun because the guys like the change,” Marunde says. “They take their families around to see the houses they decorated. It adds a nice and profitable boost to the year.”
Swimming Pool Services follows a similar operational rhythm, though Wisconsin’s retail climate brings additional challenges. “Retail in Wisconsin is tough this time of year,” Panella admits. “We’ll run hot tub events, but we know volume is low. The main thing is to keep our foot on the gas with hot tubs, keep visibility up, and prepare for spring.”
Their crews also shift to Christmas light installations as pool closings wrap up. “October is crazy — we’re closing pools and shifting labor at the same time,” Panella says. “As the weather turns, we pivot maintenance crews and keep them working. We want people to be busy year-round.”
As Panella finalizes early-buy programs to get ahead of 2026 pricing, he’s also watching the growing presence of lower-cost imports. “Consumers don’t care about the brand — they care about the bottom line,” he says. “But I need to stand behind what we sell. For now, we’re sticking with the brands we trust.”
TRENDS & OUTLOOK, ADAPTING TO A CHANGING LANDSCAPE
As both companies prepare for 2026, they’re watching cultural, environmental, and economic trends that continue to reshape the pool and spa business.
One notable shift is the continued growth of wellness products like cold plunges and saunas. At Swimming Pool Services, cold plunges — once dismissed by Panella as a fleeting fad — have proven to be a steady, complementary category.
“I thought the cold plunge was going to fade out in 18 to 24 months,” he admits. “That hasn’t been the case. It’s not going to be as big as hot tubs, but it has staying power. Most of our customers buy a cold plunge alongside a hot tub. The pairing makes sense.”
Looking ahead, the company plans to add saunas to its showroom lineup in 2026 to further round out its wellness offerings. “There’s demand for saunas,” Panella says. “We don’t need to set the world on fire with it, but it’s another product that fits into that wellness lifestyle — helping people relax and live better.”
At Arvidson Pools & Spas, weather patterns have become an increasingly important operational factor. While warmer autumns have extended the construction season, heavier and more frequent rain events pose scheduling challenges.
“Rain and repeated weather fronts shut crews down,” Marunde says. “That hurts revenue more than a shorter season. We’ll take a later fall any year, but the severity of weather events is the bigger problem for us.”
On the economic front, both companies are cautiously optimistic. Panella describes the current moment as “a strange economy” — with a soaring stock market, a slow housing sector, and mixed signals in the job market. “Normally, if the economy tightens, pool work is the first thing to go,” he says. “We don’t see that yet. Our pipelines are full, our backlog is strong, and engagement hasn’t slowed.”
BUILDING ON STRENGTH
As 2025 comes to a close, both companies are focused on carrying their momentum into the new year — not through dramatic reinvention, but through strategic refinement.
For Arvidson Pools & Spas, that means continuing to balance its three business divisions, nurturing vendor partnerships, and fine-tuning retail strategy while investing in staff performance and morale. “It comes down to customers and teams,” Marunde says. “Solve problems, deliver value — everyone wins.”
For Swimming Pool Services, the outlook is equally forward-looking. “I’m always optimistic,” Panella says. “This year has been a banger for us, and demand is there. We’re going to keep adding people, keep growing, and find ways to keep this machine churning.”
This article first appeared in the November 2025 issue of AQUA Magazine — the top resource for retailers, builders and service pros in the pool and spa industry. Subscriptions to the print magazine are free to all industry professionals. Click here to subscribe.
