[LONDON, January 7, 2026] — Pentair Pool, a global leader in sustainable pool solutions, is proud to announce the winners of the 2025 Pentair Pool Pro Awards. This year’s award theme, “The Backyard Legends,” honors the multi-faceted pool professionals who work to keep pools swim-ready and help pool owners safely and sustainably enjoy water. Winners will be celebrated at a special ceremony at the Pool and Spa Show in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

2025 Pentair Pool Pro Awards Winners

The awards recognized seven outstanding individuals for their exceptional expertise and dedication to the pool industry. The winners are:

“It’s inspiring to see the impact these pool professionals have had on their communities,” said Greg Claffey, President and Chief Revenue Officer, Pentair Pool. “And hearing their stories of success and growth has been downright humbling. It’s an honor to recognize them with these awards in tandem with our sponsors – AQUA Magazine, Pool & Hot Tub Alliance, and GENESIS®.”

Attendees to the Atlantic City Pool and Spa Show can visit the Pentair Pool Booth (2219) on Wed., Jan. 28 at 4 p.m. EST for a public celebration of these winners.

For more information on the winners and to see highlights of the upcoming awards celebration in Atlantic City, please visit www.pentair.com/pool-pro-awards or www.facebook.com/pentairpool.

About Pentair Pool

At Pentair, we help the world safely and sustainably move, improve, and enjoy water, life’s most essential resource. From our residential and business solutions to industrial water management and everything in between, Pentair is focused on smart, sustainable water solutions that help our planet and people thrive.    

As an industry leader in the pool and spa space, Pentair Pool is driven to help people sustainably enjoy water. Our solutions include industry-leading pumps, automation, lighting, heating, and filtration technology that help our customers enjoy a smarter and more sustainable pool. Customer success is at the heart of our vision for bringing family and friends together in the pool and on the deck to build social connections, create lifelong memories, and help promote fitness and enjoyment. For more information, visit www.pentair.com/poolandspa. 

Confer Plastics, one of the most established manufacturers serving the pool and spa industry, is moving forward with a 30,000-square-foot warehouse expansion at its Wheatfield, N.Y., facility. The project, now under town review, is designed to support the company’s rising production volume across pool, spa, and outdoor living categories — as well as the continued growth of its emerging direct-to-consumer business.

Company president Bob Confer confirmed that the new warehouse space at 2107 Liberty Drive will help accommodate increased demand for core products such as pool ladders, steps, hot tub cabinets, and other blow-molded components widely used across the aquatics market.

“We’re also expanding to accommodate our direct-to-consumer business, which is a relatively new endeavor for us,” he wrote in an email. “In 2023, we developed online channels for snow sleds and patio furniture. Our initial success has been pretty decent, so we expect the future for those products, and more to come, to be bright.”

The project contractor, Tedesco Construction Services, has previously overseen multiple expansion efforts for Confer at its primary manufacturing plant on Witmer Road in North Tonawanda. That facility houses some of the largest blow molding machines in the world, including a 15-foot-tall unit capable of handling 145 pounds of material at a time. The company’s capabilities extend far beyond aquatics: Confer also manufactures items for stadium seating, medical devices, kayaks, mannequins, trash receptacles, and more.

While the Wheatfield expansion will not directly add new jobs at that location, Confer noted that the increased warehouse capacity “could lead to a handful of jobs” at the main North Tonawanda plant. Additional storage effectively boosts manufacturing throughput, allowing the company to run molding machines more efficiently and increase overall production cycles.

Founded in 1973, Confer Plastics has grown to a 195-employee operation and remains one of Western New York’s most enduring manufacturers within the pool and spa sector. The warehouse expansion underscores the company’s commitment to supporting its dealer network, OEM partners, and consumers as demand for outdoor living products remains strong.

Featured Photo Credit: Confer Plastics

JED Pool Tools, manufacturer of swimming pool maintenance equipment and accessories, was pleased to recently receive a ‘Customer Excellence Award’ from Estes Freight company, the largest privately held freight transportation company in North America. This award recognizes customers that demonstrate strong shipment values, revenue growth, and foster a collaborative relationship. This award celebrates a few select customers for outstanding engagement, enabling a strategic partnership, and committing to mutual success.

“We’re pleased to earn such high recognition from a leader like Estes,” said Glenn Jonelunas Manager of Warehouse Operations at JED Pool Tools. “We’re honored to be recognized for this award, which is a reflection of the well-established and trusted partnership we’ve built together.”

The Estes Customer Excellence Award was created to recognize and celebrate customers who exemplify outstanding collaboration, commitment and service.  Estes presented JED Pool Tools with a celebratory cake and plaque.  

About JED Pool Tools

JED Pool Tools has been making high-quality pool tools and pool accessories in the USA for 30 years. JED Pool Tools sells over 400 different products including residential and commercial skimmers, leaf rakes, poles, wall brushes and vacuum heads as well as hoses and through-wall skimmer parts.  JED is a family-run company with 3-generations of Heyen family working for the company and is committed to creating and providing jobs for residents of Scranton, PA. JED isproud of and committed to manufacturing in the USA, many it its own facility in Scranton, PA. To learn more about the company and its products visit www.JEDPoolTools.com.

About Estes

Estes is North America’s largest privately owned freight carrier. As an asset-based transportation provider with a global footprint, Estes combines nearly a century of regional freight shipping expertise with the resources, reach, and reliability of a national carrier. Backed by its more than 300 North American terminals and nearly 7,000 next-day lanes, as well as its fleet of more than 10,500 tractors, Estes is committed to getting America’s freight where it needs to go, when it needs to get there. And with its continued investment in leading-edge technology, as well as the support of its more than 24,000 employees.  To learn more about Estes visit www.estes-express.com.