This year marks the 45th anniversary of the Western Pool & Spa Show which has been held annually in Long Beach, CA for the last 30 years. Last year over 10,000 pool and spa industry professionals attended the Western Pool & Spa Show making it one of the best-attended national shows in the country.

The Western Pool & Spa Show Celebrates 2 Milestones

We recently had the opportunity to chat with Eric Nielson, Director of the Western Pool & Spa Show on the pool magazine podcast. He gave us some insight into the history behind the annual event.

“It started off as a small tabletop and has grown, and this will also be our 30th year in the city which has become our home, Long Beach. So there are two milestones that we’re kind of celebrating,” said Nielson.

“Years ago, there was a small group of manufacturers, sales reps, and a few pool guys who simply got together and said, ‘Hey, maybe we should do something to educate people out there in the San Fernando Valley'”, said Nielson.

“They put together a small event in Studio City and it grew into something bigger. I believe it was Ray Pak or one of the heater companies that said, ‘Hey, maybe could we put one of our products out in the hall?’, and that was the impetus of the show floor. So they started that and then they brought in more things and it just sort of grew and grew from there. It moved from there to the convention center in Pasadena and then we outgrew that. Then there was a little time in Anaheim and now we’ve been 30 years in Long Beach,” explained Nielson.

The Western Show Has Evolved & Has Something For Everyone

The Western Show as it’s called in the trade has certainly evolved over the years, from being traditionally known as a “Service Show” to incorporating more involvement with the pool construction side of the industry. With a wide array of educational opportunities and seminars available for attendees to take, it also provides excellent value for attendees.

The show which runs from March 23-35 is open to the pool trade only. Registration is required and features workshops on how to become a CPO, seminars on electrical and plumbing, as well as workshops that are available in Spanish.

“We’re all volunteers and our focus is on education,” said Nielson, “everything that we do is geared towards us being able to provide that high-quality opportunity for educating the industry. This year we have lots of different classes that people can come and take advantage of for a very inexpensive price. For $115. You can come all three days, take any one of 90 different classes including programs for Spanish-speaking attendees. You really can’t get that anyplace else.”

Educational workshops are being held by Pentair, Hayward, and Fluidra as well as by Watershape University, Pool Nation, Orenda Technologies, Taylor Technologies, PAL Lighting, as well as many others. The class schedule and exhibit hours for this event are as follows:

Thursday, March 23, 2023

Education: 1:00 p.m. to 5:45 p.m.
Exhibit Hours: 6:00 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Friday, March 24, 2023

Education: 8:00 a.m. to 2:45 p.m.
Exhibit Hours: 2:00 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Friday, March 24, 2023

Education: 8 a.m. to 1:45 p.m.
Exhibit Hours: 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.

The Western Pool & Spa Show does hourly drawings and a big giveaway at the end of the event. “We’re going to give away $20,000 in cash,” said Nielson, “in total, we also ended up giving away almost $60,000 worth of prizes last year. Second prize last year we had a pump, heater, filter, a whole equipment pad from Pentair. We have hourly drawings. This year we’re working with AquaCal Autopilot. They are donating a heat pump which is valued at about $9,000.”

The Western Show is also a great opportunity to network with professionals, distributors, and manufacturers as well as learn about the latest products and innovations. For those on the West Coast, it remains one of the easiest shows to get to and provides some of the best value in terms of the educational opportunities available for pool professionals.

Pool Magazine will definitely be in the house as well so make sure to stop by our booth (#216) and pick up the spring issue featuring Lucas Congdon, host of Insane Pools and owner of Lucas Lagoons.

Want to learn more about the Western Pool & Spa Show? Listen in on our conversation with Eric Nielson on the Pool Magazine podcast.

London, United Kingdom (March 20, 2023) – Pentair recently appointed Jerome Pedretti as
Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer of its Pool segment, and Greg Claffey as
Group President of Pool.

In their roles, Pedretti and Claffey have a shared commitment to further supporting pool
professionals by delivering innovation excellence, accelerating category growth with smart,
sustainable products and solutions for the future of the pool industry, and making it easier to do business with Pentair.

“Our dealer base in Pool is important to us, and we work every day to lead with a ‘Customer
First’ mindset and become closer to our customers,” said Jerome Pedretti. “These dealers –
pool builders, service companies, small retailers – are critical to our success. We are focused
on prioritizing their needs and delivering for our customers into the future.”

“Our network of pool professionals, channel partners, and dealers are at the heart of our vision
for the future,” said Greg Claffey. “We believe that 2023 will be a great year as we work to
deliver innovative and energy efficient pool solutions to help people more sustainably enjoy
water.”

ABOUT PENTAIR
At Pentair we help the world 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.

Pentair had revenue in 2022 of approximately $4.1 billion, and trades under the ticker symbol PNR. With approximately 11,250 global employees serving customers in more than 150 countries, we work to help improve lives and the environment around the world. To learn more, visit www.pentair.com. As an industry leader in the pool and spa space, Pentair is dedicated to elevating the pool experience to the next level with connected, efficient, and quality products so people can soak in the magical, wonder filled moments by their pool, giving them time – and peace of mind – to create them. Pentair’s pool solutions are engineered to filter, clean and sanitize water, while automation equipment makes it easy to
control from anywhere. For more information, visit pentair.com/pool.

CAUTION CONCERNING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This release contains statements that we believe to be “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements, other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements. Without limitation, any statements preceded or followed by or that include the words “targets,” “plans,” “believes,” “expects,” “intends,” “will,” “likely,” “may,” “anticipates,” “estimates,” “projects,” “should,” “would,” “could,” “positioned,” “strategy,” “future” or words, phrases or terms of similar substance or the negative thereof, are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking
statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors, some of which are beyond our control, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These factors include the overall global economic and business conditions impacting our business, including the strength of housing and related markets and conditions relating to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine related sanctions; supply, demand, logistics, competition and pricing pressures related to and in the markets we serve; the ability to achieve the benefits of our restructuring plans, cost reduction initiatives and
transformation program; the impact of raw material, logistics and labor costs and other inflation; volatility in currency exchange rates; failure of markets to accept new product introductions and enhancements; the ability to successfully identify, finance, complete and integrate acquisitions; risks associated with operating foreign businesses; the impact of seasonality of sales and weather conditions; our ability to comply with laws and regulations; the impact of changes in laws, regulations and administrative policy, including those that limit U.S. tax benefits or impact trade agreements and tariffs; the outcome of litigation
and governmental proceedings; and the ability to achieve our long-term strategic operating and ESG goals. Additional information concerning these and other factors is contained in our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), including our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022. All forward-looking statements, including all financial forecasts, speak only as of the date of this release. Pentair assumes no obligation, and disclaims any obligation, to update the information contained in this release.

The Pool & Hot Tub Alliance recognizes the impact of the Michael Phelps Foundation’s IM Program with $20,000 grant to increase access to free, comprehensive water safety curriculum 

Alexandria, Va. (March 9, 2023) – Step Into Swim, an initiative of the Pool & Hot Tub Alliance (PHTA) dedicated to creating more swimmers through safe swim education, today announced it awarded $20,000 through its 2023 grant program to the Michael Phelps Foundation. In its efforts to build confidence in young swimmers and decrease the nation’s already-high drowning rate, Step Into Swim continues to advocate for increased access to water safety education and encourages lesson providers to apply for funding.

“Learning to swim empowers children to be water safety champions and helps prevent drowning,” said Rowdy Gaines, three-time Olympic Gold Medalist and Vice President of Partnerships and Development for PHTA, who leads the Step Into Swim initiative. “Step Into Swim takes swim safety seriously and we applaud the Michael Phelps Foundation among all the learn-to-swim lesson providers for doing the same. They put children first and teach them the skills they need to not only survive, but thrive in the water.”

With Step Into Swim latest grant, the Michael Phelps Foundation will offer swim safety lessons to more than 400 children in underserved communities and instill the lifesaving skill of learning to swim. In fact, learning to swim from a qualified instructor reduces the drowning rate by 88% among children ages 1 through 4,^[1] the very same age group impacted most by drowning deaths.^[2]

“I was first introduced to the water through a water-safety program, and I am committed to helping expand access to that same learn-to-swim program through our IM program,” said Michael Phelps, Founder of the Michael Phelps Foundation. “We are proud to partner with Rowdy Gaines and the PHTA’s Step Into Swim initiative to help teach more children to feel comfortable and confident in and around the water. Together, we can help inspire and educate the next generation about the valuable life skill of learning to swim.”

In addition to the life-saving skill of learning to swim, the Michael Phelps Foundation’s IM program provides a comprehensive curriculum that includes goal setting and healthy living (emotional and physical) lessons for children.

In 2022, Step Into Swim raised over $750,000 dollars, which provided grants to more than 60 facilities in 46 states and funded swim lessons for 23,500 children. The initiative has gifted more than 300,000 swim lessons since 2012 through YMCAs, Jewish Community Centers, Boys and Girls Clubs, and many more. Step Into Swim accepts grant applications on a rolling basis. Interested learn-to-swim providers can learn more and apply at www.stepintoswim.org/get-involved/apply/. 

^{[1] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Drowning Data. https://www.cdc.gov/drowning/data/index.html}

^{[2] Association Between Swimming Lessons and Drowning in Childhood, A Case-Control Study:  Ruth Brenner, et al. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4151293/}

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About The Michael Phelps Foundation:

The Michael Phelps Foundation (MPF) is focused on promoting water safety, healthy living, and the pursuit of dreams, especially for children. Founded in 2008, MPF has provided learn-to-swim, healthy living, and goal-setting programming to more than 250,000 people around the world through strategic partnerships with the Boys & Girls Club of America, Special Olympics International, and the Level Field Fund. For more information, please visit:http://www.michaelphelpsfoundation.org.

About the Pool & Hot Tub Alliance and Step Into Swim:

The Pool & Hot Tub Alliance (PHTA), a non-profit organization with nearly 3,500 members from around the world, was established in 1956 to support, promote, and protect the common interests of the $36.5B pool, hot tub, and spa industry. PHTA provides education, advocacy, standards development, research, and market growth to increase our members’ professionalism, knowledge, and profitability. Additionally, PHTA facilitates the expansion of swimming, water safety, and related research and outreach activities aimed at introducing more people to swimming, making swimming environments safer, and keeping pools open to serve communities. For more information, visit www.phta.org.

Step Into Swim^TM is an initiative of the Pool & Hot Tub Alliance and its foundation committed to safe swim education and drowning prevention. By investing in the next generation of swimmers through learn-to-swim programming, the Step Into Swim initiative instills confidence, empowers long-term participation in water activities, touts the positive benefits of water play, and advocates for safe practices. Since its inception in 2012, Step Into Swim has played a role in reducing drowning fatalities and has gifted swim lessons to more than 300,000 children with support from community organizations, partners, industry advocates, members and more. For more information, visit www.stepintoswim.org.