Industry News
Reaching Millennials: Improving Productivity in the Pool and Spa Industry
Expanding your business often requires you to have a productive workforce. However, this does not come easy, especially in the pool and spa industry. Often, you’ll have to create an environment that motivates people to deliver nothing but the best.
Beyond a shadow of a doubt, it is important to note that most of the workforce today is aged 25-40. Also, there is an upcoming workforce, Gen Z, aged 15-25. Sadly, millennials are popularly known for job-hopping. And it’s time for employers to stop this by making some changes. “The truth is millennials are very productive and can be trusted with a lot in the job market since they are talented,” states Jason Dorsey, president of The Center for Generational Kinetics. “Nonetheless, it is essential for all company owners to understand what they need and meet their requirements.”
Millenials have tremendous potential that can expand your business in the pool and spa industry. All you have to do is value them and give them a chance to make a difference in your company.
president of The Center for Generational Kinetics, Jason Dorsey
What do Millennials need?
Meaningful work
“Well, every employee loves doing meaningful work. But millennials consider meaningful work more important than everyone else,” Jack Altschuler, president of Fully Alive Leadership, Northbrook, Ill.
Millennials desire to work in a workplace that offers motivation. Jack proceeds to say, “This is how millennials reason; if I’m going to work on a simple, 30-minute installation process for the whole day, I won’t feel useful. So, I’ll do my best to get out of here as soon as I can since I’m not experiencing any growth.” All in all, millennials are more interested in work that contributes to their growth and others’ lives.
Moreover, they want companies to get involved in community work. So, it is up to the employer in the pool and spa industry to understand this. Richard Avdoian, a team member development consultant in Metropolitan St. Louis, states, “Millennials want their employers to take part in bettering the lives of others.”
Productive labor
Millennials need to know that their efforts are bringing in a larger clientele and profit. Randy Goruk, president of The Randall Wade Group, Scottsdale, Ariz, says, “Millenials desire to get involved in decision making. They want employers to listen to their opinions.” They often have great ideas, but if there is nobody to listen to them, they look for somewhere else where their opinions will be considered.
Professional growth and development
Dorsey states, “It is important for millennials to grow as better people in their jobs. They want to improve their skills to build solid careers in the pool and spa industry.” Additionally, millennials want to secure their jobs by improving their professionalism since there have been minimal job opportunities of late. And they want their employers to guide them on this. Good employers give millennials feedback on their performance in the right manner.
Flexible work hours and unstructured work environments
Another thing that millennials desire in jobs is flexibility. Most of them are trying to balance their work-life and career. Thus, employers need to offer flexible work schedules for them. So, the old 9 to 5 job tradition does not work for them. Dorsey states, “Healthcare is essential to most millennials. Thus, employers need to issue a health insurance cover for them. Nonetheless, Gen Z seems less interested in health insurance.”Gen Z desires to have their wages paid on flexible terms. They prefer getting paid at the end of every shift rather than getting monthly wages; It helps them make better financial decisions.
Where does your company lie?
From this article, it is clear to see how employers can establish millennial-friendly workplaces in the pool and spa industry. Typically, it is clever to create a work-friendly environment that best suit a millennial’s requirements. Avdoian says, “Spare some time to organize work meetings with your employees. Here, you can ask the millennials their opinions and views on certain subject matters. Some of the questions you can ask them include, “What do you find motivating in the workplace? What improvements would you like us to make? Are you satisfied with our compensation plans?”
How do you know your business has met the millennial’s needs?
Below are some of the questions you can use to determine whether your company’s environment is suitable for millennials. Answer each of the questions using:
- 0 for “Never.”
- 4 for “Seldom.”
- 8 for “Often.”
- 10 for “Regularly.”
Once you are done, calculate the total score at the bottom of this page.
- Does your company work towards bettering the lives of others?
- Have you taken part in charitable community projects?
- Are your staff members included in the decision-making process?
- Does your company offer opportunities for personal and professional growth?
- Do you tell your employees how their actions affect the growth of the company?
- Does the company offer regular performance?
- Are working hours flexible?
- Does the company’s benefit mix show team member preferences?
- Do you ask your employees how they view their workplace environment?
Interpretation of results
- 70: Your work environment is millennial-friendly
- 55-70: You need to work on some things to make the workplace more millennial-friendly.
- 55: You have to change and enhance your understanding and mentality of millennials.
Asking such questions would help you know whether your millennial employees are happy with their work. Whenever you identify something, your employees are not happy; it would help if you change it. Consequently, you’ll be able to have a highly motivated and productive workforce that offers quality services. At the end of the day, your company will receive increased sales, revenues, and profits.
Industry News
POOLCORP Welcomes John Watwood as President and Chief Executive Officer
Seasoned distribution leader to drive POOLCORP’s next chapter of growth, deepening commitment to customers and supply partners
COVINGTON, LA., May 14, 2026 — POOLCORP, the world’s largest wholesale distributor of swimming pool and outdoor living products, recently announced the appointment of John Watwood as President and Chief Executive Officer.
Watwood joined the company in January 2026 as Executive Vice President and has quickly made an impact after spending much of his time in POOLCORP sales centers, meeting with customers, engaging with suppliers, and aligning closely with teams across the business. With extensive leadership experience in industrial and specialty distribution, Watwood brings a deep understanding of how to build high-performing teams, strengthen customer connections, and create long-term value in the industry.
Prior to joining POOLCORP, Watwood served as Senior Vice President of Sales and Operations at Motion Industries, a leading distributor of industrial parts and value-added solutions and a subsidiary of Genuine Parts Company. During his career, he has led large-scale sales and operations organizations focused on customer growth, supply chain excellence, and market expansion.
“John has gained the trust of our employees, customers, and suppliers in a very short period of time,” said Kenny St. Romain, Senior Vice President at POOLCORP. “He understands distribution at its core, but more importantly, he understands the value of relationships and the local support that our customers need. Our field teams have seen firsthand his commitment to listening, supporting our customers, and helping us continue to evolve our already successful service model. There’s real excitement across the organization about where we’re headed under John’s leadership.”
Watwood’s appointment marks the next chapter for POOLCORP as the company continues to invest in customer-focused solutions, sales and service excellence, operational capabilities, and technology-enabled experiences designed to help industry professionals grow and operate more efficiently.
About Pool Corporation
POOLCORP is the world’s largest wholesale distributor of swimming pool and related outdoor living products. The Company operates approximately 455 sales centers in North America, Europe, and Australia, through which it distributes more than 200,000 products to roughly 125,000 wholesale customers, including pool builders, retail stores, and service professionals. For more information, please visit www.poolcorp.com.
Latham Group, Inc. – the largest designer and manufacturer of in-ground residential swimming pools in North America, Australia and New Zealand, visited the Nasdaq MarketSite in Times Square.
The team at Latham proudly rang the Nasdaq Opening Bell. The industry leader took a moment to celebrate its 70th anniversary and five years as a public company, highlighting continued growth, strong market performance, and resilience in a shifting residential construction landscape.
The achievement follows a year of solid performance for Latham Group Inc., which reported 7% year-over-year revenue growth in 2025, even as the broader residential construction market faced ongoing economic headwinds.
In a statement on LinkedIn, the company said:
“For seven decades, innovation has been at the core of what we do, made possible by the trusted builders and partners who bring these backyards to life every day.
Together, we’ve helped transform backyards into spaces where families gather and memories are made.
Here’s to 70 years of progress, partnership, and what we’ll build next!”
Photo Credit: Latham, The Pool Company
SPS’s Recent Acquisition of Pool Troopers Accelerates Company’s Investment in Scaled Infrastructure with ServiceTitan Powering Over 30 Branch Locations Across Five States and Standardizing Operations across the Service Cycle
LOS ANGELES – March 17, 2026— ServiceTitan (Nasdaq: TTAN), the software platform that powers the trades, today announced that SPS PoolCare, the largest residential swimming pool services platform in the United States, is standardizing their 30+ branch locations across five states on the ServiceTitan platform. By unifying their family of brands on ServiceTitan, SPS will leverage a single, enterprise-grade system to unify its vast operations, accelerate its high-velocity acquisition strategy, and scale its platform.
“SPS is demonstrating how purpose-built technology can transform a traditionally fragmented industry,” said Connor Theilmann, Chief Business Officer of ServiceTitan. “Their leadership team has made a deliberate investment in enterprise infrastructure, and we’re proud to support their continued growth. Standardizing on ServiceTitan will allow SPS to meet the needs of a large, multi-location operation, with Fraser Ramseyer, Storr Group, and the SPS leadership team making this one of the most seamless large-scale integrations we’ve ever seen.”
The move reflects SPS PoolCare’s continued investment in enterprise-grade infrastructure, as it advances its position as the dominant market leader in a highly fragmented industry. Founded in 2021 and backed by Storr Group, an investment firm that builds and scales industry-leading platforms, SPS PoolCare operates across Texas, Florida, Arizona, Nevada, and Georgia, where it employs more than 1,000 team members and is on track to perform more than two million weekly recurring pool services in 2026. ServiceTitan’s cloud-based platform serves as SPS PoolCare’s technology backbone, enabling SPS to manage complexity across geography, workforce scale, and service frequency.
“We’ve worked closely with the ServiceTitan team for several years, and this decision reflects the trust and alignment we’ve built as long-term partners,” said Lance Martin, CEO and COO of SPS PoolCare. “Our objective has always been to build a durable platform that enables our team to deliver exceptional service to our customers. Standardizing on ServiceTitan gives us the operational visibility, integration speed, and performance discipline required to scale responsibly and create long-term value.”
Ranked #1 on Pool and Spa News Top 50 Service list, SPS continues to solidify its position as the industry leader, driven by the company’s ability to pair high-velocity revenue growth with a deep commitment to staff training and retention, active industry leadership, and an early adopter of innovative technology within the pool service space. SPS PoolCare is dedicated to the communities it serves, ensuring that its national scale translates into a positive local impact across its entire service footprint.
“From inception, our thesis at Storr Group has been to build the pool industry’s first scaled category-defining operating platform,” Fraser Ramseyer, CEO of Storr Group and Founder of SPS PoolCare. “Technology is not ancillary to that vision – it is foundational. ServiceTitan provides the infrastructure necessary to integrate acquisitions efficiently, drive operational consistency, and support disciplined expansion.”
SPS PoolCare’s focus on being the employer-of-choice is supported by ServiceTitan’s mobile-first capabilities, which empower their over 1,000 staff team members with the tools they need to succeed in the field.
ServiceTitan continues to invest in purpose-built technology for the pool industry, offering features like route optimization, automated chemical tracking, and integrated project management for renovations. By providing real-time visibility into multi-location operations, ServiceTitan enables enterprise-scale businesses like SPS PoolCare to make data-driven decisions that fuel organic growth.
About ServiceTitan ServiceTitan is the software platform that powers trades businesses. The company’s cloud-based, end-to-end solution gives contractors the tools they need to run and grow their business, manage their back office, and provide a stellar customer experience. By bringing an integrated SaaS platform to an industry historically underserved by technology, ServiceTitan is equipping tradespeople with the technology they need to keep the world running.
About SPS PoolCare
As the #1 swimming pool services company in the United States, SPS PoolCare is on track to perform over 2,000,000 weekly recurring pool services in 2026 and employs more than 1,000 staff across five states. Backed by Storr Group, the company is focused on growing its family of brands across the Sun Belt, as it continues to make owning a pool a joy. SPS PoolCare is committed to creating a world-class service experience for its customers and being an employer-of-choice for its team members. Read more at spspoolcare.com.
About Storr Group
Storr Group is an operationally focused lower-middle-market private equity firm that backs, builds, and scales industry-leading platforms. With a rich background in business building, Storr combines world-class operators with strategic M&A, deep integration, and sophisticated technology to drive sustainable growth and long-term value. To partner today, visit storrgroup.com.
Press Contact
Max Wertheimer
ServiceTitan, Inc.
© 2026 ServiceTitan. All rights reserved. ServiceTitan, the ServiceTitan logo, and all ServiceTitan product and service names mentioned herein are registered trademarks or unregistered trademarks of ServiceTitan, Inc. in the United States and other countries. Other brand names and marks mentioned herein are for identification purposes only and may be the trademarks of their respective holder(s).
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