Last Drop: Gib-San Pools and Landscape Creations

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Photo courtesy Gib-San Pool and Landscape Creations

By Jason Cramp

Many people own cottages and out-of-city properties they escape to on weekends; however, this Toronto-area family can escape any day of the week, thanks to the unique ‘waterfront’ property Gib-San Pools and Landscape Creations designed for them.

From an afternoon by the pool, followed by a barbecue and relaxing dip in the spa, to hours in front of the fireplace, there is no reason for them to venture beyond their own backyard.

The landscape and aquatic features cater to all age groups and were inspired by the family’s active lifestyle. Therefore, it was important the project incorporated various elements for playing, lounging, entertaining and relaxing. To pull this off, however, the grand features of the pool and landscape had to play off and co-ordinate with the impressive custom home.

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A Passion for Success: Filter Media Has Never Looked or Felt So Good

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Pleatco LLC co-owners Howard Smith (left) and John Antretter. Photo by Blair Adams

By Blair Adams

Howard Smith and John Antretter are two savvy businessmen with very distinct hobbies—one is an avid golfer, the other a veracious reader—but they share one common passion—pool and spa filtration. As owners of Glen Cove, N.J.-based Pleatco LLC, a designer and manufacturer of water filtration systems for pools and spas, the partners have channelled their energy and used it to build on the company’s solid 40-year history of filtration excellence.

Since acquiring the company, Smith and Antretter have seen their business grow a whopping 300 per cent. They have steadily added to the size of their U.S. facility (now at 80,000 sf, every inch of which is needed to warehouse the over 700 different filters Pleatco manufacturers and to deliver on their 24- to 48-hour shipping promise). The partners recently opened a new plant in Mexico, and boosted the staff complement at both plants to 150—all this in four short years.

Some would argue this is your typical ‘rags-to-riches’ business success story: two men join forces to grow a manufacturing operation in need of 21-st century know-how, but you only have to hear the ‘World of Antretter’ to know there is something much more to this tale.

Read the full article: A Passion for Success

Showroom Design Ideas: Creating a Special Retail Experience for Customers

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Now that consumers can comparison shop year-round, 24-7, creating an interesting and compelling shopping experience is key to the survival of any retail store. Photo courtesy Dimension One Spas

By Vic Walker

The benefits of the information age are continuing to grow even today. While the Internet has given us access to vast amounts of information and data, it has also given rise to wonderful new concepts that no one ever could have imagined. Companies like social media giant Facebook and retail giant Amazon exist today because of the wide spread acceptance of the Internet. In the last few years, buying products online has led to a new philosophy on how brick and mortar stores must approach store design.

Now that consumers can comparison shop year-round, 24-7, creating an interesting and compelling shopping experience is key to the survival of any retail store. Consumers are no longer required to go to a physical location to make their purchases. However, when they do, it is important to create a retail experience the Internet is not capable of duplicating. Customer service is again becoming a way for retail stores to differentiate themselves from the faceless experience of online shopping. This is especially true when considering certain types of products that require ongoing maintenance during their life cycle, e.g., hot tubs.

In this day of online shopping and electronic consumerism, it is more important than ever to create a ‘remarkable’ retail experience to stay competitive.

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Aquatic play centres: Understanding Unique Challenges

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Due to shallow water and active misters and sprayers that are common with aquatic play centres, there is a constant need for adequate disinfection, which must be continually monitored. Photo courtesy National Swimming Pool Foundation (NSPF)

By Connie Sue Centrella

Today there is great acceptance to a wide variety of aquatic play features, including everything from waterslides and lazy rivers to activity pools, mushroom sprays, splash pads and wave pools. The tremendous popularity of waterparks with unique interactive water features has even sparked interest from residential pool owners. When it comes to size, these play features can be scaled back not only for smaller public pool installations, but also for residential applications.

These innovative aquatic features help remove the fear of water that young bathers sometimes have, as the shallow water, bubbling actions and spray features offer comfort and reassurance; however, they can also present new challenges and risk factors when it comes to maintenance and water quality concerns.

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The Case for Pool Pump Upgrades: Reducing Operating Costs

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There are several ways to reduce the energy consumed by swimming pools. Variable-speed pumps, however, top the list in terms of how much can be saved. Photo by Steve Easley

By Steve Easley and Jeff Farlow

When people talk about home energy efficiency, the conversation seldom leads to pool pumps and that needs to change. One of the most significant energy-consuming devices in homes with swimming pools is the pool pump. Pumps keep pools clean and safe by circulating water through filters. They often also circulate water through heaters, cleaners, water features or fountains.

Depending on the pool, some use one pump to perform all these jobs, while others use multiple pumps. Traditional pumps typically have one- or two-horsepower motors that run at least five to six hours per day, sometimes around the clock, consuming energy.

Read the full article: The case for pump upgrades