This message was sent to ##Email##
|
|
|
|
|
| Expo photos are now ready for download
|
    |
APSP
Photos from the 2016 International Pool | Spa | Patio Expo are now online! Click here to relive the times that made the show great. Some of the highlights that you'll see include the:
Awards Reception
WAVE Network Reception
APSP-12 Plastering Standard Session
IHTA of APSP Meeting
APSP Booth
Chapter Forum
For more information, email Andrea Wells.
|
Promoted by
|
|
|
|
 |
| It's coming ... New overtime law goes into effect Dec. 1
|
|
APSP
In 2014, President Obama directed the Department of Labor (DOL) to update the overtime regulations. The final revised rule came out in May and it will go into effect Dec. 1 this year. The final rule may directly impact your business. Make sure you are prepared for the changes by reviewing the rule and relevant documents being provided by the Department of Labor at https://www.dol.gov/featured/overtime or these Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs). Here's more guidance on what the Trump administration may mean for wage and hour laws. In short, the rule:
Raises the salary threshold indicating eligibility from $455/week to $913 ($47,476 per year).
Automatically updates the salary threshold every three years, based on wage growth over time.
Bonuses and commissions will be allowed to satisfy 10 percent of the minimum salary threshold.
The bonuses and commissions can be paid quarterly and catch-up payments can be made within one week of the end of the quarter.
The final rule will become effective on Dec. 1, 2016. The final rule does not make any changes to the duties test for executive, administrative and professional employees.
| Breaking news from Lyon, France
|
|
APSP
Congratulations to Selective Designs of Peachtree City, Georgia, for its Pool Vision Award Special Mention in the 2016 Pool Vision Award Competition. Thanks to the collaboration between APSP and Piscine Global, the 2015 International Awards of Excellence winners are qualified for the Pool Vision Awards.
The recognized installation can be seen here.
 |
|
The new ®ease Floating Sanitizing System from FROG puts consumers at ease with Fresh Mineral Water® benefits and SmartChlor® Technology that reduces chlorine use by 75% with shocking only once a month. The best part is the ®ease repeat business model with strong profits for retailers.
|
|
| CPSA hires firm to monitor water issues
|
|
APSP
The CPSA has announced that it has retained the consulting firm Erler & Kalinowski, Inc. (EKI), to assist the association with its ongoing work monitoring legislation and regulations that impact the pool and spa industry. EKI is a firm that specializes in water issues and is perfectly suited to track the full spectrum of water in California and protect the pool and spa industry from threats that might otherwise go unnoticed. EKI will analyze and comment on proposed water restrictions and regulations at all levels of government. While the CPSA will still being performing the lobbying necessary on these issues, EKI will provide technical and scientific support, drafting materials and analyzing the feasibility of proposals as they relate to the pool and spa industry. Having this support will allow the CPSA to address many more issues than was previously possible, as well as granting a wealth of direct experience in the creation of Urban Water Management Plans and Water Shortage Contingency Plans. For more information contact Brittany Trudeau.
| State legislative updates
|
|
APSP
To help you better understand what proposed legislation and regulations mean for you and your business, APSP reports on bills that affect the pool and spa industry as they are filed. Members also receive email alerts on any proposed rules affecting the pool, spa or hot tub industry in their area.
Georgia — 10 Classes Offered to Learn About the New Statewide Residential Code
Virginia — Public Pools
APSP
For the first time, members of the APSP Fiberglass Pool Manufacturers Council (FC) presented the session, Why Fiberglass Pool Demand Has Tripled in the Last Decade, at Expo. Panelists included FC Chairman Curt Prystupa of Sun Fiberglass Products, FC Vice-Chair Jason Hughes of River Pools, Rick Black of Latham Pool Products and Juanita Felix of Alaglas Pools. APSP Technical Committee Chairman Steve Barnes of AquaStar Pool Products moderated the interactive session.
READ MORE
| International Swimming Pool & Spa Code Seminar attracts new attendees to Expo
|
|
APSP
During the 2016 International Pool | Spa | Patio Expo, contractors from around the country attended a review seminar on the International Swimming Pool & Spa Code, the only standardized construction code in place today. Introduced in 2012, it has been adopted in eight states on a mandatory basis and eight more on as provisional. There are also five dozen local adoptions, with more being added each month. Click here for an updated list.
| 5 ways to end the year strong
|
|
APSP
In a little more than a month, we'll be welcoming a new year. Have you accomplished everything that you wanted to in 2016? There's still time and we can help. Here are some courses you can take this December to finish the year strong:
CMS Certified Maintenance Specialist Live Virtual Course
PSCC Pool & Spa Construction Online Self-Paced Course
CHTT Certified Hot Tub Technician Online Self-Paced Course
CST Certified Service Technician Online Self-Paced Course
Improving Your Bottom Line With Project Management Online Self-Paced Course
View a complete list of upcoming live virtual and online self-paced courses here. For more information, email the APSP University.
| Get ready for Small Business Saturday
|
|
APSP
Forget Black Friday! There's a new post-Thanksgiving shopping holiday and it's called Small Business Saturday. Celebrated on Saturday, Nov. 26, 2016, Small Business Saturday encourages consumers to supports small businesses and all that they do for their communities. Maximize this holiday by downloading marketing tools from the U.S. Small Business Administration.
Aqua Magazine
Teamwork is as important to delivering a great hot tub installation as the materials or even the spa itself. But smooth teamwork between companies in the chain doesn't just happen; it often takes a little work, says Larry Berczyk, president and co-owner of Valley Pools & Spas.
READ MORE
Service Industry News
A clean pool is an inviting pool and it takes more than chemicals and a good filter system to get there: it takes a cleaner. That means 15 minutes or more manually vacuuming the pool, or better yet, investing in a good automatic cleaner. The filter system just cannot clean the whole pool.
READ MORE
Aqua Magazine
One reason weekly pool service works is due to the use of various feed or auto-systems which usually use either bleach, Cal hypo, salt, Trichlor, or bromine for sanitizing, sometimes with supplemental Ozone and UV systems. And the use of cyanuric acid (CYA), which slows down chlorine loss, also helps to provide the ability for less frequent chemical treatments. An important aspect of this weekly sanitizing program for residential pools is proper pH maintenance.
READ MORE
By Danielle Manley
 Black Friday would be described by most as the busiest shopping day of the year. However, year after year this proves to be less and less true based on financial figures. At the same time, retailers have slowly extended Black Friday to encompass Thanksgiving Day. So, is Black Friday still a key force behind holiday sales? Or is Black Friday destined to be a thing of the past? The answer might not be so simple — or the same for everyone.
READ MORE
The Legal Intelligencer
A new trend is spreading across the nation. Legislators and employee rights advocates call it "predictive" scheduling. Employers often refer to it as "restrictive" scheduling. For employers (especially in the food service, hospitality, and retail sectors), whatever you call these new scheduling laws, the question is whether the legal trend of mandating how employers schedule employees will spread across the country. The answer is maybe—so it is a trend worth following closely.
READ MORE
|
|
| SMALL BUSINESS MANAGEMENT |
By Mark MacDonald
 Social media is a communication tool that will make or break your business's brand. Our marketing-cluttered world is demonstrated on social media. Simply open the global Twitter feed, and you'll see millions of people saying something. In real time, your feed churns so quickly you can't keep up, and little breaks through. But certain people's and brand's posts are "must reads" since you really enjoy their content. Imagine if your business was a must-read brand! It can be. Here's how.
READ MORE
By Ronnie Richard
 Donald Trump just shocked the world by winning the bid to become America's 45th president, defying the predictions by most experts and pundits. So how did a real estate and media mogul with a goofy hairdo and zero political experience suddenly come to be the next leader of the world's most powerful nation? It all boils down to some marketing basics. Say what you will about his policies and beliefs, but it's quite clear that Trump has always been a masterful self-promoter.
READ MORE
USA Today
The North American Free Trade Agreement has emerged this year as the poster child for America's manufacturing job losses even though experts say the three-country trade deal is just one part of a much larger, more complex web of international trade. Donald Trump and former Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders harnessed voter anger over manufacturing job losses, castigating NAFTA as the culprit and vowing to replace it. While NAFTA has caused manufacturing job losses, the U.S. also has free trade agreements with 18 countries in addition to Canada and Mexico.
READ MORE
|
The Genesis Blu Fusion is a powerful saltwater bromine generator that uses Dead Sea salt to create silky smooth, safe, clean water without any chlorine. The unit installs in just 20 minutes on any spa and reduces water changes to just once per year, saving thousands of gallons of water.
Find out more information
|
|
|
|
|
King Technology, Inc.
The makers of POOL FROG and SPA FROG now offer a complete mineral pool care system for the fastest growing pool market! This “portable pool” is made for fun, and Flippin’ FROG helps consumers keep it that way with patented minerals and a low dose of chlorine.
Read more
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
7701 Las Colinas Ridge, Ste. 800, Irving, TX 75063
|
