AH: There was a time in The Pool Patrol’s history where we became a little stagnant. In looking back, I’d say one of the keys to success is to not stand still; you’re either moving forward or moving backwards. At one point, we were unaware we were moving backwards, losing market share, and not moving in the right direction. So, we had to make some changes quickly, and once we did, we started moving forward again.
PSM: What are the future plans for your business?
AH: Right now, during COVID, we must manage supply chain issues, the growth of our company, while at the same time maintain the quality of service we provide to the businesses we already have. This has always been a mandate of The Pool Patrol; we never want it to get to the point where we’re unable to continue offering the high level of service that we’ve offered in the past.
PSM: How has COVID-19 affected your business operations? How has the shop coped through the various stages of the lockdowns?
AH: When COVID first hit in March 2020, every small business froze, including ours. For about two weeks, nothing happened, we had just expanded, we hired a new employee, and I thought the sky was falling. I thought this was going to be the end of the business as there wasn’t going to be anyone with any money and, typically during times of economic downturn, discretionary spending has not been kind to the pool and spa industry. In this case, I was wrong, the weather was great, people had to be home early with their kids, and summer holidays had started early. As a result, the pool industry was booming. This period was exciting but also scary because we were all trying to social distance which meant putting one employee in a service truck as opposed to two. We were not sure of the risks which was also scary at times. Now, it is getting a lot better, people know how the disease is transmitted. I’ve asked my staff to be careful and to take all the provincial advice into account.
PSM: How has the shop adapted to the surge in homeowners looking to create a backyard staycation? What is being done differently now in terms of shop operations to handle the increased number of projects compared to pre-pandemic?
AH: Like everyone, we are pivoting like crazy. Early on I don’t think anyone was keeping up properly as the pool and spa industry was blindsided and as a result there were backorders and delays. Our conventional methods of shipping and receiving product were failing and we had to start using a dedicated 19.5 m (64 ft) flat deck full of auto covers to be shipped across the country. This way we could control the reliability and cost of the shipping and keep our customers properly informed.
