With more than 100 industry professionals entered into the 2016 Perfect Pool Guy and Gal contest, Pleatco LLC, a manufacturer of pool and hot tub filter cartridges in Glen Cove, N.Y., and co-sponsors Genesis and the National Swimming Pool Foundation (NSPF), have named this year’s winners.
Cory Eagles of Eagles Pool Services in Moncton, N.B., won the Perfect Pool Guy title—the first Canadian to earn this distinction in the contest’s nine years, while Jennifer Del Vaglio of East End Pool King in Southold, N.Y., received this year’s Perfect Pool Gal award.
“Cory (Eagles) not only has a heart of gold, but also has the work ethic of steel,” says Pleatco’s CEO Howard Smith. “He is celebrating the 10th anniversary of opening his own business and his success in Canada is due in large part to his determination, great customer service, honesty, and integrity.”
From building pools and being proficient in water chemistry, maintenance, and retail service, Del Vaglio takes a lot of pride in exceling as a woman in the pool industry.
“Her customers rave about her and say she is upbeat, positive, and caring,” says Smith.
This year’s Perfect Pool Guy and Gal winners will receive a trip for two to next week’s International Pool, Spa, and Patio Expo in New Orleans, La., and free attendance to the Genesis Basic Pool Construction course. Additionally, contest winners (and all finalists) will receive access to the NSPF’s Advanced Service Technician™ (AST) certification course. Also included is a high-profile awards ceremony, gala dinner, nationwide follow up advertising campaign, and product promotions.
“The service industry is extremely important when it comes to helping owners fully enjoy and appreciate their pools,” says Brian Van Bower, Genesis ambassador and co-founder. “Skip Phillips and I started our careers in pool service and it has always been near and dear to our hearts. We are proud to help honour our hardworking service professionals through the Pleatco contest.”
Thomas Lachocki, PhD, CEO of NSPF, says they are fortunate to be the new co-sponsor of Pleatco’s contest.
“At NSPF we fully support initiatives that keep pools safer, keep pools open, and assure more people can enjoy the water,” he says. “We recognize the crucial role every service technician plays, we are honoured to celebrate them, and we are pleased to offer our new AST online course as a major prize for each and every finalist to nurture continued growth.”
Due to the number of entrants, Pleatco once again expanded the contest and created additional awards to recognize other worthy contestants, including Todd Riddick, Outer Banks, N.C. (Backyard Hero Award); Erin Thibodeau, Pace, Fla. (Outstanding Service Award); Jason Lehmann, North Richland Hills, N.J. (Industry Leadership Award); Douglas Hoerber, Lake Worth, Fla. (Lifetime Achievement Award); and Mark Howard, Phoenix, Ariz. (Big Heart Award).
The official awards ceremony will be held Nov. 3 at Pleatco’s booth (#2101) during the International Pool, Spa, and Patio Expo. For more information on the contest and winners, visit www.pleatco.com.
