NSPF celebrating 50 years of keeping pools safer and open

by jason_cramp | September 24, 2015 2:15 pm

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The National Swimming Pool Foundation® (NSPF®) is celebrating its 50^th anniversary, which will be commemorated at this year’s World Aquatic Health™ Conference (WAHC) in Scottsdale, Ariz., on Oct. 7.

The not-for-profit organization was founded in 1965 in response to the need for an educational organization to research and supplement practical knowledge for the aquatics industry. In the ’70s, the NSPF developed the well-known Certified Pool/Spa Operator® (CPO®) certification course, which at the time was a mail-in correspondence program. Currently, it remains the NSPF’s most popular course, as more than 400,000 industry professionals in nearly 100 countries are CPO certified.

In 2003, the organization expanded from three employees to 19, including the appointment of Thomas Lachocki, Ph.D., as the new CEO. At this time, the NSPF reinvented itself with the goal of creating more value for its customers. Part of this included the release of an updated full-colour, indexed, Pool/Spa Operator™ Handbook, which resulted in a 30 per cent increase in CPO certification the following year.

In 2004 the annual WAHC was launched by the NSPF as an educational and networking event for the aquatics field and Alex Antoniou was hired as the organization’s first director of educational programs. He has helped grow the NSPF’s educational portfolio, including the first comprehensive series of online training programs focusing on specialized programs in aquatics. The NSPF was also first to fund the development of a science-based, free Model Aquatic Health Code (MAHC), which is now published by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC).

The organization’s international education and research efforts also expanded in the mid-2000s, which included the release of the Pool & Spa Operator® handbook in Spanish and French, and the reinvestment of $4 million in grants for research on helping keep pools safer (2006). In 2007 the Pool Operator Primer™ online course and Pool Operator Fusion™ classroom course were introduced and in 2009 a partnership was formed with the American Red Cross to create Home Pool Essentials,™ an online course for homeowners.

“The innovations we have created have resulted in 12 consecutive years of mission-focused training-program growth. As a result, we are able to give back to prevent bad things and to promote good things,” says Lachocki. “All we ask is that everyone in our field train their staff. If you chose to use NSPF materials, thank you. We take your confidence very seriously and commit to serve you for decades to come.”

Today, the NSPF remains committed to furthering advances in research to demonstrate how aquatic activity creates healthier lives. As part of this, the organization recently became a sponsor of Swim Today, a new initiative targeting youth swimming.

Source URL: https://www.poolspamarketing.com/trade/celebrating-50-years-of-keeping-pools-safer-and-open/

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