Professional Watershaping

Safety is Tough to Talk About
The pool industry has always been challenged when it comes to discussing and promoting safety. As Eric Herman argues here, the way forward with the safety issue is to empower consumers with information about the benefits of swim instruction, as well as the importance of supervision and the spectrum of engineered safety systems and products. ...
Essential Digital Modeling
There is no question the bar for visual presentations has been raised dramatically in recent years. 3D modeling programs have transformed the way that watershape and landscape designs are created and sold. That’s why Watershape University is offering a new course aimed at elevating digital presentation skillsets. ...
Outgrowing the ‘Pool Guy’
The labels watershapers use to describe who they are and what they do for a living matter in more ways than one, argues Kevin Woodhurst. Because professional terminology reflects an underlying value system and industry culture, there’s one term in particular that he believes should be permanently retired. ...
The Art of Installation
While the meaning of “art” has been pondered for millennia, many of those who pursue creating art believe the answer lies in the finest details, and the struggle needed to achieve them. Jimmy Reed argues the installation process itself is the true essence of artistry and the only way to make gemstones from tile and water. ...
Chlorine (a reactive history)
Swimming pools and chlorine have been synonymous for more than a century. Even today as alternative sanitizers and technologies designed to reduce, or some say eliminate, the use of chlorine, gain market share, products based on this most familiar element remain the workhorse of recreational water treatment. ...
Old West, New West
The most beautiful bodies of man-made water aren’t worth much without the people who maintain them. The profound importance, and enduring nature, of the traditional independent pool service industry was on Eric Herman’s mind as he attended this year’s, forty fifth edition of the Western Pool & Spa Show. ...
Onboarding and Certification
Watershape University supports industry professionals across a spectrum of informational needs and topics. As the busy season approaches, with companies expanding their staff, WU online, on-demand programs are at the ready to ensure your staff is prepared to perform at the highest possible level. ...
Growth in Motion
Embracing change is not always easy, it can take courage, foresight, wisdom and sometimes luck. Veteran watershaper, Kevin Woodhurst has been through many such passages in his long career, but perhaps none more rewarding than a recent move to a new home and into a new chapter. ...
Construction software from RB Retail and Service Solutions
RB Retail and Service Solutions (Monroeville, PA) now offers a fully integrated construction software solution that is designed specifically for pool and outdoor living builders. This unique module tracks construction costs, inventory, and the actual progress of each job – with customizable notes, enabling builders to track the ongoing costs of construction work, and the physical progress of the project with job progress management. Learn more here.
Spatial Emotions
Designing spaces for human use -- especially those of the recreational variety -- starts by understanding that the primary goal is to generate a positive emotional response, regardless of style, the size of the property or the client’s budget. That’s why Mike Farley considers the ways that different spatial configurations make his clients feel. ...