Off-Season Resets

Winters in the Hamptons on Long Island, NY, are cold, long and for pool service businesses, also quiet and even lonely. As summer residents vacate for ski slopes or warmer climes, Julie Kazdin reports that winters at her company are focused on rest, retooling, and renewal, all essential in preparing for the busy season ahead.

By Julie Kazdin

Inevitable as the seasons themselves, when the pool toys are put away and the covers are on tight, pool and spa service businesses go into their own version of hibernation. After 21 years in the business on Long Island, I’ve learned that winter is a time for both renewal and preparation, and when managed effectively, an essential part of the annual business cycle.

Out here, the off-season has a very clear edge. We service between 300 and 400 pools in the Hamptons, from Remsenburg to Montauk and Shelter Island, and by late November or early December, nearly all of them are closed. About 99% have safety covers, which, frankly, are in use far more than the pools themselves.

Before winter truly sets in, every pool gets one last visit. We call it our quality- assurance check to make sure everything is secure and prepped for oncoming snow and ice. It’s the final touch of the season, unless the client is on winter service, which is very seldom.

For a vast majority of our customers, we are the last people on their property until March or April.

A Seasonal Workforce

Places like Long Island are fundamentally different from year-round pool markets, which do also experience less dramatic seasonal shifts. But here, winter is a hard stop. Everyone shuts it down, and you need to be ready; making the down time part of the annual cycle, and many ways, part of your company culture.

That means downsizing staff when work comes to a halt. We’re very fortunate that our team members come back year after year. Most of them understand the rhythm: we start seasonal layoffs around mid-October to early November, largely depending on weather, and we pick back up in mid-March. Some of our seasonal employees have been doing this longer than I’ve been here, and that continuity reinforces trust and stability. They know this is the cycle, and they know they’re coming back.

We usually bring back about 12 core people every year and try to hire two to three new ones, to replace those we know are not returning.

I encourage our team to go on unemployment during the winter, and most of our long-term employees have learned how to budget around it. With overtime during the season and bonuses, they plan ahead and truly take the winters off.

Most the time, they really look forward to it. Some of our older employees will come in around October and say, “Can this be my last week?” They’re ready for their winter break, and for most of them, it’s four to five months off.

Culture Comes First

Every once in a while, this is also the time when we make some hard decisions. If there are HR issues or cultural problems, we address them head-on. Sometimes, the does mean letting someone go. Fact is, we depend on each other in the long days of summer, and our experienced employees would much rather work harder with the right people than tolerate someone who doesn’t fit.

Those types of decisions are far from capricious. It’s a process. We operate with a very immediate feedback culture, which is year-round. Customer complaints and compliments are shared the same day. We talk frequently and openly. I want people comfortable walking into my office to tell me something’s wrong, just as I want to feel comfortable telling them when something needs fixing.

Gratitude matters just as much. When a customer sends an email praising our work, it goes up where everyone can see it. That visibility reinforces pride and accountability.

At the core, it’s about acceptance. I strive to create a workplace where people genuinely don’t mind coming to work, even when life outside doesn’t feel great. If you’re a good person, you belong here. I truly believe in that kind of supportive culture. The trust it fosters is a big part of why we have so many great people working with us who return year after year.

Winter Education and Training

One way to look at it is the winter is when we work on the business instead of in it, and that means it’s time for learning.

Off-season education is a big investment for us. We’re major Pentair and Hayward installers, so those manufacturer classes are annual priorities. Automation training, in particular, has become critical as systems continue to differentiate themselves. We also send people to plaster, PebbleTec, and other specialty classes depending on roles and interests, along with trade shows like Atlantic City and regional open houses.

And, of course, there’s Watershape University, in my view, the platinum standard for industry education.

The goal is simple: make our people better at what they do. In return, many appreciate the opportunity to advance their skillsets and oftentimes increase their income.

Every year, regardless of tenure, everyone goes through a full week of onboarding together during the first full week of April. Job descriptions, handbooks, expectations, all reviewed annually.

Cleaning, Reviewing, and Reupping

Winter is also when we clean — everything.

Trucks, warehouse, offices, retail space. During the season, things get messy fast. Some of our staff members genuinely enjoy this part of winter because it lets them reset the warehouse the way they want it. When people take ownership of their space, they maintain it better.

Winter is also vehicle maintenance season. You don’t want trucks down in July. Our fleet doesn’t rack up tons of miles because our service routes are tight and well-organized, but the wear and tear is significant, nonetheless.

We also shred old paperwork, reorganize offices, and even restyle the retail store — the same way you might rearrange your living room for a fresh feel. Trucks get reorganized, warehouses rethought, systems improved. It’s renewing, and honestly, a little cathartic.

Of course, there’s the nose-down administrative aspects of the off-season priorities. We go line by line through our contracts, reviewing language, pricing, policies, everything. This year, for example, we added language clarifying that credits stay on accounts rather than being refunded by check. All of it gets reviewed by attorneys before we move forward.

We send service contracts out to customers around February 1st, so pricing decisions happen well beforehand. Again, it’s a disciplined process. We run multiple spreadsheets analyzing labor, chemicals, hard goods, whole goods, margins, and markups. Because we’re an all-inclusive pricing model, getting it right matters.

Price increases are never easy conversations, but they’re necessary. We try to keep them modest, usually around 5%, and we’re often more generous than we realize. One of our goals now is simply doing a better job communicating all the “free” extras customers receive throughout the season.

We also review our client list. Fact is, some customers won’t be invited back, the non-payers, chronic late payers, people who refuse necessary maintenance like winter covers, or especially anyone who disrespects our team. My field crews are the ones out there working hard, generating revenue and delivering value. If someone can’t respect them, they don’t stay. Full stop!

Rest Is Not Optional

This may be the most important part of winter.

Starting Thanksgiving, we work four days a week — Tuesday through Friday, eight to three. If there’s nothing to do, I send people home early and still pay them for the full day. At Christmas, everyone gets three weeks paid off. Full-time, year-round staff get additional vacation.

From April through October, we work incredibly hard, sometimes 80 or 90 hours a week. Winter is when we should rest, spend time with family, and recharge. I believe that deeply.

Winter is also when culture is reinforced. It’s mostly amongst managers and year-round staff, the people who carry the culture forward. We eat lunches together, talk about goals, plan training, and ask where everyone wants to be next year.

The slower pace affords us time to appreciate each other and reflect on what we’ve built together, and plan ahead.

Back to the Heat

Through it all, we always know that change is coming. We’re all summer people at heart, and by February, we’re chomping at the bit, eager for April to arrive. It’s a little like hurry-up-and-wait, getting everything ready so we can hit the ground running again.

That’s winter for us. Not quiet, not idle, but focused, intentional, and essential to everything that happens when the covers finally come off and the floaty toys reappear.

Julie Kazdin is vice president/partner for Kazdin Pools and Spas, a full service design, construction, retail and service firm based in Southampton, NY. An industry veteran with more than 20  years of experience, she is also vice president of operations for Watershape University, and serves on the board of directors for the Northeast Spa & Pool Association.

Opening photo by Kitreel | Shutterstock.