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SPN JUN 2010 InMyView
www.swimmingpoolnews.co.uk
IN MY VIEW
JOHN ASHER STARTED HIS WORKING LIFE AS A MINER AND THEN BECAME A ROSE GROWER. IN THE LATE 70S HE SET UP ASHER SWIMPOOL CENTRE AND THE BUSINESS HAS BEEN SUCCESSFULLY OPERATING FOR OVER FORTY YEARS AND IS NOW RUN BY JOHN AND BRENDA’S TWO CHILDREN ANDREW AND CLAIRE. A FORMER SPATA PRESIDENT AND SUPPORTER OF THE BRITISH POOL INDUSTRY HE IS AN ADMIRED AND RESPECTED “OLD SCHOOL” POOL BUILDER
T
he biggest change I have seen in our industry over the last forty years has been individuals no longer in charge of their own business caused by buyouts, takeovers etc. Individuals are answerable to shareholders more and more and trade has become harder, tighter and cutthroat. This is not only due to the recession we are now in but also the many cheap imported goods, some even with very few spares or a backup service. The internet also has a lot to answer for and the individuals that supply it. We have all heard the comment ‘if we don’t supply ‘em someone else will’. Yes, we all like cheap items but one day the item wants a replacement part or a repair and more and more of our engineers are turning their backs on the work or charging silly money to repair. This appears to be the world moving on and our trade must also.
I am told not to look back but many will remember the Norcal, Certikin weekends and open days when they were individually owned and putting on their BBQ, cricket matches and entertainment for customers. This sort of thing kept the trade alive, created friendships and forged a working relationship with our competitors which I am pleased to say many still exist today. I remember the last cabaret we put on in the Channel Islands for the President’s weekend, and being asked by a younger member of
Certikin staff, “When are you old buggers retiring and letting us have a go?” My reply was “as from now it’s all yours” and what happened – nothing, perhaps another sign of the times.
We had a time several years ago when I felt our secretariat seemed to lose interest in regional meetings. I suppose because of the travelling and the regional chairman at that time allowed this to happen, most regions went several years with few or no meetings at all. We lost the bit of ‘togetherness’ we had left. Progress? We see this at SPATEX shows where retired or friends who have left our trade visit the show just to meet old friends and how super it is to see them.
I am a great believer in the saying ‘You only get out what you put in’, well over forty years I have had a hell of a lot out of the pool trade and enjoyed every single minute of it apart from perhaps the odd 5 minutes here and there. I am lucky to have a son and daughter, and contracts manager who also love the pool building trade.
What is their future and where is the trade going? We have an association covering our pool builders and service engineers, trade section, spa and hot tubs plus their service engineers. To promote all those sections and encourage new membership is a priority, not making the association larger by bringing in other organisations. We have always catered for
builders of domestic and semi-commercial pools and the few firms that build or maintain commercial pools along with their domestic customers, and we value their expertise and support, but we would not dream of asking the international commercial pool builders and engineers to join our association just to add another BC or PA to our list. Let’s concentrate on what we have got and make a good job of it. We were the first pool builders in the world to have our own Institute and what a fantastic job the Institute has done in running its seminars for 25 years, keeping all trades up to date with new products, and preparing our trainees ready for their first day of work at their chosen pool company. All of this with a membership of just under 1,000. Our new up to date SPATA standards, easily read, easily followed are now available. Our pool inspections are hopefully being brought up to date and on time at long last.
We have a SPATEX show, the only pool show in the world, which gives every penny back to its trade. So what more do we want? Let’s get bigger with more members – not larger with other organisations and let’s have more involvement for everyone, especially pool builders.
No salesmen anywhere give more pleasure, happiness or gets more satisfaction than our pool builders. spn
“When are you old buggers retiring and letting us have a go?” My reply was “as from now its all yours” and what happened – nothing, perhaps another sign of the times”
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