The Midwest Chapter APSP is excited to announce our NEW Annual Spring Training Event!  Thankfully, our manufacturers, suppliers and trade shows do a good job covering a variety of topics.  However, there are some topics which get left out.  It is our goal to organize high quality training on such topics every year at this new multi-day training event held before the busy season.

2011 Spring Training will include 4 days of valuable training, including:  Day 1 - Business Training; Day 1 - Dinner Meeting w/ ADA Swimming Pool Access Presentation; Day 1 - Internet Round Table Discussion; Day 2 - Safety HAZMAT & OSHA Compliance Training; Days 3 & 4 - CPO Course.

Attendees will be able to attend all or part(s) of the training as they determine.  All members will receive via e-mail separate invitations for each segment of Spring Training and will simply register for the events they wish to attend.

If you have any questions, the event contact is Jason Miller who can be reached via e-mail at education@spa-pool.org or by cell phone at 262/483-3991.  We hope you can attend all or part of this new event!

It has probably been quite some time since you received a Ripples newsletter from the Midwest Chapter; and the last time you did, it probably was delivered by the US Mail.

Part of the reason Ripples has been dormant for so long was the time and cost of producing and distributing a printed newsletter.  The Midwest Chapter board has wanted to start publishing Ripples electronically for quite some time but has delayed for nearly two years.  Nearly two years ago, National APSP had indicated they would be offering the Chapters throughout the country a means to communicate electronically with their members and our board was waiting for this to develop.

At this point, the chapter board is uncertain if the National APSP will deliver such a system and if so when it will happen.  As such, at the February board meeting, the directors voted unaniously in favor of subscribing to Constant Contact.  This service will be used to publish and deliver Ripples, publish and deliver notices, promote events such as training, golf outings, dinner meetings, and to conduct surveys.

The National APSP also indicated an online payment processing system would be made available to the the chapters.  Since this system has not yet been made available, in November 2010 the chapter board of directors approved establishing a PayPal account for the chapter.  This will enable us to process credit card payments from members for event participation.

I have enjoyed serving as your Midwest Chapter President for the last 2 years but all good things must come to an end.  Fortunately I know I am handing over the gavel to a great leadership team.

 

On December 6^th at the Annual meeting new officers were installed on the Chapter Board of Directors. The new officers will serve two year terms in these positions.

 

Our new Chapter President is Steve Sowa of S & K Pool Services of Carol Stream Il. Steve has also held the Secretary and Treasurer Positions in addition to several years spent as a Director.

Stepping up to fill the Treasurer Role is Larry Ryczek of Halogen Supply in Chicago IL. Larry has been involved with Chapter Leadership serving as the Secretary for the past two years after serving as a Director for several years.

 

Greg Malinowski of Blue Aura Pools & Spas has accepted the Secretary Position. Greg has served as a Director for the last 2 years.

In addition to the leadership positions the Chapter Board is made up of the following volunteers serving as Directors: Guy Ledwell (Superior Pool Products), Jason Miller (A-1 Pools), Adam Norman (Aqua- Guard Management Inc.), Tim O'Neil (Downes Swimming Pool Company), and Mike Rossi (SCP Distributors).

 

I want to thank all of the current board members for their hard work while I was President and I look forward to serving with them in the future!

 

David J. Thompson

Past President/ Vice President

APSP Midwest Chapter 

The board of directors have renewed efforts to revive the annual Christmas Dinner Meeting and the Midwest Chapter is dedicated to increasing attendance to this once very popular event.

The design award committee is already busy planning the 2011 design awards.  The committee members are: Dave Thomson (Chair), Jason Miller and Guy Ledwell.

 

For the 2010 design awards, the committee implemented a new judging format which was less subjective and gave more direction to judges as to what to look for.  It focused on allowing judges to make yes/no determinations on specific attributes.

 

The committee believes this format went very smooth with the 2010 awards and allowed for more consistent judging from one entry to the next.   It is being discussed that the criteria the judges will evaluate be made available to the entrants in advance so the photos submitted can be taken to include specific attributes.

 

Also, 2010 was the first year photos of the equipment pad were required.  Not everyone sent them in because they overlooked the new requirement.  In 2011 the equipment pad photo will be required and failure to include the photo will result in a negative impact to the score.

 

The scoring method also was refined for 2010.  The award brackets are determined based on a curve of all of the entrants.  Then each category is curved.  This has provides greater consistency regardless of who the judges are and of what types of scores they give on the subjective portions of the scoring.

 

Congratulations to all who participated.  The panel of judges commented on how many outstanding entries there were.  Keep up the good work!  The 2010 design award winners are as follows:

 

Concrete Spas:

Rosebrook Swimming Pool Service received 1 Gold and 2 Silver Awards.

 

Residential Concrete Pools Less Than 600 Square Feet:

Rosebrook Swimming Pool Service received 2 Gold Awards.

 

Residential Concrete Pools Greater than 600 Square Feet:

Rosebrook Swimming Pool Service received 5 Gold, 1 Silver and 1 Bronze Awards.

 

Residential Vinyl Liner Less than 600 Square Feet:

Swim Shack received 1 Silver Award.

 

Residential Vinyl Liner Greater than 600 Square Feet:

Swimming Pool Services received 1 Gold Award.

 

Residential Fiberglass or Metal 250-600 square feet:

Aqua Pool & Spa Pros received 1 Gold award; Pool Pros and Swim Shack both received a Silver award.

 

Residential Fiberglass or Metal 600 sq. ft. or more:

Aqua Pool & Spa Pros received 1 Gold award.

 

Residential Value Vinyl Liner:

A-1 Pools received 1 Gold Award.

 

Residential Interior Pools:

Rosebrook Swimming Pool Service Received 1 Gold Award.

 

Residential Pools with Auto Covers:

Rosebrook Swimming Pool Service received 4 Gold, 1 Silver and 1 Bronze Awards.

 

Commercial Pools:

Rosebrook Swimming Pool Service received 1 Gold Award.

 

Pool Renovations:

Rosebrook Swimming Pool Service received 1 Gold Award.

 

Above Ground Pools:

Pool Pros received 1 Gold Award.

 

Service Awards:

A-1 Pools, Aqua Pool & Spa Pros, Diamond Pool & Spa, Swimming Pool Services, Pool Pros, and North Shore Pool & Spa all received 1 Gold Award.

The Midwest Chapter (APSP) is proud to announce the completion of the pool at Boy Scout Northwest Suburban Council's Camp Lakota near Woodstock, IL.

 

Thanks to the generosity of many Midwest Chapter (APSP) member companies who donated material and labor, the pool has become a reality.

 

With a capacity of 75 swimmers, the heated pool is 25' x 50' with a depth sloping from 3.5' at the ends to 4.5' in the center. Complete with surrounding concrete deck, it is handicapped accessible and lighted.

 

"This is a dream coming true," stated Randy Toland, Ass't Council Executive and Program Director. "For years during the Cub Day Camp periods, we have had to rent a local area pool and then transport the Cubs and parents to and from the facility."

 

The sports pool will serve the Tiger & Cub Scouts in learning to swim and serve as a resource for older Boy Scouts & Venture Scouts in earning their Swimming, Lifesaving and Scuba Merit Badges.

 

In addition, the pool may be used for BSA Lifeguard training and is designed for aquatic games, such as, water volley ball.

 

The idea for a pool came to Tim O'Neil while he was attending Cub Scout Day Camp with his son. Fortunately for Camp Lakota, O'Neil is a director of the Midwest Region Chapter (APSP) and an employee of the Downes Swimming Pool Co. in Arlington Hts.

"As the Cubs and parents were being bussed to a local pool, I had to wonder 'Why doesn't Lakota have a pool of its own?" said O'Neil.   After meeting with NWSC officials who welcomed his idea, O'Neil proposed the pool to APSP and to local area contractors.

During the Midwest Chapter (APSP) dinner meeting held 12/6/10, Tim O'Neil was recognized for his efforts coordinating the project, the hands on work he contributed and for his personal donations over the past two years which yielded a successful pool project which can be enjoyed for generations.

· Business Training

· Dinner Meeting w/ ADA Presentation

· Internet Round Table

· Safety HAZMAT & OSHA Compliance Training