From lifeguard stands to one of the largest pool companies in Georgia, this rising leader proves that mentorship isn’t about control—it’s about connection. Redefining Mentorship.
When Maddy Vandiver’s mom first heard her daughter had been named one of the Top 10 mentors in the pool industry, her response wasn’t what you’d expect. “Has hell frozen over?” she teased, before offering a sarcastic congratulations and going back to fussing over her poodles. That mix of humor and grit—of never taking herself too seriously—is exactly what makes Vandiver stand out at The Pool Butler, one of Atlanta’s biggest pool service companies.
Today, Vandiver isn’t just a supervisor—she’s the company trainer, overseeing the growth of more than 20 technicians while also teaching CPO® (Certified Pool Operator) classes. Barely a year into her instructor certification, she’s already become the kind of mentor whose influence reaches far beyond her office. She’s also in the running for the 2025 Talking Pools Podcast Mentor of the Year Award, with a gleaming championship belt worthy of WWE waiting for the winner.
Building Trust, One Conversation at a Time
Vandiver’s secret to accountability? Talking. Every week, without fail, she sits down with each technician—not just about pools, but about life. “It builds trust,” she explains. “They know they can come to me with anything.” Those check-ins lay the foundation for quality checks, feedback, and even individualized training paths designed to help each employee reach their goals.
“Not everyone wants to be a pool cleaner forever,” she says. “Some want to move into repairs, some into supervision. My job is to help them find that path.”
Calm in the Storm
Ask Vandiver what she most wants new hires to notice, and she’ll tell you: her calm. Broken pumps, furious clients—even a tree in the pool after a storm—she insists composure sets the tone. “If you panic, the customer panics. If you stay calm, you give them peace of mind.”
That steady approach carries into her classroom. She uses slides, videos, and chemistry charts, but has even considered bringing a kiddie pool into her courses so students can practice chemical testing on the spot. “It’s hands-on learning,” she says, “without alarming swimmers by shouting about shock treatments in front of them.”
Sweet Tea, Not Coffee
Every mentor has a signature. Vandiver’s? Chick-fil-A sweet tea. “I’ve never been a coffee drinker,” she says. “First day on the job? No coffee—just sweet tea.” Her team knows the drink is basically her calling card.
She’s equally known for her meticulous truck organization. “Everything has its place, and it goes back in its place. I’m OCD about it,” she admits. For her, neatness is safety: “The last thing I need is a rear-end accident turning into a chemical leak.”
A Mentor Who Stays in Touch
For Vandiver, mentorship doesn’t end when someone leaves the company. She keeps up with former trainees, sometimes with heart-warming results. Recently, a past tech surprised her with Georgia Bulldogs gear in the mail, along with a thank-you note. “That one hit me hard,” she says. “It meant the lessons stuck.”
Her lessons often circle back to chemistry. She preaches acid demand and base demand tests so frequently that she jokes her voice turns blue from repetition. Ask how she’d test whether a returning tech carried her teachings with them, and she grins: “I’d ask about their pH. If they’re still running acid demand tests, I know they got it.”
The Advice She Gives Next-Gen Mentors
If Vandiver could bottle her mentorship style as a chemical, the label would read: “Warning: Filled with Useless Facts.” She peppers training with trivia—like how flamingos are gray at birth and turn pink from shrimp—but beneath the humor lies a simple formula: be a sponge, and be open.
“Things are always changing in this industry,” she says. “If you’re not open, you get bored, you burn out, you leave. But if you stay a sponge, you’ll find your niche, and you’ll thrive.”
For a woman who jokes about trivia, sweet tea, and fantasy football trophies (she’s a back-to-back champ, much to her mentor Tim’s annoyance), Vandiver has built a career on something far more lasting: making people better.
And whether or not she takes home that championship belt, her technicians—and the wider pool industry—already know who their lifesaver is.
