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Women in the Pool Industry

This is the one where Kelli & Dan take a critical eye to the growing number of women in the pool industry and what it means for the future of pool service.

Dan: It was one of those days. This week has been just a rough one with issues on all kinds of different levels that occasionally we have to put in extra hours, and tonight was one of those. Still, tomorrow will be another day, and the sun will come up, and we’ll start all over and take a deep breath and plug on.

Kelli: I know Monday and Tuesday were kind of rough for me, actually, I even worked on Sunday, which usually is my hardcore not working, yeah, but since I was flying out to Texas, where I’m at now in Houston, let me tell you I and humidity don’t mix, and as soon as I got off the flight I’m like oh my God I can’t breathe

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0:09You know our wonderful Chicago

1:08weather so yesterday it was like 86 and

1:11humid and hot, like you know it one of

1:14those days that it feels like it’s 100

1:16even though it’s not

1:17and uh, and then today, I think our eye

1:20was like 62. it’s like

1:23this well

1:24what two weeks ago, we had a

1:29head at home, it was raining

1:31like pouring rain for three days

1:34and then I come here, and it’s 100 and

1:37something degrees with humidity all

1:39right Welcome to Texas

women in the pool industry – Andrea Nannini, (2) Adventures Of The Pool Girl | Facebook

1:43I I saw you were at the Johnson Space

1:46Center today or was that today you were

1:48there yeah, it was so much fun. I took my

1:51nephew he got to ditch school for the

1:53day

1:54he’s uh six years old, and so he went

1:57with me, and it was a lot of fun. We got

2:00to see the test area where they put

2:03the astronauts into these big huge white

2:07Contraptions so they can feel like

2:09they’re in space and get used to it and

2:11train

2:13um got to see some of the testing things

2:16are they have for their upcoming

2:18missions to the Moon

2:21cool

2:22um

2:23that’s that’s cool you

2:25know the do they have a space

2:28shuttle there, right do they or am I

2:31thinking no they do it’s a mock

2:34one but the plane that it flies on is

2:37the real thing

2:39oh okay the 747 that they they

2:43launched them from to test, right yeah

2:47that’s cool

2:49um and then, uh what else we saw Rockets

2:52now if you follow me on social media

2:56you’ll see these things are massive like

2:59whole football field if not more

3:03and so it’s really cool to see it and

3:05like when I take pictures of him in

3:06front of it you could see like he’s like

3:09a little Ant and the rocket is like

3:13me yeah yeah our our son uh just

3:18graduated in may I may have said this

3:19before from uh University of Alabama in

3:22Huntsville and Huntsville is Rocket City

3:25it’s uh the home the U.S Space and

3:27Rocket Center and they had have they’re

3:31they’re refurbishing it now in a

3:33multi-year thing but they had

3:35the um trying to think of oh Pathfinder

3:39who’s the space shuttle Pathfinder which

3:42is

3:43it never flew it was it was a a mock-up

3:46that they built just to make sure it

3:49would clear roadways and things like

3:51that as they’re transporting it from

3:53here to there and all that kind of stuff

3:55so

3:57um it it but they they got that put

4:00there and it sits well when it was in

4:03place it’s it’s down now being

4:04refurbished like I said but it sits on

4:06top of actual

4:08uh boosters I think they’re actual

4:10boosters that that you know launch the

4:13thing up in the space and yeah pull up

4:15pull up in the uh next to this thing and

4:18look at how big all uh like you’re

4:20saying the Rockets just how big they are

4:22it’s amazing and you know they they

4:25strap two or three people on the nose of

4:27those things and say you know light the

4:29fuse let’s go

4:32not not me I know that’s uh that’s

4:34that’s it’d be cool in a you know like a

4:37Star Trek or Star Wars kind of thing put

4:39me on the Millennium Falcon let me go

4:40into in the hyperdrive and I’m all for

4:42for that but strapping me on the top of

4:45one of those things is a little bit

4:46daunting

women in the pool industry, Heather Linton, (2) Integrity Consultants | Facebook

4:47yeah and then but yeah over the weekend

4:51and then earlier this week I was trying

4:54to get everything

4:55I think done that I needed to before I

4:57left it didn’t help we had those storms

4:59so like

5:01my startups not all of them but the ones

5:04where they have a lot of construction

5:06going on in their yard the Landscaping

5:10tore them up like one one pool has

5:14probably a good inch of dirt in it

5:17uh the other one it was like a hazy

5:20green but I was able to clear that

5:22pretty fast but it’s like and then the

5:24customers are like what’s wrong with my

5:26pool and I’m like well you see your yard

5:28it fell in the pool and this is also the

5:31first rain we’ve had in a really long

5:34time

5:35and we’ve had a fire like I told you so

5:37I’m like everything in the air has

5:39fallen in your pool

5:41and that just I was out on Tuesday until

5:43eight o’clock

5:45which is really late for me

5:47sure now one thing that was really weird

5:51is my phone goes off all day long

5:54and yesterday as I’m traveling I really

5:57I had maybe one or two calls and then

6:00today I had like nothing

6:03my phone died

6:05so I had to put on the charger I turn it

6:07back on and oh my God that thing just

6:12lit up with text messages from people

6:14and I’m just like oh my God now it’s

6:17like you know hey the person you were

6:20who you’re gonna have come help me today

6:22didn’t come you know when’s this other

6:25person coming and it’s like oh my gosh

6:27uh or this isn’t working can you come

6:30out it’s like I’m in Houston there’s no

6:32way I could come out but hey what about

6:34video chat

6:35that is

6:37I have a I struggle with ignoring people

6:39when I’m on vacation I even have a

6:42separate phone number with a separate

6:43voicemail yeah

6:45yeah it’s it’s hard when when you know

6:48it’s it’s your business it’s uh it’s

6:50your

6:51your passion and and to try to turn it

6:55off I I can’t remember the last uh last

6:59vacation I had that I wasn’t still

7:02connected to everything yeah and uh

7:05we’re gonna try real hard we’re gonna be

7:07actually heading down to Revere Maya in

7:11a little over a week for a week

7:13with some friends and and uh I hope to

7:17be able to disconnect the good portion

7:19of the week that we’re down there but

7:21it’s hard you know you want to make sure

7:23things are still going right and and for

7:25you so while you’re gone

7:27you have uh a network of people to help

7:31you take care of things while you’re out

7:32of town or how do you handle that

7:36it comes to

7:38don’t have a route

7:39so that helps right when it comes to my

7:42startups most of the time I communicate

7:44with my plaster companies and my

7:46Builders hey I’m going to be out of town

7:47this this duration of time and we will

7:51plan around that now if there is a

7:54there are startups that I got calls for

7:57today

7:58they’re like hey we’ll be plastered on

8:00Friday can you come out you they

8:02recommended you to come out and it’s

8:04like

8:05sorry I’m not back till Sunday

8:07and so obviously I have to pass those up

8:09which is kind of hard for me too

8:13um but

8:15um I have one Builder that I let her

8:17know when my vacations are and she

8:18plasters around my vacation time that’s

8:21awesome yeah that’s very cool shows

8:25shows how uh

8:27in in demand I guess is the right word

8:30you are but that people will rearrange

8:32their their schedule their routines to

8:35make sure that they get

8:37the the top gal in there to take care of

8:41those startups that’s great yeah so that

8:43that really let I luck out in that

8:45aspect and like the other companies you

8:47know

8:48they mainly what they do is they just

8:50give a list here call one of these

8:52people

8:54um unless I do have one plaster company

8:56that will specifically recommend me

8:58especially to women

9:00so

9:01um because you know women are more

9:03comfortable with another woman there you

9:05know they also know I’m very like

9:07detail-oriented so sometimes when

9:09there’s a little bit more of a higher

9:10maintenance customer but yeah I’m gonna

9:13miss those couple that called this week

9:15but they’ll send me more later and yeah

9:17so but you know it’s it’s funny you say

9:21the the you know women more

9:22detail-oriented

9:24um I’ve found through the years that

9:26tends to be the case so often that the

9:30uh I know in recent episodes I talked

9:33about a a woman who who worked for us

9:35named Frankie who is extremely

9:38detail-oriented

9:40um

9:41I and they’re obviously in in a company

9:44like we’ve got we’ve got all kinds of

9:46different positions and and men and

9:49women both that are that are doing

9:51different things but I love having uh

9:55women out in the field doing uh doing

9:58maintenance doing service doing

9:59technical stuff

10:01um

10:02they it I don’t know what it is and you

10:05know it’s this is my wife as well if if

10:08she didn’t keep me on task and and keep

10:11the lists for me and and you know make

10:14sure that I was doing everything I was

10:16supposed to uh I don’t know

women in the pool industry, Kelli Clancy, (2) Legacy Pool & Spa | Facebook

10:19[Music]

11:05thank you

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11:23Tuesdays with Kelly and Dan show contact

11:25us at talkingpools gmail.com

11:30[Music]

11:39it’s it’s interesting I I think it’s a

11:42an area that certainly the industry is

11:44is

11:46grasping more and more the acceptance

11:49you know certainly in in our talking

11:51pools group we’ve got you know three of

11:54the most fantastic women I say in the

11:56country as as part of our team right and

11:59no I don’t I don’t mean Rudy for those

12:01that way

12:03um but you and and Heather and Andrea

12:06it’s it’s it’s just uh you know you’re a

12:09great representation of all that uh that

12:13women are in our industry and and

12:17hopefully a lot of those that are just

12:19starting out or maybe even considering

12:21this as an industry that they want to

12:24jump into we’ll we’ll look at you and

12:26others like you and say hey this is a

12:29thing I can do it’s it’s not just a you

12:32know typical male driven environment so

12:35well I I found that it works great for

12:38women especially Young new moms or

12:41single moms uh because it is a great

12:44income that you can make once you get

12:46established it’s something that can your

12:49business can grow quite quickly if

12:51you’re in the right areas and I’m still

12:54able to make it to doctor’s appointments

12:57for my kids or next Tuesday

12:59unfortunately I have to have a meeting

13:01with the principal not because of my son

13:06um

13:07and I’m able to be like okay what time

13:10I’ll be there

13:11stuff like that you know even with Max’s

13:14schedule Monday Tuesdays and Wednesdays

13:16I have to drop them off and pick him up

13:19and he goes to school at 8 55 and gets

13:21out at 3 20 which gives me what four

13:24hours to work

13:25but this industry gives that option

13:30and not and then understand that because

13:32I get a lot of crap from them sometimes

13:34they’re like you don’t start work till

13:3510 well I have no choice

13:38yeah you know and I’ve I’ve been a dream

13:41of mine and I I don’t know if I’ll ever

13:43be able to to accomplish it

13:46um

13:46you know we have a

13:48some single moms that are working for us

13:52and when uh things happen kids get sick

13:57or need to go to the doctor or dentist

13:59or all that you know we’re extremely

14:01flexible with everybody but um you know

14:04they all know that uh in fact the our

14:07service office manager it’s a woman

14:09who’s named Melanie she uh tomorrow

14:13morning has to take her daughter to I

14:15think it’s a dentist appointment and and

14:17she’s got some other things going on in

14:19the afternoon so she’s going to work

14:20around that

14:22um she being in an office position she

14:24has the ability of doing some stuff

14:25remote so she’ll kind of do that as she

14:28can and and you know keep things moving

14:31along for the day from wherever she is

14:33but it you know we try to be flexible to

14:37to meet those needs but I I would love

14:40and and it probably like I said it’ll

14:43never happen but I think it would be so

14:44cool if we had our own daycare facility

14:47yeah that um you know the the moms and

14:50dads can if you know it’s all about

14:55opportunity and and some of those

14:59benefits and things like that

15:01that uh finding people finding quality

15:04people isn’t real easy for anyone right

15:06now and the the more that we can do to

15:10help people that way by being flexible

15:12letting them go when they need to to

15:15whether it’s kids or or whatever to take

15:17care of them

15:19um you know if they’re if they’re good

15:20at what they’re doing they’re they’re

15:21getting the job done it’s real real easy

15:24to say you know what take what you need

15:26because I know you’re gonna pick up and

15:28and make up for it and and all the rest

15:31of it so it uh I don’t know I I would I

15:35would love to have

15:37a whole bunch of women in the Chicago

15:40area looking to work in pools call me

15:42tomorrow

15:44I know you because I because I’ll tell

15:45you child care is probably one of the

15:47hardest things

15:48it

15:49it’s very expensive you know it costs

15:52more than my rent

15:55um and the hours are limited and usually

15:58when I find someone and I like them they

16:00you know they only last for so long

16:03that’s you know and I’m the type of

16:05person you tell me the price I’ll pay

16:06you

16:07but

16:08you know kids kids aren’t easy I come

16:11from an education background working

16:13with autistic kids and working in

16:15preschools and elementary schools and

16:18yeah it’s it can get tiring when those

16:20little guys don’t want to cooperate

16:23yeah you know our uh sales manager his

16:27uh Steve is his name his

16:29he’s got a little boy and he his wife is

16:33a school teacher and you know there are

16:35oftentimes that he’ll stay at home with

16:37Thomas and you know if Thomas can’t go

16:40to daycare because he’s

16:41you know woke up with a cold or or

16:44whatnot and uh or or he’ll run him to

16:48the doctor because it’s we’re more

16:51flexible than uh his wife is able to be

16:55with teaching and at the school so

16:59um you know I think the more that people

17:01are flexible with stuff like that the

17:02easier it is to to attract and and

17:05hopefully retain employees for those of

17:08us that have employees out there well

17:10it’s nice to hear that there are

17:12companies out there that actually care

17:13because I hear a lot of them you know

17:15and I get it they they’re having trouble

17:18finding people too and they they have so

17:20much work that needs to be covered but

17:22you know

17:24you still got to have a little bit of

17:26yeah reasonable flexibility

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17:31so and I will say it’s pretty incredible

17:34in the almost two years is it two years

17:38one two oh we’re almost going our third

17:41year with the women’s group that I help

17:43with and it’s amazing to see the

17:46response we’ve gotten from the industry

17:49uh you know people being very receptive

17:52to it and encouraging it and and not

17:56be bashing what we’re doing and you know

17:59yeah I get this couple

18:00that’s sexist we can’t sit we can’t have

18:03it all guys Club but you can have a

18:05Mormons club and I was just like well

18:08you kind of already do but yeah

18:11or if I wear a wig in a dress can I come

18:14to your trainings and it’s like okay but

18:19today that’s

18:21far-fetched is it yeah that is true hey

18:26when he said I was like what does your

18:28ID say

18:29you know now that you can change on the

18:32ID to identify how you feel

18:34that is

18:36the qualification

18:38so so after you know a few a few more

18:42years of you working with the pool girl

18:44pool girl Pro sorry Tongue Tied there

18:47we’ll we’ll have you have to start like

18:50uh what the tree

18:52the pool tree Pro group or something for

18:55those who identify as trees well I guess

18:58so

19:00I just hope we don’t get a bunch of pool

19:02pool guys that are tree tree lovers and

19:05telling us so don’t cut our cut the

19:07trees can’t cut the trees around the

19:09yard

19:11so but that’s a part of why you’re in

19:14Texas right I mean I know you’re

19:15visiting family right but the the main

19:18reason for you going down there is

19:19because of your uh

19:22yep to to meet more women in our

19:26industry talk with them see what their

19:28challenges are and what their successes

19:30are and how we can grow the group to

19:34help even more women as much as possible

19:37that’s very very cool so that’s uh

19:40tomorrow is when you guys are getting

19:42together yes tomorrow right tomorrow and

19:45Saturday and by tomorrow I know everyone

19:47is listening to this on Tuesday but

19:49we’re referring to tomorrow as being the

19:51last uh well what is Friday the 23rd

19:54right of September yeah by the time

19:57everyone hears this it will have already

19:59happened and and we’ll probably have a

20:01podcast that touches on a recap of it

20:04right yeah and uh we want and we had a

20:08lot of people women saying they wanted

20:09to do it that were in Florida so we are

20:13there’s going to be something in Florida

20:15soon

20:16um you just have to figure out what and

20:19how and where and all that but I just

20:23love that we’re getting to other places

20:25than just where I live that’s fantastic

20:29that is uh that is really really cool I

20:31I love that so pretty soon you’re going

20:34to be you know at home working on pools

20:37like a couple of weeks out of the month

20:39and the rest of the time you’re gonna be

20:41you know so Texas pretty nice then

20:44Florida you’ll probably have to head up

20:46to to the Northeast at some point right

20:48oh yeah well we are um considering

20:51turning it into a non-profit and we

20:54would love to have a board that has a

20:57bunch of ladies that represent the

20:58different aspects of the industry ah and

21:02you know grow it from there

21:04um

21:05thanks to LinkedIn

21:07uh I’ve met a lady that works for

21:11Leslie’s who has his uh background of

21:14making non-profit organizations in

21:16mail-driven Industries

21:18and so she’s going to help us with that

21:22as well

21:23that’s

21:24that’s amazing that I you know what I am

21:27all behind you on that whatever whatever

21:29we can help with uh I am I’m there for

21:34you

21:36[Music]

21:37Kelly and Dan will be back next Tuesday

21:39with part two of women in the pool

21:41industry

Check out the Talking Pools Podcast on Buzzsprout: https://talkingpoolspodcast.buzzsprout.com

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