s the National Spa & Pool Institute approaches its 50-year anniversary, the Alexandria, Va.-based organization is undergoing a face lift. Having filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection twice within a two-year period, the beleaguered trade group has had little choice but to find a new direction through reorganization.
Could its decision to divide into two separate groups — the Association for Pool & Spa Professionals and the International Aquatics Foundation — be exactly what it needs to remain a significant force within the industry? Or is the effort simply too little too late?
The IAF will handle standards writing and other technical issues, theoretically freeing up APSP to handle national industry promotion. NSPI insists the newly created group will focus more on the needs of its members, and many industry veterans remain cautiously optimistic about the reorganization.
“It’s too early for anyone to predict its success level, but I am optimistic,” says Jim McClure, president of Coast Spas in Langley, British Columbia, Canada, and former chairman of NSPI’s Hot Tub Council. “It’s the best thing that could have happened.”
The reorganization stems from the aftermath of the Shawn Meneely lawsuit. In 1993 at a friend’s pool, Meneely dove in and injured his spine, rendering him quadriplegic. Five years later, the teen’s family won a $6.6 million jury verdict against NSPI, which forced the association to sell its trade show and file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
Two years later, NSPI entered bankruptcy a second time when it faced four more diving injury-related lawsuits. When it emerges from Chapter 11 in the coming months, officials are determined to change the face of the organization.
Membership matters
What will the new trade group bring to the table? Organizers hope that by shedding its standards-writing responsibilities, APSP will no longer have to worry as much about the type of litigation that crippled NSPI.
“It’s hard to say it’s a blessing to lose so much money in a lawsuit, but it did force us to look closely at the organization — what was working and what wasn’t,” says Charlie Schobel, a member of NSPI’s Board of Directors and president of BioLab’s Worldwide Recreational Water, based in Lawrenceville, Ga.
“And that was a good thing,” he adds. “Sometimes it takes something bad to make people realize they have to change.”
Some NSPI members seem to be taking a wait-and-see-approach before jumping on the bandwagon. A survey conducted last year by Pool & Spa News showed that 47 percent of NSPI pool builder members are “very likely” to renew their membership. While 63 percent of spa retailers say they are “very likely” to renew.
NSPI leadership admits that the group has been so wrapped up in its internal struggles for the past several years that it hasn’t been able to provide its members with the attention they deserve, which could account for some of the disillusionment. Now, with the reorganization nearly complete, returning members are anxious to see the impact it will have on their businesses.
Longtime NSPI members Cheryl and Clarke Price, the sister-and-brother team that owns Fountainhead Pools, say it’s crucial to their Dallas pool-building company that the new model be successful. They need their membership to carry some clout with consumers, especially in Texas, where there are few, if any, qualifications for being a pool builder.
“I am hoping that after they restructure, they will help increase [our] visibility through programs and advertising,” Cheryl Price says. “With no license requirements here, the customer needs to know there are reputable people in the industry. So it will be nice to have some national backing.”
Brian Quint, who served as NSPI board chairman in 2002, says that members such as the Prices should receive better service under the new model. “What are the needs of our members?” asks Quint, who is president of Aqua Quip in Seattle, a Pool & Spa News Top Builder. “It’s to bring them more customers, traffic and buyers of pools, spas and related products. It’s also to raise the bar of professionalism with training and education so that when the consumers come in, they get a consistent message and experience.”
A new promotion
Besides being more member-focused, advocates claim the new version of the trade group will be in a position to promote pools and spas to customers nationwide. “There are so many people who should have a pool who don’t have one,” Schobel says. “They just don’t think to buy one and end up spending their discretionary income on something else.”
But some critics believe the restructured NSPI will be no better than the old one when it comes to promotional concerns. “How will [the reorganization] increase the value of [NSPI’s] services that the national office provides us?” asks Bill Kent, president of Horner Equipment of Florida, a manufacturer and distributor of pool products based in Fort Lauderdale.
“I don’t think [the reorganization] will change anything in their ability to deliver services,” Kent adds.
McClure respectfully disagrees. Though he has been one of NSPI’s harshest critics in the past and once led a revolt that nearly caused the Hot Tub Council to spin off into its own independent organization, he believes there are reasons to be hopeful.
“The model [NSPI] is going forward under is the same one [the Hot Tub Council] created when we were thinking of leaving,” McClure says. “I see the whole organization modernizing a bit.
“I am optimistic to the point that I am willing to become a [Hot Tub Council liaison to the Board of Directors] and see where this all goes.”
