Nominated by their colleagues, voted on by peers throughout the industry, then vetted and interviewed by a specially appointed committee, seven service professionals have been deemed “backyard legends.”
That was the theme of this year’s Pentair Pool Pro Awards.
“It’s inspiring to see the impact these pool professionals have had on their communities,” says Greg Claffey, president and chief revenue officer of Pentair Pool. “And hearing their stories of success and growth has been downright humbling.”
In addition to the accolades, each of the seven were treated to travel accommodations and recognition at The Pool & Spa Show: Powered by NESPA, enrollment in courses offered by Pentair University, Genesis, and the Pool & Hot Tub Alliance, and a swag package worth more than $3,000.
The seven winners in five categories are:
• Premier Pool Pro Awards: Jena Beach, service manager at Coastal Pools; and Nick Lehman, service tech/manager at Pinch-a-Penny
• Lifetime Achievement Awards: Shannon Grave Jones, owner at Graves Pools and Spas; and Sean Johnson, executive vice president, field services at Amenity Pool Services
• Unsung Hero Award: Jake Skipper, owner/operator at Skipper Pools & Spas
• Safety Advocate Award: Chuck Helmick, service manager at Johnson Pool & Spa
• Advancing Automation Award: Claudio Pámanes, owner at Pámanes Pools
Learn more about the Premier Pool Pro designees below.
Jena Beach
Service Manager
Coastal Pools
Grasonville, Md.
Jena Beach entered the industry pretty recently, but she’s made a quick impression.
“Jena’s quick actions and unwavering support have pulled us through countless crises, even after regular business hours,” one of her nominators was quoted as saying. “Jena’s dedication goes unnoticed by many, yet it’s the backbone of our service operations: handling logistics during storms or bad weather or talking through pool equipment issues with customers over the phone. Her resilience and extra-mile efforts exemplify quiet excellence,
making significant differences in customer satisfaction and company stability without seeking the spotlight.”
Beach entered the pool/spa industry in 2024, when she took her current position. She had studied political science in university and began volunteering and working in politics as a teen. Throughout a seven-year career in politics, she took impactful positions in her home state of New York, such as campaign manager, political director on a
congressional campaign, and chief of staff for a state assemblyman.
After several years, Beach left to start her family. When it came time to rejoin the workforce, she
wanted something new and landed a job as service manager in an HVAC company. When it came time to move from that position, she planned to try a new industry. Once she learned the details about a service manager position at Coastal Pools, she had no problem picturing it in her future.
“I was looking for jobs that fit my experience, and I was looking to get into a new industry,” she says.
“When I read the [Coastal Pools] ad, I literally called my husband that second and said, ‘This would be absolutely perfect,” because it’s exactly what I did for the HVAC company — just for a pool company.”
When she joined the company, , it had been well-established as a builder, but had a relatively small service department, with about 170 weekly clients.
Now it serves approximately 360 weekly customers, plus another 400 non-contract clients. It does this with a staff of 15, including Beach, a service coordinator, and 13 service technicians.
“We tripled our profit from one year to the next, and the service department continues to grow and grow,” she says.
In addition to helping the service division thrive, she updated operations, introducing new software to
get the team away from paper and pen. And she developed career paths for the service techs, specifying what courses they should take and certifications they would need to earn. She set up a promotion and pay structure, with clear requirements for moving up each step. And she did all this while she herself was learning the business and processes.
“The way they’ve always looked at service technicians — at least in our area — is as a summer job,” she says. “We wanted to get away from that dynamic. We want to pay people, keep them in the company, and show them there is a career in swimming pool service.”
She did all this with the guidance of her mentor, company VP Jason Shanks, whom she shadowed for approximately six months when she started. Much of her education was self-guided, too, as she also did
plenty of research and took many courses.
“Probably none of this would be possible if it weren’t for my boss Jason being a mentor, and also my team of techs,” she says. “Because even though I stepped into this role with no experience, they’ve welcomed and supported me.”
As if that wasn’t enough to juggle, she’s also had a job as a food server at a local restaurant for the past decade. “It’s the same thing – it’s the hustle,” she says. “I enjoy it — it’s fast-paced, and I really make a difference on somebody’s dining experience. When I go out to eat it’s a luxury for me, and I want it to be for other people.”
All the jobs she’s had have more in common than you might think, Beach says.
“What I’ve learned about myself is it doesn’t matter what industry I’m in, because the pace doesn’t really
change for me,” she says. “For a long time, I just lived, ate, and breathed politics and government. Now I eat,
live, and breathe Coastal Pools.”
Nick Lehman
Service Manager/
Technician
Pinch-a-Penny
Temple Terrace, Fla.
Nick Lehman is putting his own spin on family tradition.
As a child of the former owners of Pinch-a-Penny in Temple Terrace, Fla., his own history runs deep.
“The first time I was in the store I was carried in in a car seat,” he says. “So I grew up in it. I still have
customers who remember me from back when I couldn’t walk around.”
Now as the service manager and himself a tech out in the field, he has made his own mark.
“Nick always goes above and beyond the call of duty,” said his nominator. “Nick truly cares about the work he does and the customers he takes care of. Nick is also great at training other employees, helping them grow their knowledge base, and become more valuable members of our team. Nick tackles training other people in an unselfish manner and is able to communicate complex tasks in a way employees of all skill levels can comprehend.”
Like so many children of pool-company owners, Lehman gained an all-around education during his childhood. In his teen years, he worked during the summers performing such entry-level support tasks as filling chlorine jugs, all the while learning how the equipment works.
“I slowly worked my way out of the chlorine room and to the more customer-facing positions, doing water testing and diagnostic work,” he says.
After graduating high school, working with the company became a way to help fund his university education. He worked as the in-store manager, putting in 30 to 40 hours each week while attending classes at the University of South Florida, where he was studying mechanical engineering. His topic of study made perfect sense, given his
strongest interest.
“I’ve always been a very mechanical person,” he says. “I always liked taking things apart, learning how things work.”
But over time, it became apparent that engineering jobs usually don’t involve such tactile work.
“When I went to school, I learned that a lot of what a mechanical engineering degree [gets you] is sitting behind a computer and not messing with the products themselves,” he says. “I decided I want to live my life more outdoors and hands-on than the [engineering] jobs that I came across.”
So he decided to continue the family legacy.
“After I graduated college, I decided I want to be a pool boy,” he says. “My parents made a great living, so I thought I’d follow in their footsteps.”
His mother and father retired and sold the company to somebody else two years ago, and Lehman has remained as a service tech and manager, which he has done for about a decade. He filled a critical gap left by his father, who had run the service side of the business since they first bought the company.
In the younger Lehman’s time as service manager, he’s helped the company incorporate a software system and converted to all-digital billing to streamline operations. He also developed a safety inspection sheet and procedure for his repair techs.
In addition to addressing the issue that precipitated the customer call, repair techs inspect the site, looking for any problems or safety issues with the system and equipment. Items on the checklist are designated as green, yellow or red. Green equipment is in good shape; yellows will need to be monitored; while red means the item will need to
be fixed or replaced.
“Any time we go to their house, we look at everything,” he says.
