If you could create the ideal pool company, who would you choose to serve on your management team? Would you pick your own employees or those of a competitor whom you respect? Perhaps you would want the financial expertise of a multimillion-dollar pool builder.

For this special issue, Pool & Spa News decided to create a Dream Team for each major sector of the industry: construction, retailing and service. Our quest involved an intense “job search,” which required weeks of scouring the industry, narrowing down the pool of applicants, soliciting recommendations and conducting in-depth interviews.

The results of our extensive executive search for CEO are presented here. Each Dream Team is composed of a number of industry leaders holding various positions within a fictitious company. Because there were so many outstanding candidates industrywide, we’ve also included an “As Good As It Gets” section of honorable mentions for the key posts. You will find all of the Dream Team profiles in the April 10, 2006 issue of the magazine.

Even if you can’t hire them for your firm, these business pros offer tips that will inspire your own employees to achieve their goals and make important decisions.