Lawrence Caniglia, longtime executive director of the Northeast Spa and Pool Association, will be leaving the association.
After his departure from NESPA, he will partner with a fellow association executive to start a consulting firm. He likely will specialize in strategic planning and government relations for associations.
“I really want to thank … the members of NESPA for giving me this great opportunity which, to me, has been the crowning point of my career over the last 40 years,” Caniglia said. “I have met some of the nicest, most genuine people over nearly 14 years … I will always appreciate having gotten to know so many people in this industry whom I consider my friends.”
Caniglia will make his exit on Feb. 1, 2018 -- immediately after the organization’s trade show and within a few days of his 14th anniversary with NESPA. He will maintain ties on a consulting basis to help with the new executive director's transition.
NESPA has formed a task force to find Caniglia's replacement. Additionally, it has hired an executive recruiter to help with the search – Jim Zaniello, of the Washington, D.C.-based firm Vetted Solutions. He has helped other pool and spa industry associations fill executive positions. A description for the job is expected to go public this week.
Caniglia’s departure will mark the end of an era, especially as it will occur little more than a year after the death of his deputy executive director, Paulette Pitrak, who served as the resident education and code specialist. The education portion of Pitrak’s duties has been passed on to Pat Cava, now the group’s director of education. Caniglia largely took over Pitrak’s work as a code specialist and liaison to government officials, but another staffer has begun training for these duties, Caniglia said. The task force and NESPA’s executive committee will leave it to Caniglia’s replacement to decide whether another position is necessary to fill Pitrak’s shoes.
“Larry has been handling government relations, but it is foreseen that a new executive director will be looking to make further improvements in that area,” said George Kazdin, head of the task force to find the new executive director, and president of Kazdin Pools & Spas in Southampton, N.Y.
Caniglia made his own mark on the group. Association members point to his work in government advocacy, particularly helping to promote the licensing requirements now seen in Connecticut and certain counties in New York, and with a bill moving through New Jersey's legislature. Prevailing regulatory conditions and Caniglia’s previous career pointed him and the group in that direction. In addition to the fact of the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act, the government in general has taken a greater interest in the pool and spa industry and its products. Having practiced law for 21 years before going into association management, Caniglia was well-positioned to help NESPA navigate around the potential for overly restrictive regulations. Under his stewardship, the organization largely took the offensive, approaching legislatures to pass licensing laws, as well as standing on the defensive against proposed bills that could affect home-improvement industries.
With Pitrak, Caniglia turned the organization into a resource for government officials to rely on when trying to navigate their way around inspections and pool/spa/aquatics codes. While NESPA did these things before Caniglia, the group sought to become more proactive, rather than reactive, Caniglia said.
He said that wasn’t his original plan. When first taking the association’s reins, Caniglia expected to focus on increasing membership, like he had in his previous job. Thanks to his work and the economic highs around 2005, membership has increased from approximately 655 in 2004 to 835 today.
“He’s just a highly intelligent, forward-thinking leader,” said Ron Falcioni, incoming NESPA president and owner of Darien Pool in Darien, Conn. “He’s highly respected, not only by NESPA but throughout the country. He’s been a great mentor to myself and so many others.”
In general, members attribute a stepped-up sense of organization, planning and strategy to Caniglia. “His ability to delegate to staff at some level made him more effective, so he could deal with the things that the executive director should be dealing with,” Kazdin said. “His legal background has been one of the biggest boons to the association. Lawyers have a certain strategic, tactical thought process, which is important, and obviously his knowledge of the law has been very beneficial...”
Additionally, the staff grew from about half a dozen to its current nine employees, including one or two who have taken over membership-development duties.
While NESPA officials acknowledge that some adjustments and even discomfort may come with the departure of Caniglia so soon after Pitrak’s loss, they are encouraged by how staff and volunteers have stepped up so far to make this year’s show a success and keep things running smoothly. There’s even an opportunity there, Falcioni said.
“I think it’s a continuation, but it’s also a chance to improve NESPA,” he said. “We look to make wide-sweeping improvements, especially in education with our facility in Hamilton, and to just strengthen our affiliations with many groups. I think that, overall, it’s a situation where we feel like we’re going to continue that strong growth with this new person.”
For his part, Caniglia is feeling optimistic about the next chapter in his career – and how he’s leaving this one. “I feel that when I step away from this, I’m happy, because… it was good when I came in, it’s better than it was when I came in, and down the road it’s going to be even better than that,” Caniglia said. “It’s constantly improving. I think the person they hired will take this organization to the next realm.”
