Dominick Mondi has enough tradeshow lanyards to “fill a coat rack.” Yet, not one is from a pool and spa event.
That changed at the end of January, when Mondi clocked in at The Pool & Spa Show Powered by Northeast Spa and Pool Association in Atlantic City, N.J.
That also happened to be his first day of work as NESPA’s new executive director. “Coming out of the gate with a new association ... learning about the members is really where it starts, and having this opportunity to spend a week with 10,000 of the industry’s best will really help me get off on the right foot,” he said.
Of course, Mondi prepared for a few weeks for his debut, working alongside the departing executive director, Lawrence Caniglia, and attending meetings.
None of this is unchartered territory for the 40-year-old. In fact, he’s dedicated the last decade of his career to such work.
Mondi, who grew up in Central New Jersey, originally planned to become a veterinarian but ultimately focused on landscape design and horticulture. He earned his bachelor of science degree in landscape architecture from Rutgers University in 2002 and, after graduation, worked at his alma mater for two years coordinating professional development programs for the green industry.
He later operated his own landscape design and consulting firm, Mondi Designs, from 2008 to 2011. During this time, he became a board member of the New Jersey Nursery and Landscape Association.
New direction
That’s when Mondi found his true calling. “I really enjoyed the program development and not just working in the industry but for the industry,” he said.
Eventually, the NJNLA had an opening for a new executive director, and Mondi was ready to advance in his career. Typically, he said, associations have a rule against hiring board members. But this time, the group made an exception.
“I didn’t know what I was getting myself into, but it was awesome,” Mondi said. “I knew after about a year in that position that association management is what I wanted to do and where I wanted my career to go.”
Mondi dug deep to learn the ins and outs of the job. “I joined associations, attended conferences, got involved in and joined boards, and did anything I could do to further my knowledge of membership and governance and policy.”
It paid off in multiple ways. New Jersey is the sixth largest state in the country for nursery production. Mondi saw opportunity there and grew his association’s membership roughly 40% in five years. He had made his mark, and eventually Mondi was ready for yet another career move. This time around, he went on to become president of the Associated Building Contractors, New Jersey Chapter, where he served for 18 months. That’s when NESPA began to take notice, he said.
Looking forward
Mondi has no prior pool industry experience — though he has designed a few pools. But the match seemed somewhat natural given his experience in small family seasonal businesses and association management, he explained.
Mondi intends to utilize the knowledge he’s acquired to advance NESPA, focusing on three main areas: membership growth, increasing professional development and educational opportunities outside the show, and combating the struggles seasonal industries face with labor and workforce development. That last one is of particular importance to him.
He believes that cultural attitudes about the pool industry and other construction-related trades contribute to the problem. He has firsthand experience with this.
“I went to Rutgers University to get a four-year degree,” he said. “I could write you a 10-paragraph email about what landscape architecture is and isn’t, why it’s important, and how it’s shoulder-to-shoulder with engineering and architecture.
“And at the end of the day, every Thanksgiving I was reminded by one family member or another that I was throwing my education away by cutting grass.
“There’s a weird cultural instinct to disparage blue collar and trade work, and it’s unfortunate because it’s rewarding for some.” The key, he believes, is working to convey that message to the next generation, particularly veterans and those still looking for a path.
When not focusing on membership growth or continuing education, Mondi dedicates his time to his wife and three kids and most often can be found “coaching just about every sport they participate in” or playing street hockey.
“I call the rink my happy place,” he said. “The stress of the day just melts away when I’m there.”
