August 26 2011 Table of Contents

Just before Memorial Day weekend, the Consumer Product Safety Commission announced that approximately one million drain covers were being recalled. Read more

Saddled by crushing debt, high unemployment and a plummeting housing market, the U.S. economy has seen brighter days. Read more

Questions about immigration are fraught with confusion and contradiction. Read more

Welcome to the Top 50 Builders issue. Read more

A Texas family is suing a fiberglass installer, claiming their pool had workmanship problems, including one that resulted in brief entrapment incidents involving their children. Read more

Service technicians have largely withstood the economic storm that has battered Florida’s new-pool construction industry. Read more

When Douglas Ecker was contracted to redesign the electrical system for a California school, he knew he’d have to take energy efficiency into account. Read more

As part of an ongoing, aggressive growth strategy, the industry’s largest retailer has added a commercial pool supply and service firm to its portfolio. Read more

Sales of pool equipment and chemicals held steady through the end of July, and many industry professionals expect an above-average August as well. Read more

The general manager of Aquarius Pools, a Sacramento, Calif.-based builder whose closure left many in the lurch, has been sentenced to two years in state prison for diverting funds. Read more

If this year’s Top 50 Builders list is any indication, the construction and renovation sides of the industry seem to be progressing in a new direction. Read more

In lieu of a column on whether Alex Rodriguez has a more promising future in poker than he does with the Yankees, I give you scattered thoughts… Read more