LATHAM — With as many as 35 million people home and out of work, the combination of summer sun and a global pandemic created a splash for backyard pools.
As local economies struggled and people feared contracting the COVID-19 strain, community pools were either closed or sparsely populated during the summer. That need for respite from the heat painted a caricature of a picture for an industry already quite busy in the summer.
An informal observation of skyrocketing prices for pools revealed an elementary lesson on supply and demand. Online prices for just inflatable pools that, a year before went for $50, sold last summer for $300. That’s when they were in stock.
Online influencers addressed landlocked property owners with how-to-do videos on converting metal livestock food troths into personal swimming pools. Nothing like the real thing, though.
Latham Pool Products hired as many as 300 new employees to address last year’s surge of demands. Latham Pool Products’ chief executive Scott Rajeski told Albany Business Review he didn’t see business slowing down anytime soon.
It’s a national trend Reuters captured early in the pandemic as pool manufacturers first started fielding inquiries. One company quoted a 200 percent increase for steel and composite pools in just 60 days.
The boom immediately preceded big news for Latham Pool Products. Last October, its controlling partner, Pamplona Capital Management, obtained yet another pool manufacturer into its portfolio of companies.
GLI Pool Products, out of Youngstown, Ohio, is known as a service leader in shipping custom inground swimming pool liners and safety covers. It now falls under the same umbrella of companies that includes Latham Pool, which is North America’s largest provider of inground residential swimming pools and accessories.
“For years, I have sought to ensure that GLI and our associates would continue to thrive long into the future,” said GLI Pool Products owner Gary Crandall, “I have found the right partner to maintain and accelerate our positive trajectory.”
GLI and Latham operate independently, leveraging shared technology and best practices in order to provide the best customer experience.
“Gary Crandall has built an outstanding organization,” said Rajeski, “We look forward to our relationship with GLI and all the possibilities it presents.”
GLI Pool Products is a privately held and locally owned manufacturer. They currently employ over 340 people operating three shifts within their Youngstown facility. GLI utilizes lean manufacturing processes to manufacture and ship custom pool liners and safety covers worldwide.
GLI is committed to delivering their products, particularly custom pool liners and safety covers, quickly and professionally. Predictably fast and flawless delivery in a seasonal business is a service that customers come to rely on for planning their business with GLI. They combine this with a blend of consumer and trade marketing programs that are targeted at incremental profit enhancement.
A majority of GLI’s products are sold through approximately 450 wholesale pool distributors and 1,500 swimming pool retailers/dealers/builders/service companies.
Latham is the largest provider of residential inground pools and accessories in the world with over six decades of experience. Every day, families in North America, Europe and Australia enjoy the Latham pool experience, and each year, thousands more join them. When it comes to quality, selection, simplicity and support, Latham is The Pool Company.
