What a wonderful year it has been! Thanks to our amazing staff and wonderfully supportive clients, we at American Pool took the time to shine a spotlight on a few of our brightest stars from this past year.
During our annual Drivers Conference, in Baltimore, our top executives convened to award the highest echelon of achievements within the company. Congratulations to American Pool Georgia Operation of the Year award winners, and Bruno Soares winner of the American Pool President’s Award.
Operation of the Year- American Pool Georgia
American Pool Georgia took it up a notch this year. Their financial success and exemplary customer service satisfaction surpassed the previous benchmarks, all while forming a new relationship with the City of Atlanta. Dan Lawler, American Pool COO, tells us that because of their newest acquisition, the Georgia office is not only projected to increase their margins dramatically for 2017, but also to have huge growth.
One crucial factor to Georgia’s success was its ability to know where it needed to grow and evolve as a company. Dan Lawler says the office, “…transformed its culture, to be more mindful of the bottom line while still holding to our values of safety, caring, thoughtfulness, and honesty.”
Rick Naden, American Pool President and CEO, spoke proudly when discussing the growth that the Georgia office has created this past season. He mentioned that Georgia lost a client this year due to another competitor with lower prices. Though we are sad to lose any client, the Georgia office knew that its bottom line was built for a reason, untouchable customer service. And it paid off. Within a few short months, the Georgia office re-signed that client, who was unable to maintain its relationship with the lower priced competitor because its services didn’t come close to the service Georgia provides. Rick Naden said, “I am very proud of what they’ve accomplished this year, and I’m confident they will continue to excel working at the same level.”
American Pool President’s Award – Bruno Soares
When we began to think of a team leader, Bruno Soares was the first person on everyone’s mind this year. His dedication and drive to develop his team was unmatched this past year, with NPS scores of 69% for 2016 to prove it. Bruno started as a pool tech for the Florida office in 2009. After a few hard working years, Bruno was promoted to Regional Manager for Broward and Palm Beach Counties in 2012 and then promoted again to Operation Manager in 2014.
Neil Gates, President of the Florida office, describes Bruno as genuine good person, someone who not only cares deeply about satisfying the customer, but keeping his own team and office happy as well. Neil Gates says that Bruno’s training has been essential to his success, “Bruno has mentored and trained all the new Regional Managers to make sure they live up to his and AP’s standards. He has the utmost respect from all pool techs who appreciate his assistance and knowledge to help them succeed at their jobs.”
No matter the question, Bruno will do everything to solve it. Bruno takes pride in the success of his team, so much so that he was more ecstatic about winning Operation of the Year last year than he was about his individual awards. His passion for his team is what drives the Florida office’s success, a quality that we all strive to imitate. Neil Gates says, “I would find it hard to believe there was ever a team player that cared about our business as much as he does.”
The man himself says that winning the President’s Award shows that “hard work does pay off.” Bruno loves working for a company that is a true leader in the industry, working in a place where he can continue to learn and grow from all the knowledge provided is “priceless,” he says. Bruno also mentioned his appreciation for Neil Gates, someone who he says, “…taught me what it takes to be a great leader and how to successfully run a business.“
Congratulations to both awardees, thank you for showing us your dedication and passion for your careers, we look forward to what the future brings you!
