Justin Time: Welcome to the CPO Newsletter

By Justin Ivey, CPO Instructor

In the Spring of 2013, I joined the team at Blue Wave Pool Service and Supplies, Inc. in Hamden, Connecticut. I started as help in the office, running reports, completing computer maintenance, organizing, and—most importantly—helping to answer customer calls. With no knowledge about pools other than that they contain water, and that the thing on the side was called a skimmer, I was struggling to help anyone. Every call had to be passed to the owner at the end of the day. I really felt helpless at the beginning of the quick-moving pool season. The owner of the business happened to be a CPO Instructor and I asked if I could sit through a class, to learn more about what we were working with. That was the start of my journey in the aquatics industry. I fell in LOVE.

Fast forward to 2019 and I became a CPO Instructor in the hopes of spreading joy about the industry, as well as the good word about proper pool and hot tub care. Jump to 2023, and I joined the education staff at the Pool & Hot Tub Alliance (PHTA) with the same goals in mind. The Certified Pool & Spa Operator Course launched my aquatics career.

That course, taken by more than 30,000 people every year, is what brings us all together here in for the CPO Quarterly Newsletter. We at PHTA are over the moon about this new connection. While we all had different CPO Instructors and experiences, we all are bound by the goal of creating safe swimming environments for all. This newsletter aims to keep you informed and updated on the quickly changing world of aquatics, connect you with stories from CPOs around the world, and share a little fun from the field. Segments will include helpful hints to better serve you at the pool, an instructor’s corner touching on current and past events, horror stories, a CPO profile, and even information on how to go further in your aquatic career.

Welcome and thank you for being a part of the community. We look forward to keeping in touch!