In episode 263 of the Pool Nation Podcast, we break down what to expect at the Pool Nation Conference at the PSP/Deck Expo in Las Vegas (Oct 24–25): a full day of truly hands-on training (pump wiring, automation, heater tear-downs, and variable-speed motor installs) and Day 1 of the Business Track focused on financial mastery (pricing for profit, key metrics, cost of service, cash flow, and exit planning). We also recap the Pool Nation Women’s Summit, shout out the $5K community giveaway, and share key show dates: $10K Pool Pro Challenge qualifiers (Oct 22) and the Pool Nation Awards (Oct 23). Use code POOLNATION for a free Expo Pass. Limited seats per track — don’t wait.
Chapter Timestamps-
00:00 – Intro + show open
-
01:00 – Vegas is coming: Conference dates, 3-track format
-
02:00 – Catching up: glasses, getting older, and feeling human again
-
07:30 – Community spotlight: the $5,000 Instagram giveaway & vendor support
-
10:00 – Wild weather, dust storms, and pool cleanups
-
11:00 – PSP/Deck Expo week overview
-
Oct 22: $10K Pool Pro Challenge qualifiers (at our booth)
-
Oct 23: Pool Nation Awards (voting closes Oct 1)
-
Oct 24–25: Pool Nation Conference (3 tracks)
-
-
12:30 – Women’s Summit recap: energy, networking, and top-tier education
-
16:45 – Announcing Most Influential Women (2025) & Next Gen Leaders
-
20:00 – What makes our conference different (intimate size, curated tracks)
-
24:00 – Why service pros deserve a seat at the table
-
27:30 – Track design philosophy: a true, step-by-step curriculum
-
37:00 – Hands-On Day (Oct 24): what you’ll actually do
-
Pump wiring & VS pump installs (Aquastar carts)
-
Automation install & programming (Pool Attendant)
-
Heater teardown, troubleshooting & best practices (Raypak)
-
Variable-speed motor retrofit & programming (Nidec/US Motors Neptune)
-
-
45:00 – “Truly hands-on” explained (tools in hand, small groups, do the work)
-
46:30 – Business Track Day 1 (Oct 24): Financial Mastery
-
Turn Pools into Profits (profit mindset & setup)
-
Turn Metrics into Money (what to track, how to use it)
-
Know Your Cost, Grow Your Profit (real cost of service)
-
Financial Planning & Exit Strategy
-
Profit ≠ Cash: Mastering Cash Flow
-
-
51:30 – Technical Track Day 1 (Oct 24): Chemistry & Algae
-
Responsibilities of the modern pool pro
-
Precision testing & dosing
-
Choosing the right chemicals for each pool
-
Proactive vs. reactive care (specialty chems & minerals)
-
The science of algae: ID, prevention, elimination
-
-
55:30 – Why the curriculum is sequenced the way it is
-
57:30 – Day 2 tease (coming next episode)
-
58:30 – Seats are limited (target caps per track) — register early
-
01:05:00 – How to use code POOLNATION for a free Expo Pass
-
01:07:00 – A direct message to service pros: why this training matters
-
01:10:00 – Instructors & announcements coming up
-
01:11:00 – Awards tickets reminder + massive voting turnout
-
01:12:00 – Wrap & what’s next (IG Live with nominees next week)
Show Notes
Get ready for Vegas! We’re previewing the Pool Nation Conference at the PSP/Deck Expo (Oct 24–25) and breaking down exactly what you’ll learn.
Hands-On Day (Oct 24)
-
Wire and install VS pumps (Aquastar)
-
Install and program automation (Pool Attendant)
-
Tear down and troubleshoot heaters the right way (Raypak)
-
Retrofit a variable-speed motor and program it (Nidec/US Motors Neptune)
Business Track: Day 1 — Financial Mastery
-
Build your business to produce profit (from day one)
-
The metrics that actually drive decisions
-
Calculate your true cost of service
-
Plan your finances and exit strategy
-
Cash flow > profit: how to never run out of cash
Technical Track: Day 1 — Chemistry & Algae
-
Responsibilities of a modern pool pro
-
Precision testing, dosing, and targeted care
-
Choosing the right chemicals for each pool
-
Proactive vs. reactive care using specialty chems & minerals
-
The science of algae: identify, prevent, eliminate
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
The Burden
The Burden is a documentary series that takes listeners into the hidden places where justice is done (and undone). It dives deep into the lives of heroes and villains. And it focuses a spotlight on those who triumph even when the odds are against them. Season 5 - The Burden: Death & Deceit in Alliance On April Fools Day 1999, 26-year-old Yvonne Layne was found murdered in her Alliance, Ohio home. David Thorne, her ex-boyfriend and father of one of her children, was instantly a suspect. Another young man admitted to the murder, and David breathed a sigh of relief, until the confessed murderer fingered David; “He paid me to do it.” David was sentenced to life without parole. Two decades later, Pulitzer winner and podcast host, Maggie Freleng (Bone Valley Season 3: Graves County, Wrongful Conviction, Suave) launched a “live” investigation into David's conviction alongside Jason Baldwin (himself wrongfully convicted as a member of the West Memphis Three). Maggie had come to believe that the entire investigation of David was botched by the tiny local police department, or worse, covered up the real killer. Was Maggie correct? Was David’s claim of innocence credible? In Death and Deceit in Alliance, Maggie recounts the case that launched her career, and ultimately, “broke” her.” The results will shock the listener and reduce Maggie to tears and self-doubt. This is not your typical wrongful conviction story. In fact, it turns the genre on its head. It asks the question: What if our champions are foolish? Season 4 - The Burden: Get the Money and Run “Trying to murder my father, this was the thing that put me on the path.” That’s Joe Loya and that path was bank robbery. Bank, bank, bank, bank, bank. In season 4 of The Burden: Get the Money and Run, we hear from Joe who was once the most prolific bank robber in Southern California, and beyond. He used disguises, body doubles, proxies. He leaped over counters, grabbed the money and ran. Even as the FBI was closing in. It was a showdown between a daring bank robber, and a patient FBI agent. Joe was no ordinary bank robber. He was bright, articulate, charismatic, and driven by a dark rage that he summoned up at will. In seven episodes, Joe tells all: the what, the how… and the why. Including why he tried to murder his father. Season 3 - The Burden: Avenger Miriam Lewin is one of Argentina’s leading journalists today. At 19 years old, she was kidnapped off the streets of Buenos Aires for her political activism and thrown into a concentration camp. Thousands of her fellow inmates were executed, tossed alive from a cargo plane into the ocean. Miriam, along with a handful of others, will survive the camp. Then as a journalist, she will wage a decades long campaign to bring her tormentors to justice. Avenger is about one woman’s triumphant battle against unbelievable odds to survive torture, claim justice for the crimes done against her and others like her, and change the future of her country. Season 2 - The Burden: Empire on Blood Empire on Blood is set in the Bronx, NY, in the early 90s, when two young drug dealers ruled an intersection known as “The Corner on Blood.” The boss, Calvin Buari, lived large. He and a protege swore they would build an empire on blood. Then the relationship frayed and the protege accused Calvin of a double homicide which he claimed he didn’t do. But did he? Award-winning journalist Steve Fishman spent seven years to answer that question. This is the story of one man’s last chance to overturn his life sentence. He may prevail, but someone’s gotta pay. The Burden: Empire on Blood is the director’s cut of the true crime classic which reached #1 on the charts when it was first released half a dozen years ago. Season 1 - The Burden In the 1990s, Detective Louis N. Scarcella was legendary. In a city overrun by violent crime, he cracked the toughest cases and put away the worst criminals. “The Hulk” was his nickname. Then the story changed. Scarcella ran into a group of convicted murderers who all say they are innocent. They turned themselves into jailhouse-lawyers and in prison founded a lway firm. When they realized Scarcella helped put many of them away, they set their sights on taking him down. And with the help of a NY Times reporter they have a chance. For years, Scarcella insisted he did nothing wrong. But that’s all he’d say. Until we tracked Scarcella to a sauna in a Russian bathhouse, where he started to talk..and talk and talk. “The guilty have gone free,” he whispered. And then agreed to take us into the belly of the beast. Welcome to The Burden.