Easton, MA — December 11, 2025 — Easton Select Group, a national leader in swimming pool services and backyard leisure solutions, today announced the acquisition of Harrison Pool & Spa LLC, a trusted full-service pool care provider serving homeowners in the suburban MetroWest region of Boston, Mass.

Founded more than ten years ago by Camden Harrison, Harrison Pool & Spa has earned a reputation for craftsmanship, reliability, and a deeply personal approach to customer care. The Mass.-based company serves clients in the largely affluent and growing suburban communities in the Boston metropolitan area.

Harrison Pool & Spa’s service offerings—spanning seasonal maintenance, equipment expertise, repairs, openings, closings, and customer education—complement Easton Select Group’s expanding portfolio of premium pool services throughout New England and beyond. The acquisition further strengthens Easton Select Group’s growing presence in Greater Boston and enhances its ability to utilize economies of scale to deliver expert, stress-free pool ownership experiences across the region.

All service relationships, technicians, and customer support teams are remaining in place, backed by the scale and resources of Easton Select Group.

“Harrison Pool & Spa has built a strong reputation for professionalism, communication, and treating every pool as if it were their own. The company embodies exactly what Easton Select stands for: exceptional service, deep expertise, and genuine care for every customer,” said Tim Dooling, CEO of Easton Select Group. “We are thrilled to welcome Camden and his team. Together, we’ll bring even greater resources, technology, and support to homeowners across MetroWest.”

“For more than a decade, my goal has been simple: deliver the highest quality service with a personal touch and empower families to feel confident caring for their pools,” said Camden Harrison, President of Harrison Pool & Spa. “Joining Easton Select Group allows us to stay true to that mission while gaining the support and scale needed to keep raising the bar for our customers. I couldn’t be more excited about what this partnership means for our team and the communities we serve.”

About Easton Select Group

Easton Select Group is a national leader in premium swimming pool services, construction, and backyard leisure solutions. Through its family of brands, the company delivers expert service, innovative plunge pools, and stress-free pool ownership experiences to homeowners across the United States. Pool Ownership Made Easy. TEC-Driven: Technology, Execution, Convenience. Learn more at EastonSelect.com.

Media Contact:
Rick Lacroix
LCX Strategies
[email protected]

Van Nuys, California — The pool industry stopped in its tracks on November 11th as Pure Swim’s Rich Gallo was blindsided in Van Nuys with an honor decades in the making: the 2025 Talking Pools Podcast Pool Industry Mentor of the Year, becoming the first-ever recipient of the swimming pool industry’s official Mentor Championship belt, custom-manufactured by Wildcat Belts, makers of belts for WWE and UFC.

The recognition—conceived and created by Rudy Stankowitz of the Talking Pools Podcast, a top 1.5% global podcast with listeners in over 100 countries—celebrates the swimming pool industry’s most impactful mentors worldwide. This year’s recognition drew 70 nominees from across the globe. Finalists were determined through a multi-stage, completely anonymous evaluation process. All identifying information was stripped from the nominations, and each nominee was assigned a unique number for the finalist round.

The Talking Pools Podcast hosts and three industry sponsors—Blueray XL, LaMotte Company, and Revdup Apparel—were provided only with the merit summaries associated with each anonymous finalist and scored them without any knowledge of their identities. This ensured a 100% merit-based and unbiased selection process.

“With the industry battling workforce shortages and an urgent need for better training pipelines, mentors like Gallo play a crucial role in shaping the technicians who will sustain the trade.” – Stankowitz.

Each of the Top 10 finalists received a premium recognition package celebrating their leadership, including a custom Revdup Apparel Mentor Jersey, a commemorative challenge coin, symbolic “Elevator Key,” Talking Pools gear, and gifts from title sponsor Blueray XL—created to honor the mentors’ impact on the swimming pool service community. The surprise presentation in Van Nuys was attended by:

• Rudy Stankowitz, Talking Pools Podcast
• Chris Galvin, President/CEO of Blueray XL
• Steve Sherwood, Talking Pools Podcast
• Dean Oullette, President/CEO of Big Family Pools (Scottsdale, AZ)
• Abbey and Adam, Pure Swim
• Alexa Jade, Photographer

Gallo was visibly moved as the Championship Belt presentation team burst through his office door. In an emotional moment captured in video, Stankowitz told him:

“We have somebody here who doesn’t do something to get recognition. He did it purely to help people get ahead and for the betterment of the industry. That’s the person who deserves this recognition the most. I wanted to come here in person, shake your hand, and say thank you for what you do for the pool industry.”

Gallo, overwhelmed, expressed deep appreciation:

“Thank you so much — this means a lot. The way you crafted this, the time and dedication you spent, and how you personally came in from Florida… that makes it special. I’m as honored to meet you as you are to meet me. I can’t thank you enough for doing this.”

The Pool Industry Mentor Championship belt, explicitly designed for this recognition, symbolizes the highest standard of mentorship in the pool industry. Manufactured by Wildcat Belts, known worldwide for designing belts for WWE and UFC, it represents the industry’s first-ever mentor recognition and Championship title.

“Rich Gallo is our first-ever champion in a movement that’s long overdue,” Stankowitz said. “This acknowledgement recognizes the folks who lift others up and set them loose to lead—people who pay it forward because that’s who they are. Rich doesn’t just mentor. He builds future leaders, and that’s exactly what this industry needs.”

About Rich Gallo

Rich Gallo leads Pure Swim in Van Nuys, California, a company renowned for its concierge-level service and the kind of responsiveness that customers don’t forget. He grew up around the trade—his father was a pool builder—and stepped into the industry early, spending more than thirty years earning a reputation built on integrity, professionalism, and a steady, people-first leadership style. Rich has long been regarded as a go-to mentor in the pool world, someone who lifts others and believes that sharing knowledge is part of the job. Away from the business, he’s a family man through and through, having become a father at a young age and now a proud grandfather, carrying those values of responsibility and heart into everything he does.

About the Talking Pools Podcast

Talking Pools is one of the most widely listened-to podcasts in the swimming pool industry, ranking in the top 1.5% of shows worldwide and reaching audiences in over 100 countries. Led by top industry educators and veteran pool professionals, the show delivers straight-talking training, real-world insights, and a strong voice for pool professionals everywhere.

When it comes to pool ownership, the difference between a pristine backyard oasis and a costly maintenance nightmare often comes down to consistency and knowledge. Even well-meaning homeowners can make mistakes that slowly eat away at their pool’s surface, equipment, or water quality. To better understand which maintenance issues really cause long-term pool damage—and how homeowners can avoid it—Pool Magazine spoke with Chad Chicoine, Franchise Technical Coach for Pool Scouts, a national pool service brand. Through standardized training and reliable service systems, Pool Scouts is changing how homeowners think about maintaining their pools.

The Top Mistakes That Cause Long-Term Pool Damage

“The first one is water chemistry, hands down,” said Chicoine. “I’ve seen pools that look perfect but are quietly eating away at heaters or plaster because the low pH or low LSI has been out of whack for weeks, if not months.”

The second biggest mistake, according to Chicoine, is neglecting routine care. “Not keeping up with brushing, emptying baskets, or staying on top of filter cleanings—skip that stuff for too long, and you’re going to have circulation issues and probably algae.”

And the third? Procrastinating on small repairs. “I’ve had customers ignore a squeaky pump or a salt cell warning, and next thing you know, they’re shelling out for a full replacement when it could have been avoided.”

These mistakes persist because, at first glance, everything looks fine. “Clear water gives people a false sense of security,” he explained. “But unless you’ve been trained, you’re not going to notice that your stabilizer’s too high or your LSI is out of balance. It sneaks up on folks.”

Even small habits can quietly cause damage over time. “Things like overusing chlorine pucks, not diluting acid before adding it, or leaving the autofill on 24/7 don’t raise red flags right away,” said Chicoine. “But they slowly throw off water balance or wear down equipment. That’s where consistent service makes a real difference. A trained tech can spot these issues early, before they become expensive problems.”

The Problem with Inconsistent or DIY Pool Care

In the age of YouTube tutorials and online pool forums, the do-it-yourself approach has become common—but it’s often misleading. “I totally get the DIY mindset,” said Chicoine. “I’m the kind of person who scours the internet for answers to everything. But test strips don’t tell the whole story, and internet advice doesn’t always apply to your region or your specific equipment. You might fix the symptom, sure, but miss the actual problem. And that’s usually when we get called in to clean up the mess.”

Even with hired help, inconsistency can cause harm. “When the same tech sees the same pool week after week, they start to notice patterns—small things that might slip past someone else,” he said. “If you’re always having to add calcium or salt, that could be a sign of a leak in a pool with an autofill system that’s quietly going unchecked.”

Chicoine noted that not all “professionals” provide consistent care. “I’ve seen pools get worse even with someone on the job because there were no systems in place—just someone reacting week to week, or worse, month to month. That kind of inconsistency adds up fast.”

And as for the flood of online “quick fixes”? Chicoine doesn’t mince words. “I browse forums or Reddit sometimes, and honestly, you have to dig through a lot of bad advice to find the gems,” he said. “You’ll see stuff like ‘shock fixes everything’ or ‘throw a copper pipe in your skimmer.’ If I still had hair, I’d be pulling it out reading that. These kinds of tips give people false confidence, and most of the time, they just make the problem worse.”

How Pool Scouts Ensures Consistency Nationwide

At Pool Scouts, consistency is built into every visit. “We’ve developed a standardized process that every tech follows, regardless of where they’re working,” said Chicoine. “It’s not left up to guesswork. From water testing to how we document service, our tools and systems keep things consistent nationwide.”

That consistency starts with rigorous training. “Our techs go through a mix of online training, hands-on fieldwork, and manufacturer-supported sessions to make sure they’re fully equipped,” he explained. “We also have ongoing coaching and regular check-ins to keep them sharp.”

Chicoine and the technical team personally support franchisees and technicians in the field. “Every franchisee and tech has our direct numbers. We’re former techs ourselves, so we get it. We’re fielding calls from sunup to sundown—whatever it takes to support them.”

Using Technology to Build Trust and Transparency

Technology plays a major role in maintaining quality control and customer confidence. “Every visit is tracked in real time using mobile software,” Chicoine said. “We log chemical readings, service notes, and photos, and customers get a report after every visit. It helps techs stay accountable and keeps customers informed.”

That digital transparency builds trust. “It takes the guesswork out of the equation,” he added. “When customers get a report showing their chemical levels, notes from the tech, and even photos of their pool, they know the job got done. There’s no ‘Did someone actually show up?’ It’s right there in black and white.”

Chicoine said that explaining what’s being done and why is just as important. “We don’t just check boxes and move on—we talk to the customer. If we’re adding something extra or noticing a pattern, we explain it. Once homeowners understand the ‘why,’ it clicks. They realize we’re not just cleaning their pool—we’re protecting their investment.”

The Evolution of Modern Pool Service

Customer expectations have evolved rapidly in recent years, driven by both technology and lifestyle changes. “A clean pool is just the baseline now,” Chicoine said. “Customers want clear, consistent communication right at their fingertips. They want to know who was in their yard, what got done, and why it was done. It’s not just about water clarity anymore—it’s about trust.”

That shift has raised the bar for professionalism across the industry. “There’s always going to be the guy in flip-flops, a chemical-stained shirt, and a beat-up truck,” he said with a laugh. “But more and more, customers expect a clean, branded vehicle and a tech in uniform who looks the part.”

With today’s pools becoming more sophisticated—featuring automation, variable-speed pumps, AOP systems, and salt technology—the need for advanced training has never been greater. “We see it every day,” said Chicoine. “The systems are more complex, and so are the expectations. That’s why we’re working with manufacturers and our own teams to put out better information—not just for our technicians, but for customers too.”

As the pool industry continues to evolve, one thing remains clear: consistency, professionalism, and communication are key to keeping homeowners’ trust—and their pools crystal clear.

Photo Credits: Pool Scouts