In this episode of the Supplier Voice podcast, Mark Hines, the vice president of Sales and Marketing at Paddock Pool Equipment Company, draws on nearly 30 years of industry experience to address the top challenges facing aquatics within campus recreation today — from budget pressures and aging infrastructure to a persistent lifeguard staffing crisis.
He explains how indoor air quality is at the root of many interconnected problems in aquatics facilities — impacting staff retention, mechanical longevity and swimmer experience — and why the Paddock Evacuator was engineered to address it. Hines also shares why thoughtful, non-negotiable planning from the earliest stages of a facility build or renovation is the single most powerful lever directors have.
This conversation also explores:
- Why today’s lifeguards understand their worth and expect wages that reflect the responsibility of the role — and why poor air quality makes recruiting and retaining them even harder.
- How chlorine odor is actually a warning sign of poor indoor air quality, and simple, no-cost indicators aquatic directors can monitor right now.
- The real cost of siloed budgets, illustrated by a story of brand-new thermal covers at a major university that were never once used.
- Why bringing architects, aquatic designers, engineers and pool builders onto one team from the start is the most effective way to protect budget and ensure key priorities don’t get cut.
Listen to the episode now to learn how Paddock Pool Equipment Company strives to help campus rec professionals improve aquatics facilities and operations for the overall health and safety of students and staff.
