2009 Calendars

We print an annual Viking Pools Calendar and it's a big deal for our dealers to be featured in it. This year we received a record number of photographs for consideration. I actually think we received enough top quality pics for two calendars, so we'll be featuring the pics that were great but didn't make it into the calendar on our website under FEATURED POOLS very soon.

Here are a couple of pics that made it in to the calendar and are also being considered for the coveted award Pool of the Year! The top picture was installed by Poolside Pools & Spas in Collinsville OK and the other is from Midwest Fiberglass Pool Distributors in Grand Blanc MI.

If you'd like to pre-order a 2009 calendar, email your name and address to marketing@vikingpools.net. They should be ready to mail out by October.

Aromatherapy

One of our new options for 2008 is Aromatherapy. I just received an awesome picture of it in motion and wanted to share it with you.

The Aromatherapy bubbler system is installed on the back bench of this Caribbean model pool. You can see how the water bubbles up and if you scratch your monitor you can smell the kiwi. (jk)

Aromatherapy has been a popular option in the past for spas and we're pleased to be the first fiberglass pool manufacturer to incorporate it into our pools.

As Seen on TV

Let me first start by saying that I Love Product Placements! Ok. Now let me tell you a little bit about what we've done for the wonderful world of television & the big screen. As far as movies go, the pool that is in the movies The Bird Cage (with Robin Williams) and Unbreakable (with Bruce Willis) are from Viking Pools.

As far as television is concerned, we just wrapped up our 13th episode of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (which airs Sun 8/7c. on ABC) in Cincinnati, Ohio last month. I believe it is scheduled to air in November - I'll keep you posted. Being part of the EMHE family has been such a great experience. I'll never forget our first one 3 years ago. It was the Pope family in Pengrove CA. Shelby Pope is allergic to the sun and shade sails were put over the pool and spa so she could do something that most kids don't think twice about - going outside to play in the pool.

I also had the pleasure of working with Matt Roloff and the show Little People Big World that airs on TLC. With the help of our Virginia Beach dealer, The Pool Guyz, we installed a Gulf Coast model pool at Roloff Farms behind the family house. Matt was such a pleasure to work with. He even made an appearance last January at the Atlantic City Pool & Spa show for a press conference.

This past year we also installed a pool on the set of MTV's The Real World and two years ago we provided a pool to The Adam Corolla Project, American Builder, and Rapid Remodel. Our television debut was on the Discovery Channel in 2003; we were featured in a segment called Quality of Life which was hosted by Cheryl Ladd.

I'm constantly looking for shows to integrate a Viking pool. I think that it's a great way to get our products noticed by folks looking for a pool.

Pictures (L-R) The Real World set, Little People Big World, EMHE Chapin Family

Viking Pools Provides Pool to Camp Heartland

In June 2007 Viking Pools donated an Ocean Breeze model pool to Camp Heartland (now called One Heartland), a camp dedicated to children affected by HIV/AIDS. I heard about Caleb Glover, a toddler whose family had been asked to leave an Alabama campground after learning he was HIV positive, from the kind folks at Camp Heartland and knew instantly that we had to do something to help out. We pulled our resources together and called on our dealers Midwest Fiberglass Pools in Michigan and Viking Pools of Sacramento in California to help with the installation process.

On June 29, 2008 Tom Straub and I traveled to Camp Heartland in Willow River, Minnesota for the Viking Pool dedication. We arrived Saturday evening and met Neil Willenson, camp founder, along with the Glover family, celebrities Jonathan Bennett and Robbie Amell, and other supporters for a nice dinner. On Sunday we traveled to the camp and were taken on a tour of the facility by the campers. It was so uplifting to listen to these young people who, despite adversity, were so inspirational.

The kids had so much fun swimming and playing in the water park. I was happy to see supporters bring their HIV negative children to swim with the campers. There is still much misconception about HIV/AIDS in 2008 and I’m so glad we got the chance to provide the campers with a place where they could play and just be kids.

Photos: Top (L-R) Silvia Glover, Tom Straub, Robbie Amell, Caleb Glover, Jonathan Bennett, Stacy Nelson, Neil Willenson. Bottom: Campers swimming with Robbie Amell and Jonathan Bennett after pool dedication.

Eco-friendly Pool to be featured in Eco Smart Idea Home Project

I've been working with Charlie Rushing, founder of Ponce de Leon Development Group, who is coordinating the first Eco Smart Idea/Demonstration House Project. This is a cutting edge green project that is 100% eco-friendly and will contain the 50 top green products and services companies in the industry.

Charlie founded "Eco Smart of FLorida" and is dedicated to educating consumers and professionals in green technology, energy efficiency and storm mitigation. We were thrilled when Charlie contacted us and said that he wanted a Viking pool to be in the backyard of the demonstration house.

Right now we're discussing the Fiji model, due to it's versatility and ease of adding multiple layers to the space for aesthetics. Majestic Pools & Spas from Navarre, Florida has already signed up to install the pool.

The Eco Smart Project is a Platinum LEED Certified Project; there are less than 5 residential projects in the US selected for Platinum certification. The Eco Smart Project will be open and staffed for 5 years and will display the best in earth friendly products.

I'll keep you posted on the progress.

Two New Viking Pools Distribution Yards

We've had an increasing demand for Viking Pools and our sales force has been actively searching for locations to use as distribution yards in Effingham, Illinois and Morongo Valley, California.

Since May we have been housing our most popular models at these facilities. They should help alleviate increasing demand in Southern California, Las Vegas, Arizona and the upper Midwestern markets.

Welcome to Viking Pools LLC

Welcome to the Viking Pools LLC blog where I intend to keep you educated about all things related to Viking Pools. Let me first start by introducing you to Viking Pools. Our humble beginnings started in 1975 when founder Alan Stahl began manufacturing fiberglass swimming pools in San Jose, California with one single mold. A couple of years later he added another mold and by 1979 he had an entire lineup of one-piece fiberglass swimming pools on the market and had moved the manufacturing to Williams, California. Over the next decade, Viking Pools continued to experience incredible success due to our wide range of products, high quality materials, customized service, and our use of vinyl ester resin (a formula that would later become the benchmark of the fiberglass pool industry). Soon new technologies and higher-quality materials were developed and we created the A.C.P. (Advanced Composite Pool) which incorporated an exclusive ceramic core and closed beam construction.

In 1995, Viking Pools introduced Crystite® finishes to the market. These high-end pebble like surfaces changed the look of fiberglass pools in the United States. The following year we began offering inlayed accent tile to trim steps and seats for both safety and aesthetics. Over the next two years, another manufacturing facility was opened in Oak Hill, Florida and Midland, Texas to service increasing demand for the product.

In 1999 Viking Pools created a line of water gyms called Hydro Zone, geared towards physical fitness and aquatic therapy. The Hydro Zone line can be equipped with in-line swimming systems and exercise equipment for a total workout. The following year, Viking Pools started production in Jane Lew, West Virginia and was now able to effectively cover all quadrants of the United States and Canada.

Over the next five years, Viking Pools continued to raise the bar of excellence in the one-piece pool industry with research and development and exclusive options. We introduced built-in cascades, raised bond beams, Starlite, inlayed mosaic tile, fiber optic lighting, and in-floor cleaning systems to provide a totally unique and customizable pool. We also moved manufacturing from our Oak Hill, Florida facility to Zephyrhills, Florida to better service that area of the country.

In 2005 Viking Pools was acquired by Latham International, the Nation’s leading manufacturer of packaged in-ground swimming pools and still operates as an autonomous unit under the direction of its president, Todd Stahl. Corporate headquarters were also moved to Jane Lew, West Virginia.

The past three years have been dedicated to further research and development, corporate integrity, and streamlining processes to create the best one-piece pool on the market today. Viking Pools is the only fiberglass pool manufacturer that can incorporate a vanishing (or negative) edge on any pool or spa model and offers a wide assortment of modular units for a unique look. In 2008 we introduced premium options like tiled floors, steps, seats and skimmers; aromatherapy; and the Fiji – the first ever fiberglass pool with a built-in raised bond beam.

Viking's pools are distributed through a network of independent dealers. Looking towards the future, Viking Pools is dedicated to providing a pool that is second to none with the ability to be customized to suit even them most fastidious customer.

My name is Stacy Nelson and I have been the Director of Marketing at Viking Pools since April 2003. I will be sharing information with you on this blog journey and encourage your comments and questions.