4 Fiberglass Pool Manufacturers to Watch Out For in 2011

Having attended the Pool/Spa Convention in Atlantic City just this past month, I was able to catch up with many of the fiberglass swimming pool manufacturers from around the country and assess the current state of the industry. As everyone knows, the last few years have been difficult for the swimming pool industry with the poor housing market and suffering economy, but I’m happy to say that I feel strongly we’ve turned the corner and the next 11 months should be quite interesting as manufacturers finally catch their breath and can again focus on improving the fiberglass swimming pool market as a whole.

This being said, here are 4 manufacturers (ordered randomly) I’ll be watching closely in 2011:

1. Barrier Reef Pools: Originally out of Australia and currently hailing from South Carolina, Barrier Reef has kept relatively quiet in the fiberglass pool market during their few years here in the country. Notwithstanding, during this time period they have continued to build a solid reputation for quality pool construction and have introduced some new shapes and sizes to their mold line in 2011. Although mainly a southeast company at the moment, Barrier Reef is looking to make a stronger move in the rest of the country and 2011 just might be their breakthrough year in the market.

2. Trilogy Pools: Having had their best year ever in 2010, Trilogy Pools continues to gain strong market share in the fiberglass pool industry throughout much of the Eastern part of the US. Located in Tennessee, Trilogy continues to stay on the cutting edge with their fusion line and have done an excellent job with some of their newer molds in the last year, especially with the Genesis, a 16’x40’ freeform pool that offers your choice of a max depth of either 8’6” or 6’.

3. Leisure Pools: Having experienced huge growth in 2010, Leisure Pools has become one of the top fiberglass pool brands throughout the United States and Canada. Considering they are still relatively young here in the US after coming from Australia roughly 10 years ago, Leisure has a very strong dealer base in most major markets throughout the country.

4. Viking Pools: Although it might surprise some of our readers to see me include Viking Pools on this list, I’m happy to say that Viking and I have moved forward from our past differences and I have hopes that with their new president, Tom Straub, the company is headed in the right direction. With their acquisition of Blue Hawaiian Pools in late 2010, and their continued focus on innovation, Viking seems to be making a big push to gain more market share in 2011.

So there are the 4 fiberglass pool companies I’ll be watching closely in 2011. I would also mention here that just because manufacturers like San Juan Pools, Sun Pools, Alaglass Pools, American, and Aloha Pools are not mentioned on this list, it does not mean they are not going to make waves in 2011 as well. In fact, I’d invite any employees of these companies (including the 4 I mentioned in the article) to contribute further thoughts on what consumers and pool builders alike can expect from these manufacturers for the remainder of 2011.

Marcus Sheridan