A Seasoned Pro Joins Integra Pool Covers
Change is afoot over at Explore Industries. They just tapped Doug Larson to be the General Manager for their Integra Pool Covers division. Now, I've seen plenty of hiring announcements in my day, but this has got an interesting ring to it. With Doug on this ship, it's like bringing a wolf back to the wild. Larson's no stranger to automatic pool covers.
Pools, Covers, and Doug Larson: A History
Larson's track record reads like the who's who of pool cover antics. Starting way back in '95, he's got his hands dirty in this industry since before some of you new traders even opened a brokerage account. After some prestigious MBA sharpening and prepping with outfits like KPMG and Washington Mutual Bank, he dove back into pool covers with Coverstar—a saga that took him to the President's office until 2016. It's a wonder he didn't grow gills with that kind of commitment!
But here's the real kicker: Larson took a detour to run InterWest Safety and later snapped up a service company, Certified Services Group, out in Salt Lake City. Call it wandering or gaining perspective, but it looks like he's got a passion that he just couldn't shake.
Exploring Opportunities at Explore Industries
Larson's new role carries some weighty expectations, mind you. With responsibilities stretching from sales support, manufacturing, and the entire dog and pony show of supply chain and warranties, he's got to juggle more than just pool covers. There's talk of product innovation—maybe new bells and whistles that'll catch consumers' eyes—and expanding that dealer network that Explore Industries holds so dear.
"Doug brings a unique combination of automatic pool cover experience, operational leadership and business ownership," David Pain, CEO of Explore Industries, tells us. Sounds like the perfect blend of brains and brawn for the job, wouldn't you say?
Growth and Business Development
Here's where it gets big: Integra Pool Covers isn't just a small fry in Explore Industries' lineup. It represents a real growth opportunity. Larson's set to pull some serious weight in not just growing sales through the ExploreBase network but identifying new market opportunities. Here's hoping he's brought his A-game strategy to map out where this ship's heading.
What's Next for Integra Pool Covers?
In this dance of innovation and market needs, Larson's tasked with rolling out a long-term product strategy. A mix of old know-how and new blood could make all the difference here.
And given that Larson openly said he's got "tremendous potential to continue building the business," we might just be in for more than just routine poolside drama. Who knows? Maybe a splash of Larson's magic is precisely what Integra needs to paddle forward.
About the Industry Behemoths
Digging into Explore Industries, we're talking a titan: global leader, fiberglass swimming pool maestro, and operator of brands all over the backyard lifestyle spectrum. Headquarters in Knoxville, Tennessee sounds like the capital for this pool empire. With 150,000 plus pools installed—across the world, mind you—this is no basement operation. They’ve been providing dealers and customers with top-tier products for over two decades.
Let's see if Larson and the crew can stitch together something that'll buoy the automatic pool cover arena to new heights. Keep an eye peeled, because changes like this often send ripples far beyond just the splash zone.
