Episode 158: State of the Pool Industry with Scott Frost of Fluidra

Episode Summary:  Today, we sit down with Scott Frost, who has served as Senior Vice President of Sales for North America at Fluidra for almost three decades.  Since its founding in 1969, Fluidra has grown into a well-respected multinational group in the pool and wellness industry, operating in more than 45 countries through its subsidiaries with a team of over 6000 employees. Fluidra’s portfolio includes a number of prestigious brands such as Jandy®, AstralPool®, Polaris®, Cepex®, Zodiac®, CTX Professional®, and Gre®.  Scott says that, after over 28 years, nothing compares to this particular crisis. He speaks on how the pool industry has been impacted by the pandemic since the beginning of 2020 and what opportunities emerged in the new normal among the radical changes that the industry has undergone as a whole.  However, Scott also notes that there are more positives than negatives in the long run and that one of the most important ways for companies to thrive is for them to have open, honest communication with their customers as everybody continues to navigate these uncertain times.  Topics Discussed:  01:05 - An introduction to Scott Frost  05:32 - The past year was both “an exciting and challenging time”  11:05 - Tackling challenges and rethinking just-in-time systems  16:03 - How the pandemic has influenced Fluidra’s decisions  18:33 - Why no other crisis compares to this one