The Foundation for Pool & Spa Industry Education has several new board members and is preparing for its new educational season.
FPSIE has been rebuilding since a change of leadership and restructuring resulted in the return of Michael Orr as executive director of business development earlier this year.
Soon the organization will release a new set of online courses geared toward the service sector, which also can be used to help technicians prepare for the APSP Certified Maintenance Specialist certification exam. The program will be broken up into five modules covering electricity, chemistry, hydraulics, maintenance and customer service.
“People not trying to get APSP certification can buy the modules they want,” Orr said. “The online courses allow a person to do their normal day work and still be able to take the courses anytime they want — night, day or weekends.”
The group plans to promote the electrical module, in particular, outside the industry.
Those who do want the certification, however, would have to purchase all six modules and complete them within a year. The professional then could take the supervised CMS exam. The APSP companion book for the courses also will be available through FPSIE.
FPSIE aims to release the courses by the end of August.
The organization also will host five-day in-class CMS courses at its facility in Sacramento. Those are expected to begin in the fall, along with the rest of its educational slate.
In other FPSIE news, the group has added four new directors to its board. They include Sue Robach, regional training manager for Pentair Water Pool and Spa in Sanford, N.C., and Fred Hare, a longtime Pentair instructor and current aquatic consultant. Also on the board are Karl Sense, CPA and partner at Gallina, LLP, in Roseville, Calif., and Brian Long, chief information officer/information technology manager of Chem Quip Inc. in Sacramento.
Phil Gelhaus, former president of General Pool and Spa Supply in Rancho Cordova, Calif., will remain as FPSIE chairman at least until September, when his term ends.
In the coming months, FPSIE plans to expand its Board of Directors to include up to 20 members. “We have a vision of having a much larger, more diverse board of directors, representing a lot of the interests in our industry, especially individuals who have educational backgrounds, so that when we design curricula, we do have support and don’t leave anyone out,” Orr said.
