Taking the Pulse: The Top 50 Builder Survey Results

This year, we surveyed this elite group to assess their growth, outlook and strategies.


The Top 50 make up an optimistic bunch. A combined 60% report an increase in profits over the same time last year — and 71% expect 2019 to be better than 2018. More than half credit a healthy local economy.

But they have faced challenges. The rainy weather surpassed even the labor shortage as a roadblock to growth. A full 58% of the group listed rainy/snowy weather as the biggest problem, as opposed to the 13% who listed the shrinking pool of workers.

“Despite a very rainy and dreary spring, we have still seen a very strong demand for new pools,” said one Top 50 Builder.

About the Author

Rebecca Robledo

Rebecca Robledo is deputy editor of Pool & Spa News and Aquatics International. She is an award-winning trade journalist with more than 25 years experience reporting on and editing content for the pool, spa and aquatics industries. She specializes in technical, complex or detail-oriented subject matter with an emphasis in design and construction, as well as legal and regulatory issues. For this coverage and editing, she has received numerous awards, including four Jesse H. Neal Awards, considered by many to be the “Pulitzer Prize of Trade Journalism.”