APSP & NSPF boards will not unite

The board of directors of The Association of Pool & Spa Professionals (APSP) and the National Swimming Pool Foundation (NSPF) have announced they will not continue with the unification process to consolidate the two organisations.

After reviewing the discovery information and recognizing the work and financial investment required to create one unified organization, the APSP and NSPF Boards have decided to align their efforts, where both entities will still remain independent, but strive to enhance the collaboration and synergy between the organisations. They will continue to seek opportunities to work collaboratively to positively impact the aquatics community.

In April 2016, the two organisations began unification negotiations with the goal of creating a unified organization to work as one for the industry. The APSP and NSPF Boards met in person several times throughout 2016 and hired a professional services firm to perform due diligence analysis, facilitate strategic discussions with both boards, and conduct qualitative research with Board members and key volunteer leaders.

APSP Board Chairman Jack Manilla and NSPF Board President G. Bruce Dunn stated: “Both Boards have been diligent, transparent, and tireless in their respective efforts to create a path forward. From the beginning of this process, the goal was to create more swimmers, more swimming pools and more hot tubs that will allow users to gain from the health benefits of swimming activity, aquatic immersion, and hydrotherapy. Although the outcome is not of one unified organization, both APSP and NSPF recognize and embrace that this is the time to create accelerated change through enhanced collaborative efforts.”

NSPF will continue to focus on encouraging healthy living through education and research while APSP’s focus will remain on protecting the industry through government relations and standards. Both organisations will continue to offer high quality aquatic education central to the success of the industry.

“We will continue to invest in building stronger relationships with the APSP organization and leadership with the hope that one day we will be able to complete this journey,” said Dunn. Manilla agreed adding, “A shared belief in the power of partnerships and putting our members and consumers of water at the center of everything we do is embedded in our respective cultures, and we are looking forward to collaborating on more initiatives together in 2017.”

Meanwhile, the NSPF and the Master Pools Guild have become closer, following the MPG donating another $40,000 to NSPF's Step Into Swim Campaign.