Southwest Pool and Spa Show Returns 
After a one-year hiatus, The Southwest Pool and Spa Show is back and better than ever.
The 2007 show was held February 6-8 at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, Texas. The new venue gave plenty of room for members to see what’s new, network, and participate in demonstrations and seminars. Show highlights included tech schools, hands-on demonstrations, educational seminars, pool tours, a regional golf tournament, and the APSP Region 3 Design Awards Gala. Special thanks go to guests, APSP Past Chairman Larry Biscornet, Chairman-elect Gene Fields, and to Pentair, the show’s platinum sponsor.
The Gala, organized by the South Texas and North Texas Chapters, was held February 7 at the Hilton Americas. The South Texas chapter, lead by Pat Walsh, was the onsite management team, while the North Texas chapter, led by Tom Odeski, managed the judging process and the audio-visual production. Michael Miller, of Miller Pools, provided the live entertainment, The emcees were Bob Tomlinson of the Greater Houston Chapter and Jana Auringer of the North Texas Chapter.
The Greater Houston Chapter hosted the Region 3 Golf Tournament at Wildcat Golf Club. Over 70 golfers participated in this event. Special guests, Gene Fields, APSP National President-Elect, and Larry Biscornet, APSP National Past President, were also on hand to enjoy the festivitites.
A special debt of thanks goes to Chris Romero (United Chemical), Mike Atkinson(Hayward) and Lorie Stogdill (Auto Pilot) for organizing this well received event. Also, speicial thanks goes to our corporate supporters, United Chemical Corporation, and 3M.
APSP Region 3 Design Award Winners 2007
(for a full listing with winning photos, visit the 2007 Design Award page)
Best of Show
Star Pools, Houston, TX
Concrete Freeform, 600 sq. ft. or less
Gold: Pool Concepts, Helotes, TX
Silver: Cody Pools, Austin, TX
Bronze: Texas Pools & Patios, Austin, TX
Merit: Ocean Quest Pools by Lew Akins, Belton, TX
Merit: Quest Pools, Katy, TX
Concrete Freeform, 601 sq. ft. or more
Silver: Claffey Pools, Southlake, TX
Silver: Hamilton-Steele Outdoor Accents, Houston, TX
Silver: Wise Pool Company, Conroe, TX
Merit: Claffey Pools, Southlake, TX
Concrete Traditional, 600 sq. ft. or less
Gold: Texas Pools, The Woodlands, TX
Silver: Star Pools, Inc., Houston, TX
Bronze: Star Pools, Inc., Houston, TX
Merit: Natural Stone Pools, McKinney, TX
Merit: Ocean Quest Pools by Lew Akins, Belton, TX
Merit: Pool Concepts, Helotes, TX
Concrete Traditional, 601 sq. ft. or more
Gold: Wise Pool Company, Conroe, TX
Silver: Pool Concepts, Helotes, TX
Bronze: Texas Pools, The Woodlands, TX
Concrete Geometric, 600 sq. ft. or less
Gold: Claffey Pools, Southlake, TX
Silver: Star Pools, Inc., Houston, TX
Bronze: Hamilton-Steel Outdoor Accents, Houston, TX
Bronze: Innovative Pool Designs, Houston, TX
Merit: The Pool Man, Tomball, TX
Merit: Star Pools, Inc., Houston, TX
Concrete Geometric, 601 sq. ft. or more
Gold: Star Pools, Inc., Houston, TX
Silver: Hamilton-Steele Outdoor Accents, Houston, TX
Bronze: Watts Pool Company, Houston, TX
Merit: Star Pools, Inc., Houston, TX
Concrete Natural, 600 sq. ft. or less
Gold: Ocean Quest-Austin, Austin, TX
Silver: Sweetwater Pools, Inc., Houston, TX
Bronze: Ocean Quest Pools by Lew Akins, Belton, TX
Merit: Natural Stone Pools, McKinney, TX
Concrete Natural, 601 sq. ft. or more
Gold: Star Pools, Inc., Houston, TX
Silver: Hobert Pools & Spas, Richardson, TX
Bronze: Hobert Pools & Spas, Richardson, TX
Bronze: Natural Stone Pools, McKinney, TX
Classic” Residential Pool
Gold: Claffey Pools, Southlake, TX
Silver: Texas Pools, The Woodlands, TX
Bronze: Ocean Quest Pools, Inc, Austin, TX
Merit: Ocean Quest Pools, Inc, Austin, TX
Aboveground/Onground Pool
Gold: Above Ground Pool and Spa Company, San Antonio, TX
Silver: Above Ground Pool and Spa Company, San Antonio, TX
Residential Pool Restoration
Gold: Star Pools, Inc., Houston, TX
Silver: Artisan Pools, Houston, TX
Bronze: Claffey Pools, Southlake, TX
Merit: Team Aqua Pools & Spas, The Woodlands, TX
Public Pool Restoration
Gold: Watts Pool Service, Houston, TX
Silver: Hamilton-Steele Outdoor Accents, Houston, TX
Semi-Public Pool
Gold: Watts Pool Company, Houston, TX
Silver: Watts Pool Company, Houston, TX
Bronze: Watts Pool Company, Houston, TX
Merit: Claffey Pools, Southlake, TX
Merit: Cody Pools, Austin, TX
Public Swimming Pool, Competitive Swimming
Gold: Rehler Vaughn & Koone, Inc., San Antonio, TX
Silver: Watts Pool Company, Houston, TX
Public Swimming Pool, Recreational
Merit: Watts Pool Company, Houston, TX
Technical/Engineering Achievement
Gold: Pool Concepts, Helotes, TX
Silver: Aquastone Pools of North Texas, Irving, TX
Bronze: Pool Concepts, Helotes, TX
Merit: Texas Pools, The Woodlands, TX
Commercial Water Feature
Gold: Texas Pools, The Woodlands, TX
Silver: Claffey Pools, Southlake, TX
Residential Water Feature
Gold: Aquastone Pools of North Texas, Irving, TX
Silver: Wise Pool Company, Conroe, TX
Bronze: Aquastone Pools of North Texas, Irving, TX
Merit: Wise Pool Company, Conroe, TX
Pool with Negative Edge, 600 sq. ft. or less
Gold: Johnson Custom Pools, Austin, TX
Silver: Ocean Quest Pools by Lew Akins, Belton, TX
Silver: Southernwind Pools, Dallas, TX
Bronze: Innovative Pool Designs, Houston, TX
Pool with Negative Edge, 601 sq. ft. or more
Gold: Star Pools, Inc., Houston, TX
Silver: Hamilton-Steele Outdoor Accents, Houston, TX
Bronze: Ocean Quest Pools by Lew Akins, Belton, TX
Merit: Johnson Custom Pools, Austin, TX
Concrete Spa, Exterior Use
Gold: Aquastone Pools of North Texas, Irving, TX
Silver: Star Pools, Inc., Houston, TX
Bronze: Crites Custom Pools, Hutto, TX
Manufactured Spa, Interior Use
Gold: Texas Pools, The Woodlands, TX
Spa Built in Conjunction with Swimming Pool
Gold: Johnson Custom Pools, Austin, TX
Silver: Hobert Pools & Spas, Richardson, TX
Bronze: Ocean Quest Pools by Lew Akins, Belton, TX
Merit: Crites Custom Pools, Hutto, TX
Merit: Pool Concepts, Helotes, TX
Swim Spa, less than 200 sq. ft.
Gold: Johnson Custom Pools, Austin, TX
Silver: Ocean Quest Pools by Lew Akins, Belton, TX
*Captions:
Ribbon-cutting: Ribbon-cutting, left to right, back row: Tom Odeski, Lew Akins, Chris Romero, (unknown), Larry Biscornet, Paul Walter, Terry Williams, (unknown). Front row: John Payne, Jack Hopkins, Bob Tomlinson, (unknown), Dan Warriner, Herb Roth. Photo courtesy of Herb Roth.
Pool photo: Best in Show award winner Star Pools, of Houston. Photo courtesy of Star Pools.
Golf Tournament Photo: Gene Fields, Larry Biscornet, John Payne, Marshall Davis. Photo courtesy of Mike Atkinson.
