Relationships Were Key to Grow Pool Corp

By Karen-Janine Cohen

For Manny Perez de la Mesa (BBA '77), a commitment to relationships with customers, employees and fellow managers propelled Pool Corp to become the world's largest wholesale distributor of swimming pool supplies, equipment and related outdoor products. Perez de la Mesa, who retired as president and CEO in 2018, led the company for 20 years and began programs that attracted and retained both clients and his workforce.

Still an active board member, he achieved these results by viewing customers as collaborators and employees as the lynchpin of success. "I think the people aspect of it is integral," said Perez de la Mesa. The key, he added, is building ties by understanding each one's needs and objectives and then sharing ideas to realize those objectives. It's a lesson learned in youth and followed ever since.

Pool Corp was founded in 1981 and is headquartered in Covington, Louisiana, though Perez de la Mesa lives in South Florida. The company has more than 6,000 employees and about 440 locations worldwide.

Before joining Pool Corp, Perez de la Mesa researched the sector and saw the opportunity to add value for customers by helping them succeed in their own businesses. To that end, he invested in training, programs and tools (such as software and website creation) designed to increase demand for the company's customers and enable them to be more productive. Pool Corp's customers are swimming pool contractors (everything from new pool construction to ongoing maintenance) and specialty retail pool stores.

"If you genuinely care about the individuals you work with and their success, that results in a different relationship than a purely transactional one."

– Manny Perez de la Mesa

"We evolved quickly to becoming very customer-centric," said Perez de la Mesa, "and they rewarded us with their business."

For example, the company provides "planograms" for optimal retail store organization, and it has a laser focus on providing contractors everything needed on the jobsite as requested. "If you genuinely care about the individuals you work with and their success, that results in a different relationship than a purely transactional one," he said.

Personal and professional growth are intertwined. He views his 1977 FIU business degree as professional development armature. "If you stop learning and growing, that is where your career typically taps out." He later earned an MBA degree at St. John's University in New York.

Perez de la Mesa said coaching his children's sports teams meant meeting people from all walks of life. He gained a diversity of views and perspectives, which carried over into his professional life. It's a creative process, he said, which pays big dividends.

His parents were his role models. The family immigrated from Cuba when Perez de la Mesa was four years old. His father sold used cars then switched to real estate, and his mother was also a realtor for over 40 years. Both wanted to help fellow immigrants gain a foothold in a new country.

Perez de la Mesa never forgets his background and said he feels extremely fortunate for his family, to have grown up in the U.S., gone to FIU "and for the number of people whose growth and success I've been a part of."