CEO of PoolWerx pool care franchises receives 2010 AIM Management Excellence Award

John O’Brien, CEO of PoolWerx pool care franchises has been announced as the winner of the Australian Institute of Management’s prestigious 2010 Manager of the Year Award, rising above a number of high calibre finalists.

Open to managing partners and business owners across all industries, the awards seek “to recognise the hard work of savvy professionals who have channelled their learnings, turning points and visionary moments into viable businesses.”

Since the company’s foundation in 1992, Mr O’Brien has helped to grow PoolWerx, his “biggest passion”, from six pool vans to an international network of pool care franchises, with more than 300 mobile service vans and 65 retail hubs.

The award win is an important recognition, Mr O’Brien notes, not only of his own contribution to the development of the brand, but also the community programs embraced by the pool cleaning franchises.

“The best part about being in business is having the skills and knowledge to help others succeed and it continues to be a strong focus of mine to give back to the community wherever I can,” he says.

One example Mr O’Brien gives is the recent pledge by PoolWerx to contribute more than $500,000 over three years to the Royal Life Saving Society of Australia as part of its ‘Keep Watch’ program, targeted at zero drowning for children aged 0-5 years old.

While PoolWerx pool care franchises are very successful, Mr O’Brien still places importance on initiatives that will prompt positive change within the business.

“We recently made some large scale adjustments to our business model including reducing our franchise fee structure and injecting an extra $500,000 in support services into the system,” he says.

With these kinds of initiatives enabling the network of pool care franchises to continue to grow, Mr O’Brien says that further international expansion is the company’s next aim.

He explains that he is “looking forward to continuing to grow the business overseas especially in areas like the United States, where we see strong opportunities for the PoolWerx business model to be successful.”