Polaris celebrates its 50th year anniversary in this year. Since its inception, the brand has been a leader in the pool cleaning industry. Polaris, a trusted and efficient pool cleaner, has been around for 50 years.
We spoke with Greg Howard, former CEO and President of Polaris Pool Systems (1986-192004) and Skye Svenningsen, Director of Product Marketing at Fluidra North America. They shared their insights on the brand’s past and discussed the key factors that contributed to its success. We discussed the history of Polaris and some key milestones that made Polaris a trusted brand in pool cleaners.
Greg Howard is currently the President of Carecraft. This leading buying group in the pool industry, Greg Howard, is still a fond friend. He has fond memories of his Polaris days, and shared the story of how the brand began.
“The original Polaris was invented by Mel Henkin and Jordan Laby . One was a dentist, the other was an anesthesiologist. Howard explained that the prototype was made from Coke cans and rubber band and had a bag that looked like a chef’s cap.
Polaris’s first appearance was at the 1973 National Swimming Pool Convention, Anaheim, California. The product quickly attracted the attention of the pool industry. It would soon be in competition with the Arneson Pool Sweep, which held a dominant share of this nascent market.
The original idea was to vacuum and sweep the pool. Arneson products were hoses that could be used in a pool. The product stirred the water and required you to remove the debris from the basket. Our product was the first to actually vacuum and sweep, hence the Polaris Vac-Sweep name. Howard said that it took two years for engineers to turn those Coke cans into a pool cleaner.
Howard stated that he remembers going head-to-head with the Arneson Pool SWeep, who had at the time golf legend Arnold Palmer to their spokesperson. It was not to be undone that Polaris would hire Suzanne Somers (star of the hit sitcom Three’s Company) as their spokesperson.
Howard said that she appeared on all our packaging and was featured in our ads. She also went on our incentive trips with me. She would often sit at the pool, sign autographs, and chat with customers. Howard explained that Suzanne Somers was an important part of our marketing.
The Polaris 180 was the first product that the brand became famous for in the 80’s. Howard explained that for the first ten to fifteen years of the company’s existence, the Polaris 180 was the only product we had. “We literally built an entire business around one product until later on.”
Zodiac Pool Systems acquired Polaris in 2005. Later, Fluidra would merge with Polaris. Polaris currently has pool cleaners for every type of pool. They have pressure cleaners and electric cleaners as well as cordless cleaners. They have really increased the range. We started with one product and it took us a while before we added a second, third, and fourth.
Skye Svenningsen, a former Polaris employee, looks back on the brand today with nostalgia and optimism about the future. “There’s a lot behind us that has really made Polaris as an industry brand the way it is today,” stated Svenningsen. “After 50 years, our spirit, innovation, passion and drive to make something great for our customers is still the heart of what we do every single day.”
It all began with the Polaris 180 Vac-Sweep, the main product, and then the Polaris 280 Vac-Sweep. People still rely on this product today. Although technology and other things have changed over the years, we still created a product that has stood the test. Some of the innovations we created back then are still relevant today.
“In 2017, the Polaris Quattro Sport was introduced to the market. This was a revolutionary way to view pressure cleaning using dual filtration canisters. We aren’t content to sit back and wait. Svenningsen stated that we know consumers are searching for the next big thing, and that we will bring it to them.”
“Consumers expect their new products today to have an app that gives them information about their cleaners or products,” said Svenningsen. “With the iAqua Link Control in some of our robot products, you can set a cleaning schedule, start it at work, or while on the road, and make sure that your pool is clean when you get back.” Our robots can do many things that were impossible previously.
The Polaris brand today is in sync with the latest technological innovations in pool cleaning products. Svenningsen stated that the alpha IQ platform, and epic platforms, have helped us to innovate and bring new products to market. These products have received a lot engineering and marketing support. I hope we can still talk 50 years from now about how these products helped to create some truly innovative innovations.
Listen to the Pool Magazine podcast and hear our interviews with Greg Howard, Skye Svenningsen.
Polaris Celebrates 50th Anniversary originally appeared on PoolMagazine.com. Get the Latest Pool News.
