Building Pools in the City
BOB BLANDA
We go one-on-one with pool industry veteran Bob Blanda who made a career building pools in the busiest city on Earth. BY JOE TRUSTY Photos: Mill Bergen Pools
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If you’re going to build pools in the busiest city on Earth, you need your head on a swivel to say the least. Recently we had a chance to catch up with Bob Blanda of Mill Bergen Pools. He has been performing pool construction in the Big Apple for over three decades and is one of the premier pool builders in New York City today. The journey to becoming a high-end Manhattan builder was a long one and success didn’t happen overnight for Blanda who started off like many doing pool service. He began his first forays into the industry as a teenager in Brooklyn. It was in 1986, after finishing with a bachelor’s degree in business management that Blanda would form his second company Manhattan-based Mill Bergen Pool Center. Today he holds the certifications of Certified Building Professional (CBP), Certified Service Professional (CSP), and Certified Pool Operator (CPO). Blanda also serves as president of the Northeast Spa and Pool Association (NESPA) and sits on the board of directors for the Pool & Hot Tub Alliance (PHTA).
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POOL MAGAZINE - VOL 2, ISSUE 1
It’s safe to say that Blanda has made a name for his firm during that time span as a trusted pool construction company of choice in New York City. An industry thought leader and seasoned veteran pool builder, Blanda knows what it takes to execute a pool project where most people in their right mind wouldn’t even attempt to park a car. Simply traveling around the city itself can be daunting, as the congestion in Manhattan is ranked #1 for worst traffic in the United States. With drivers experiencing an average of 102 hours delayed each year, Blanda confirmed this adds another dimension of complexity to building pools. “If there’s traffic, you can sit there for an hour and a half waiting just to go around the block,” said Blanda. “Trying to get cement delivered to the city means you have to get 4-5 parking spots cleared,” he explained, “What we do is wait until they have alternate side parking for the street sweepers and that is the day we’ll schedule cement.”
