Following twenty years at the helm, it was announced last July that Manuel (aka Manny) Perez a la Mesa would step down as president and CEO of POOLCORP, effective Dec. 31, 2018.<\/p>\n
The move marked the close of a remarkable period in the company\u2019s history, and while POOLCORP\u2019s success is likely to continue without him, Perez de la Mesa\u2019s legacy was fundamental in shaping the fortunes of the world\u2019s largest supplier of swimming pool equipment, parts and supplies. In an exclusive interview with CEO Magazine, Manny spoke of his experience and how his business philosophy has evolved.<\/p>\n
POOLCORP\u00a0is the world\u2019s leading wholesale distributor of swimming pool equipment, parts and supplies, and related outdoor living products. The company operates over 360 locations worldwide with more than 4,000 employees through three primary distribution networks: SCP Distributors LLC, Superior Pool Products LLC, and Horizon Distributors, Inc. With Sales Centers around the world,\u00a0POOLCORP distributes a broad range of products to roughly 120,000 customers and enjoyed revenue of $3 billion in 2018.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.ceo-na.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Captura-de-pantalla-2018-12-20-a-las-11.00.42.png\")
<\/p>\n
Manny Perez de la Mesa came as an immigrant with his family from Cuba to Florida and studied Business Administration at Florida International University (FIU). He started as a financial analyst with Sea-Land Services, Inc. and later earned his MBA at St. John\u2019s University in New York, while working for Sea-Land Service Inc., and later worked with IBM, Fresh Del Monte Produce, and Watsco, Inc., before being appointed President of what is now POOLCORP in 1999.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe logic at the outset was to establish a central culture, core disciplines, and then have a clearly defined strategy to pursue the many opportunities that were available in the industry,\u201d Perez de la Mesa told CEO Magazine of the immediate challenges when he took over in 1999. \u201cOnce the big picture was laid out, it\u2019s a matter of having the right people in place, establishing more detailed plans by market, and executing, and that\u2019s been an exercise that we\u2019ve continued to build on over the course of 20 years.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cManny Perez de la Mesa defines the words trust and righteousness,\u201d said Steve Cohen, CEO of Wilbar International, a trusted partner of POOLCORP. \u201cOur relationship with them is based on respect, which is mostly due to the way Manny shaped POOLCORP during his 20 years at the helm.\u201d<\/p>\n
Finding the Talent<\/h2>\n
Perez de la Mesa describes the evolution of\u00a0POOLCORP during his 20 years in charge as a maturing process, driven primarily by developing and growing the best talent. In 2000, the company began to invest heavily in recruiting young people out of universities, expanded its portfolio of training programs, and worked to continually develop its talent to ensure a solid foundation for the future.<\/p>\n
\u201cTrainees go through a six month training program before they\u2019re placed into professional level positions,\u201d Perez de la Mesa said of the new recruits. \u201cBut we also have several hundred courses and programs available to aid those who want to push through their own development and be able to contribute more to the organization. It\u2019s understood that we all have to get better at what we do every year for us to continue to grow the value of the enterprise, and that has always included me.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs a result, we settled into a certain rhythm and cadence that made me comfortable with the idea that the team didn\u2019t need to depend on me as much because the organization was evolving and much of what we do has become systemic throughout the company.\u201d<\/p>\n
The concept of learning is a crucial pillar of Perez de la Mesa\u2019s approach to business. \u201cWhen you finish and graduate from college, you will have learned less than 10 percent of what you will learn (in your career),\u201d he told a group of students, alumni, and professors at the Herbert A. Wertheim Lecture, held at his alma mater, the FIU College of Business, in 2015.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere will be hard skills you learn, but in business\u2014and in life\u2014it is more about the soft-skills.\u201d<\/p>\n
Being a Leader<\/h2>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.ceo-na.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/11-1-300x300.jpg\")
<\/a>Manuel Perez de la Mesa; President, Director, and CEO; POOLCORP.<\/p><\/div>\n
When asked how his leadership approach changed during the 20 years he led POOLCORP, Perez de la Mesa likewise describes a continuous learning process that began in the first six months after he took over when he met with constituents from throughout the industry to find out what needed to be done to take the company forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou step back and start to appreciate that you\u2019re one of many,\u201d he explained. \u201cIt\u2019s very important to understand every facet of an industry and business before you start developing plans and executing them. One of the things that was critical to me early on was that I spend the better part of the first six months on the job listening to customers, vendors, and our people. Based on the aggregation of the inputs they provided, that formed my perspective to establish the right priorities, the right strategies, and make the investments we\u2019ve made in the years since. I wasn\u2019t the one with the answers; in fact, I was the guy asking the questions.\u201d<\/p>\n
Based on his experience listening to voices from across the industry, Perez de la Mesa says he thus identified the fundamentals to develop and implement a strategy based on expectations for market share growth and a progressively greater premium value for customers and suppliers, a philosophy that was subsequently embedded throughout the organization.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe first wave was identifying who was doing things better throughout the organization,\u201d Perez de la Mesa explained. \u201cNo one division or region had a monopoly on that. It was basically assessing all that we did and bringing to bear those who were performing best with a very clear system of measurements. One of the keys from a management standpoint was that for every professional position in the field organization, there was a clearly defined set of responsibilities.<\/p>\n
\u201cThose sets of responsibilities had associated with them certain expectations, those expectations were tied to specific measurements, and those measurements were available, generally speaking, on a daily basis,\u201d he continued. \u201cEvery individual, whether they were in Detroit or Lyon, France; understood very clearly their responsibilities, the expectations associated with those responsibilities, and the measurements associated with those expectations.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the other part, given the nature of our industry, is the fact that we set a tone for ethics, integrity, that\u2019s really helped the industry step up over the last 20 years, and I also think that\u2019s a part of my legacy that will continue.\u201d<\/p>\n
“For almost two decades, under Manny\u2019s\u00a0leadership, our respective companies have thrived, providing innovative products to enhance the enjoyment of swimming pool owners throughout North America and Europe.\u00a0Manny\u2019s industry leadership has been instrumental to that success,” said\u00a0Karl Frykman, EVP & COO of Pentair, another key partner of POOLCORP.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.ceo-na.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Captura-de-pantalla-2018-12-20-a-las-11.34.31-1024x215.png\")
<\/p>\n
Strong Partnerships<\/h2>\n
Given that\u00a0POOLCORP works with over 2,000 manufacturers worldwide, Perez de la Mesa was also keen to highlight that strategic partnerships have been crucial to the company.<\/p>\n
He highlighted their involvement with the National Association of Wholesale Distributors and the need to compare notes with other best-in-class distributors and learn from them, a process he was also eager to nourish within\u00a0POOLCORP itself.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe took that together with initiatives that came up from the staff organization that we have within the company, which is specifically looking at what new best practices there are in the industry, as well as ideas that come from the field,\u201d Perez de la Mesa insisted. \u201cThose two sources blended together and created a kind of fermentation of opportunities that we looked at. Based on the priority rank of value and contribution, we then implemented them throughout the organization.\u201d<\/p>\n
In one notable example, during Perez de la Mesa\u2019s tenure, sourcing at\u00a0POOLCORP was streamlined through a preferred vendor program that sought to identify the very best partners for the company and the benefits that could be enjoyed by both parties.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe basically assessed the vendors in terms of their commercial policies, their ability to ship quality products on time, their investments in product innovation and development, and all of those factors weighed into the vendor being preferred or not,\u201d he explained. \u201cWhat we do organizationally is steer the sales to the products that come from the preferred vendors. Those currently account for over 95% of our sales.\u201d<\/p>\n
“Our partnership with POOLCORP is closely tied to our ultimate goal of delivering the perfect pool experience,” said Bruce Brooks, CEO of Fluidra, which enjoys an important and productive relationship with\u00a0POOLCORP. “They help us better understand the pool professional, enabling us to create the products he needs, and together providing them when and where he needs them.”<\/p>\n
Manny Perez de la Mesa leaves\u00a0POOLCORP with a string of achievements behind him: over the past twenty years, the company has enjoyed a net sales compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10%, diluted earnings per share (EPS) CAGR of 17%, return on invested capital of 30%, and a total stockholder return CAGR of 22%. On Jan. 1, 2019, he will be succeeded by Pete Arvan<\/a>, who currently serves as the company\u2019s EVP and COO.<\/p>\nPerez de la Mesa will remain with\u00a0POOLCORP as Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.ceo-na.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/mmm-1024x683.jpg\")
Perez de la Mesa at a Q3 2018 Earnings Conference Call on October 18th, 2018.<\/p><\/div>\n
\u201cI am grateful for the effort and commitment of our people, the partnership with our suppliers and the support of our shareholders,\u201d Perez de la Mesa said in summary of his two decades at the helm.<\/p>\n
\u201cOver the last two years, I have worked closely with Pete on company strategy, business operations, and corporate culture, and I\u2019m confident that\u00a0POOLCORP will continue to deliver outstanding results.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Manny Perez shares\u00a0the keys to success he learned over the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21,"featured_media":19812,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[52],"tags":[99,1385,1576,1644,1643],"class_list":["post-19784","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-executive-interviews","tag-ceo","tag-ceo-northam","tag-interview","tag-manny-perez-de-la-mesa","tag-poolcorp"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/servidor-mxigen1.com\/ceona-antiguo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19784","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/servidor-mxigen1.com\/ceona-antiguo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/servidor-mxigen1.com\/ceona-antiguo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/servidor-mxigen1.com\/ceona-antiguo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/21"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/servidor-mxigen1.com\/ceona-antiguo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19784"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"http:\/\/servidor-mxigen1.com\/ceona-antiguo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19784\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20221,"href":"http:\/\/servidor-mxigen1.com\/ceona-antiguo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19784\/revisions\/20221"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/servidor-mxigen1.com\/ceona-antiguo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19812"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/servidor-mxigen1.com\/ceona-antiguo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19784"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/servidor-mxigen1.com\/ceona-antiguo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19784"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/servidor-mxigen1.com\/ceona-antiguo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19784"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
<\/a>Manuel Perez de la Mesa; President, Director, and CEO; POOLCORP.<\/p><\/div>\n
When asked how his leadership approach changed during the 20 years he led POOLCORP, Perez de la Mesa likewise describes a continuous learning process that began in the first six months after he took over when he met with constituents from throughout the industry to find out what needed to be done to take the company forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou step back and start to appreciate that you\u2019re one of many,\u201d he explained. \u201cIt\u2019s very important to understand every facet of an industry and business before you start developing plans and executing them. One of the things that was critical to me early on was that I spend the better part of the first six months on the job listening to customers, vendors, and our people. Based on the aggregation of the inputs they provided, that formed my perspective to establish the right priorities, the right strategies, and make the investments we\u2019ve made in the years since. I wasn\u2019t the one with the answers; in fact, I was the guy asking the questions.\u201d<\/p>\n
Based on his experience listening to voices from across the industry, Perez de la Mesa says he thus identified the fundamentals to develop and implement a strategy based on expectations for market share growth and a progressively greater premium value for customers and suppliers, a philosophy that was subsequently embedded throughout the organization.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe first wave was identifying who was doing things better throughout the organization,\u201d Perez de la Mesa explained. \u201cNo one division or region had a monopoly on that. It was basically assessing all that we did and bringing to bear those who were performing best with a very clear system of measurements. One of the keys from a management standpoint was that for every professional position in the field organization, there was a clearly defined set of responsibilities.<\/p>\n
\u201cThose sets of responsibilities had associated with them certain expectations, those expectations were tied to specific measurements, and those measurements were available, generally speaking, on a daily basis,\u201d he continued. \u201cEvery individual, whether they were in Detroit or Lyon, France; understood very clearly their responsibilities, the expectations associated with those responsibilities, and the measurements associated with those expectations.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the other part, given the nature of our industry, is the fact that we set a tone for ethics, integrity, that\u2019s really helped the industry step up over the last 20 years, and I also think that\u2019s a part of my legacy that will continue.\u201d<\/p>\n
“For almost two decades, under Manny\u2019s\u00a0leadership, our respective companies have thrived, providing innovative products to enhance the enjoyment of swimming pool owners throughout North America and Europe.\u00a0Manny\u2019s industry leadership has been instrumental to that success,” said\u00a0Karl Frykman, EVP & COO of Pentair, another key partner of POOLCORP.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Strong Partnerships<\/h2>\n
Given that\u00a0POOLCORP works with over 2,000 manufacturers worldwide, Perez de la Mesa was also keen to highlight that strategic partnerships have been crucial to the company.<\/p>\n
He highlighted their involvement with the National Association of Wholesale Distributors and the need to compare notes with other best-in-class distributors and learn from them, a process he was also eager to nourish within\u00a0POOLCORP itself.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe took that together with initiatives that came up from the staff organization that we have within the company, which is specifically looking at what new best practices there are in the industry, as well as ideas that come from the field,\u201d Perez de la Mesa insisted. \u201cThose two sources blended together and created a kind of fermentation of opportunities that we looked at. Based on the priority rank of value and contribution, we then implemented them throughout the organization.\u201d<\/p>\n
In one notable example, during Perez de la Mesa\u2019s tenure, sourcing at\u00a0POOLCORP was streamlined through a preferred vendor program that sought to identify the very best partners for the company and the benefits that could be enjoyed by both parties.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe basically assessed the vendors in terms of their commercial policies, their ability to ship quality products on time, their investments in product innovation and development, and all of those factors weighed into the vendor being preferred or not,\u201d he explained. \u201cWhat we do organizationally is steer the sales to the products that come from the preferred vendors. Those currently account for over 95% of our sales.\u201d<\/p>\n
“Our partnership with POOLCORP is closely tied to our ultimate goal of delivering the perfect pool experience,” said Bruce Brooks, CEO of Fluidra, which enjoys an important and productive relationship with\u00a0POOLCORP. “They help us better understand the pool professional, enabling us to create the products he needs, and together providing them when and where he needs them.”<\/p>\n
Manny Perez de la Mesa leaves\u00a0POOLCORP with a string of achievements behind him: over the past twenty years, the company has enjoyed a net sales compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10%, diluted earnings per share (EPS) CAGR of 17%, return on invested capital of 30%, and a total stockholder return CAGR of 22%. On Jan. 1, 2019, he will be succeeded by Pete Arvan<\/a>, who currently serves as the company\u2019s EVP and COO.<\/p>\n Perez de la Mesa will remain with\u00a0POOLCORP as Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors.<\/p>\n Perez de la Mesa at a Q3 2018 Earnings Conference Call on October 18th, 2018.<\/p><\/div>\n \u201cI am grateful for the effort and commitment of our people, the partnership with our suppliers and the support of our shareholders,\u201d Perez de la Mesa said in summary of his two decades at the helm.<\/p>\n \u201cOver the last two years, I have worked closely with Pete on company strategy, business operations, and corporate culture, and I\u2019m confident that\u00a0POOLCORP will continue to deliver outstanding results.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Manny Perez shares\u00a0the keys to success he learned over the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21,"featured_media":19812,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[52],"tags":[99,1385,1576,1644,1643],"class_list":["post-19784","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-executive-interviews","tag-ceo","tag-ceo-northam","tag-interview","tag-manny-perez-de-la-mesa","tag-poolcorp"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/servidor-mxigen1.com\/ceona-antiguo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19784","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/servidor-mxigen1.com\/ceona-antiguo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/servidor-mxigen1.com\/ceona-antiguo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/servidor-mxigen1.com\/ceona-antiguo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/21"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/servidor-mxigen1.com\/ceona-antiguo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19784"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"http:\/\/servidor-mxigen1.com\/ceona-antiguo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19784\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20221,"href":"http:\/\/servidor-mxigen1.com\/ceona-antiguo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19784\/revisions\/20221"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/servidor-mxigen1.com\/ceona-antiguo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19812"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/servidor-mxigen1.com\/ceona-antiguo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19784"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/servidor-mxigen1.com\/ceona-antiguo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19784"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/servidor-mxigen1.com\/ceona-antiguo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19784"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}