James Kantorowicz's Posts

The $ 55,000 Planter

Posted by James Kantorowicz on June 11, 2011 at 7:01am

Folks,

I witness a senseless murder of a swimming pool last week, I felt so helpless. It was a week ago, I was helping my daughter move into her first place. Her apartment unit overlooked a cute courtyard, and in its middle was a beautiful 30,000 gallon swimming pool sitting empty. I asked my daughter when are they going to fill it, and she was told within a couple of days. She commented how excited she was to have the pool so close to her unit, and it was a deciding factor of choosing this apartment over another several blocks away.

Well several days past, I receive a call from Kat expressing frustration about the pool and asked if I could come over and speak to the complex manager. As I arrived, I came upon a work crew finishing up with filling the swimming pool. However there was no one enjoying it because it was filled with mud and flowers.

I spoke to the manager of Kat's building and asked why did they choose to fill in the pool, they said it was " too expensive to bring it up to code concerning suction entrapment. I shared with the manager how much the pool they just destroyed was worth in todays dollars. How in todays dollars it would of cost them conservatively $55,000 to build an similar pool. I continued to elaborate on how there are new technologies that would of been cost effective in bringing their pool up to code. The lessen here is the pool industry needs to get the word out, and fast! or we'll be seeing more swimming pools morphing into planters.

James Kantorowicz Steps Down as VP

Posted by James Kantorowicz on March 24, 2011 at 6:05am

I wanted to take this time to say goodbye to everyone, and thank Rex for such an awesome website. As of today SolarAttic and I came to an agreement which resulted in me stepping down as VP of Sales & Marketing. It has been a great opportunity and I am very greatful. If you have any questions concerning SolarAttic's awesome pool heaters contact Ed Palmer at the main office.

Sincerely, James Kantorowicz

(720)934-6428

Email: strdnord@yahoo.com

Innovator of Flow Reversal Mark Urban Dies

Posted by James Kantorowicz on December 16, 2010 at 1:18pm

Mark Urban, innovator and manufacturer of the Flow Reversal Valves,Share A Heater, and the Fireplug Valves passed away December 11th 2010 of bone cancer. Feel free to post a memory or share a memory of Mark.

Details go to MarkUrban

Musician Playing Violin in Washington DC

Posted by James Kantorowicz on August 6, 2009 at 8:57am

Musician playing violin in a Washington DCMetro Station on a cold January morningin 2007.

He played six Bach pieces for about 60 minutes. During that time approximately 2,000 people went through the station, most of them on their way to work. After:3 minutesA middle aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried to meet his schedule.4 minutes The violinist received his first dollar: a woman threw the money in the till and without stopping, continued to walk.6 minutesA young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.10 minutesA three year old boy stopped but his mother tugged him along hurriedly, as the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. Every parent, without exception, forced them to move on.45 minutesThe musician played. Only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32.1 hour:He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.This is a real story. The Washington Post, as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people's priorities, arranged the entire scenario. Playing incognito, no one knew the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the best musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days prior to this, Joshua Bell sold out a theater in Boston where the tickets averaged $100 per seat.The questions raised:In a common place environment at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty; do we stop to appreciate it;do we recognize talent in such an unexpected context?One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be:If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ....... How many other things are we missing?

When A Green Pool Is A Good Thing

Posted by James Kantorowicz on July 7, 2009 at 9:50am

This is a great article that is featured in todays issue of East Hampton Press and Southampton Press on how to green a swimming pool you will need to click here to read.

Miracle On PGN Street

Posted by James Kantorowicz on June 30, 2009 at 7:30am

Hello Everyone,It was about a few weeks back when I was trolling through the cable channels for something to watch, and behold Miracle On 34th Street was playing.The movie was already in progress but I love a great classic so I tuned it in. I joined in at the part in where Santa Claus was referring Macy customers to its competitors because Macy's didn't have what they were looking for.But it goes deeper than that, Santa knew both Macy's and its competitors inventory. He also knew the advertising of Macys and its competitors this was demonstrated when he told one lady, that the toy her child was looking for was available at a specific store and " on sale too".How many of us know our competitors product lines and what they are advertising, and better yet how many of us refer a customer to our competitors when we do not have what they are looking for?I can honestly say I have referred many of my customers and dealers to other product lines in the pool industry and it has increased our business. When you put people needs before the dollar you will always win. I can not tell you how many times I get a referral from someone I helped out in the past, and don't forget things always change. Meaning this; you may not be able to help them out now, but what about the future.Note: I posted a video from the movie you may need to double click on it to play the clip

Solar Pool Heating, Without Panels

Posted by James Kantorowicz on April 3, 2009 at 9:32am

Heating a pool greatly enhances and extends its enjoyment. But, the cost to keep the water warm and inviting requires a great deal of energy, and most conventional pool heaters are inefficient in terms of energy costs.Installing a more efficient and environmentally-friendly heat source can reduce high utility bills and extend the swimming season. This is especially true if pool owners take advantage of the sun by using a solar pool heater.The sun offers the most cost-effective and environmentally conscious way to heat a pool, provided its energy is harnessed, collected and distributed properly. While many pool owners want the sun’s benefits, they don’t want to use a solar pool heater that has panels or mats. They’re concerned about the appearance, holes in the roof, and community restrictions.“It’s possible to get all the benefits of solar pool heating, without panels,” stated Ed Palmer CEO of a renewable energy technology company located in Elk River MN, “The solar-generated, hot air in an attic can be captured and transferred to the pool in a very inexpensive and energy efficient way.”When the sun shines, a roof becomes a large solar energy collector, making the attic hot. A solar heater, located inside the attic, uses the hot attic air to heat the pool. Cool pool water is pumped into the heater, which is a heat exchanger, and warmed water is automatically returned to the pool.This easy-to-install system offers all the benefits of a solar heated pool, without panels on the roof or in the yard. As a result, it can add value to a home, pool and property, while reducing utility costs.“Pool owners can save as much hundreds per month in overall energy costs, for dollars a month,” said Palmer. “And, since the system cools the attic as it heats the pool, a home’s air conditioning costs can be reduced by as much as 20-30 percent.”Since the sun provides free solar heat, the only cost to operate the heater is a few dollars worth of electricity each week. Compared to traditional pool heaters, an attic solar pool heater can recoup the pool owners investment in just a couple of years.

The Wood Crate In The Barn

Posted by James Kantorowicz on December 11, 2008 at 8:17am

Elizabeth lived in small rural town in just outside of Denver, Colorado on a small cattle farm. Growing up on the farm meant lots of time spent in the barn doing daily chores and of course well deserved play time. In this barn, tucked in the corner, was a old wooden crate. It was a fantastic place for her to hold the weekly tea party, or as a stage platform for the never popular barn yard theater productions.All her youth Elizabeth found multiple purposes for this crate but never once asked her father what was inside of it. As she grew older she just assumed that it was a piece of old farm equipment that he father never used.It was a couple of year ago her father passed away and left her the small farm for a inheritance. She and her family started to clean out the barn to get the property ready to sell, and she came across the old wooden crate still sealed up tight. Her husband grabbed a crow bar and a hammer and proceeded to open the crate up. Elizabeth heard her husband scream like never before, she dropped what she was doing and ran over to her husband gazing into the crate. There sitting in mint factory showroom condition never used a Ford Model A.How many crates do we have in our barns? How many times have we played or worked around an opportunity without even asking a question what it is, or taking the risk and opening it up to see what's inside.This is a true story I changed Elizabeths name as a courtesy and yes she was offered a nice sum of money for the vehicle.