News Briefs: Swimways, HalosSource, Filbur, Dur-A-Flex

photo of children using Swimways pool toys• Swimways, a maker of pool toys, games and more, and the creator of a program that helps kids learn to swim, held its inaugural National Learn To Swim Day on May 19. The nationwide campaign, timed to coincide with National Water Safety Month, was an effort to teach people about the importance of giving children swim lessons.

According to the Red Cross, drowning is the second-leading cause of unintentional injury-related death for children ages 1 to 14 years old. Additionally, statistics show that children ages 1 to 4 drown most often in home swimming pools. 

“Unfortunately, there are many young children who can’t fully enjoy the water because they haven’t learned to swim,” said David Arias, company president. “Swimways created ‘National Learn to Swim Day’ as a way to encourage parents to take advantage of one of the many resources available to them to teach their children to swim.” 

photo of Amrita MahtaniHaloSource, parent company of the SeaKlear, has promoted Amrita Mahtani to the position of product development engineer. Mahtani holds a degree in biological engineering with a minor in biomedical engineering from Cornell University. She joined HaloSource in 2010 and has become an integral and important part of the company’s product development team. In her new role, Mahtani will have additional supervisory responsibility and join a team that is working to bring new product innovations to the swimming pool and spa market, as well as to the environmental and drinking water segments of the business.

photo of SeaKlear teamIn other SeaKlear news, the company participated in the 5th Annual “Carry 5 Walk for Water” in Seattle in Early May. The SeaKlear team was made up of 24 employees, eight children and eight dogs. The event raised a total of $35,000 for water projects in Ethiopia, Bangladesh, Honduras and India.

photo of Filbur Triathlon ChallengeFilbur Manufacturing has announced that it will renew its sponsorship of the Challenged Athlete Foundation’s (CAF) 2012 Aspen Medical San Diego Triathlon Challenge, to be held on Sunday, Oct. 21, in La Jolla, Calif. According to Roy Perkins, CAF’s Senior Director of Programs and Strategic Development, “Funds raised for this event help challenged athletes around the world gain access to the equipment, training and coaching they need to succeed in sports — and in life.” 

The Aspen Medical Products San Diego Triathlon Challenge saw more than 200 challenged athletes, kids and permanently injured military personnel  participate alongside more than 500 able-bodied athletes, celebrities, sports legends, and professional athletes. In all, the event raised more than $1.2 million to fund adaptive sports equipment, training and competition expenses for individuals with physical challenges so they can enjoy full and active lifestyles.

“This was a win-win experience for all -- from sponsors to participants to grant recipients — it truly is the best day in triathlon,” said Shelly Johnson, marketing manager for Filbur. 

photo of Alessandro Machado JesusDur-A-Flex has named Alessandro Machado Jesus as international strategic marketing manager. Machado Jesus is the former global marketing manager at Henkel Corp., Rocky Hill, Conn.

“Alessandro joins us with an excellent background in polymer adhesives and sealants as well as multilingual skills. Additionally, his extensive global marketing and strategic planning roles will be crucial to Dur-A-Flex as we continue to grow, look at new markets and pursue our drive to expand,” said David Hughes, Dur-A-Flex’s vice president of marketing, research and development.

Content Library
Dig through our best stories from the magazine, all sorted by category for easy surfing.
Read More
Content Library
Buyer's Guide
Find manufacturers and suppliers in the most extensive searchable database in the industry.
Learn More
Buyer's Guide