WU at The Pool & Spa Show 2026

Paolo Benedetti, IWI

Teaching: CONSTRUCTION 2711 -  Essential Major Renovations

Paolo Benedetti is the President/CEO of Aquatic Technology Pool & Spa and Lux Environs, one of the world’s leading luxury design and build construction firms. As a licensed pool builder and general building contractor, he has managed the design or construction of residential and commercial aquatics projects, vacation resorts, and high-end luxury residences spanning five continents. Widely published and recognized as one of the world’s leading authorities on watershape design, he is currently a faculty member for Watershape University.

Dennis Boyd

Teaching: BUSINESS 2121 — Pool Inspections for Real Estate Transactions

Kurt Candler, IWI

Teaching: BUSINESS 3422 - Business Defense - How to Protect Profits and Reduce Risk

Miguel Chavez

Teaching: SERVICE 1121 - Essential Chemical Safety & Vehicle Organization (*BILINGUAL) | SERVICE 3215 - Startup Chemistry for Each Pool Type (*BILINGUAL)

Miguel developed a passion for water quality and disinfection right from the inside of the pool, ironically as his swimming career headed to an end, he joined team Orenda as a Spanish Educator and Business Development Representative. Over the span of 5 years Miguel has interpreted and adapted the forward-thinking methodology and learning materials of Orenda for the Hispanic and Latino demographic inside and outside the United States. Miguel holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Missouri University of Science and Technology.

Bill Drakeley, ACI, IWI

Teaching: CONSTRUCTION 2111 — Essential Pool Construction, CONSTRUCTION 3611 – Essential Plaster Workshop

William Drakeley is an award-winning shotcrete technologist specializing in concrete science and construction, particularly shotcrete applications, techniques and standards, with thirty years (+) experience in shotcrete installation, waterfeature and geotech design and construction.  Services include consultation and review, training and testing and expert testimony.  He’s principal and founder of Drakeley Pool Company, a luxury design and build firm based in New England; and, Drakeley Industries, an international consulting firm focusing on shotcrete applications and techniques, notably providing training for the New York City Metropolitan Transit Authority underground tunneling projects. An educator and advocate for high industry standards, Bill has most recently developed and launched Watershape University (WU) with colleague David Peterson, P.E. to provide the highest quality of live instruction of business, design, engineering and construction programs to students of all levels of pool, spa, aquatics and outdoor living sectors.  Bill has conducted trainings for the Colorado School of Mines, the American Society of Landscape Architects (CT), World of Concrete, GENESIS3 Aqua Show, NESPA, and others. His technical writings have been widely published in trade magazines and e-publications.

Jeremy Heersink

Teaching: CONSTRUCTION 3291 - Reinforced Vinyl Workshop

Jeremy Heersink is the account manager at Poolside by CGT. He has worked at CGT for seven years in various roles and has been involved in the commercial pool side of the business for three years.

Tony Jordan

Teaching: CONSTRUCTION 3291 - Reinforced Vinyl Workshop

Tony Jordan has more than 35 years of experience in the manufacturing, sales, and application of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) reinforced pool membranes for commercial and residential use. He is the business development manager at RENOLIT.

Eric Knight

Teaching: SERVICE 3215 - Startup Chemistry for Each Pool Type (*BILINGUAL)

Eric Knight is a former American Record Holder in swimming who came to the pool industry in 2012 after developing asthma and lung damage from swimming indoors. He has devoted his entire career to improving water and air quality for pools worldwide. Eric was a VP at Orenda Technologies and HASA, where he led the creation of the Orenda Calculator® and the Orenda app, Orenda Academy®, and created and hosted the Rule Your Pool Podcast®. Eric was with Orenda until April 2025, when he joined Watershape University as their new Executive Director. Eric is now focused on building Watershape University into the most user-friendly and robust higher education program in the pool industry. He still teaches chemistry and business classes for WU, and conducts in-person natatorium evaluations for air quality improvements.

Shaun Mulhall

Teaching: SERVICE 1121 - Essential Chemical Safety & Vehicle Organization (*BILINGUAL)

Chris Volk, IWI

Teaching: CONSTRUCTION 2111 -  Essential Pool Construction

Chris Volk is general manager of Budd’s Pools and Spas, a Philadelphia-area, construction, service and repair company serving the Delaware-Pennsylvania-New Jersey region. Volks graduated from Rutgers University in 2004, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in business and accounting, and a minor in corporate finance. He has continued his education, completing rigorous courses in watershape design, engineering, construction, and business operations, and has earned the IWI professional certification from Watershape University. He started in the industry in 1997 as an associate technician and has worked with all aspects of the pool business: design, engineering, planning, installation, service, sales, and retail. In his current role, Volk runs one of the largest pool companies in the United States.

Howard Weiss

Teaching: BUSINESS 2121 — Pool Inspections for Real Estate Transactions

Howard began his journey in the pool industry as a lifeguard at a community pool. In 1982, he founded Contemporary Watercrafters, a pool service company in the Washington DC suburbs. What started as a small operation with one truck and two employees grew into a thriving business with 10 trucks, 32 employees, and two retail stores. Howard attributes this success to two key factors: clear communication with both customers and employees, and ongoing education for his staff in technical and customer service skills.

Throughout his 50+ year career, Howard has been an active member of industry trade groups such as the Association of Pool and Spa Professionals (now the PHTA). He has served on their Board of Directors and Retail Council and has taught at regional trade association training events. He has also conducted certification classes like CPO, PPSO, CMS, and CST.

In 2018, Howard sold his company to two employees and semi-retired. Now, when he’s not sailing on the Chesapeake or traveling, he focuses on his residential pool inspection business, Pool Inspections By Howard. His services cater to home buyers and their agents during real estate transactions, similar to a home inspector. In the transient DC area, he has become a highly sought-after resource.