Driving away a winner: the WPSS annual truck giveaway steers pool service professionals on the road to success

Pool & Spa News, Feb 28, 2005 by Leland Zaitz

I never win anything. You've probably heard that phrase before. Odds are, you've even been overheard muttering it yourself.

If so, you're not alone. Google the words "I never win anything" and you'll find more than 6,000 entries.

But in a world cluttered with contests, lotteries and raffles, it seems only reasonable to assume that someone out there must be getting lucky. Who are these people? What does it feel like to be one of the winners?

To find out, we decided to talk with some past recipients of the Western Pool & Spa Show's annual truck giveaway.

For more than 15 years, the WPSS has held a drawing for the pod professional's ultimate prize: a new truck. Lionel Marlow, who sits on the WPSS board and supervises the giveaway, credits it with boosting the show's attendance. "With most shows, on the final day, you can throw a bowling ball down the aisles without hitting anyone," he says. "But not at our show."

Over the course of the event, 10 names are selected for a drawing to be held at the end of the last day. Those not picked initially aren't out of luck, however, because you must be present to win.

"Even though the names of potential winners are posted each day, some [finalists] forget about the drawing or head home before the end of the show," Marlow says. "I try to call those people and suggest that they return. Some do, but we usually have to draw more names on Saturday." Thus, many people stick around to see if their names are drawn the second time around.

The contenders are given a plastic drinking straw from which they must extract a numbered slip of paper--just one of the devices Marlow cooked up to add a little humor to the drawing. The number on the paper corresponds to 10 prizes, from pool chemicals, heaters and pumps to the truck itself.

Marlow says that the thrill of the contest extends beyond the participants. The next best thing to winning a truck, he'll tell you, is being the one who gets to give the vehicle away.

Here are some stories from past winners:

Tim Haney

Haney's Solar Service

Mission Viejo, Calif.

A longtime WPSS attendee, Tim Haney had been to the event more than 10 times before that fateful day in 1999 when he drove home in a brand-new Dodge Dakota Sport.

"That year, I decided to stick around at the end of the show," he explains, "because I knew lot of people who were posted on the board as potential winners had already gone home, and more names would be drawn."

Haney's hunch proved fortuitous. When he was named the truck winner, he was both surprised and relieved ... for a couple of reasons. "My old truck had 190,000 miles on it and was pretty much shot, so I was in need of good vehicle," he says.

What's more, he had called his wife to say he'd be home late because of the drawing. He laughs when he remembers her response. "She said, 'You'd better come home with that truck!'" he recalls. "That night, when I walked through the door, she said, 'I hope you won that truck,' and 1 was able to smile and tell her, 'Yes, I did.'"

Haney keeps the envelope that held his winning number pinned to his office bulletin board as a souvenir, and he enjoys the truck today in both his business and personal lives.

Bob Cranmer

C&C Pools

Lancaster, Calif.

Bob Cranmer has entered the giveaway every year since 1992, when he first got into the pool business. A mere five years later, his persistence paid off and he drove away with a new Ford Ranger XLT. "I went over to watch the drawing and ended up winning it," he says. "It was the first real thing I'd ever won."

The thrill of it all was overwhelming. Cranmer admits he was shaking with so much excitement that he had to ask a friend to drive the truck out of the display area for him. "I was scared I was going to run over somebody!" he says.

The drawing's suspense made it even more enjoyable, Cranmer says. "Lionel Marlow knows which envelope contains which prize, so he kind of plays with it when he's making the announcements," he says. "We were down to three numbers, and when he called mine, I figured I'd won a heater or something."

Winning this particular truck was especially fitting for Cranmer. "I've been a Ford guy for years," he says. "I put drawers in the back, and it became very useful for my pool business."

While Cranmer says he doesn't feel any luckier than the average man, a casual observer might disagree. Three years ago, an errant driver blew through a stop sign and hit his truck, totaling the prize vehicle. "I was wearing a cell phone on my belt, and the impact of the crash was so hard that it smashed the phone into pieces, but I walked away with nothing more than a sore hip, so maybe I do have a bit of good luck."

When asked if he plans to enter the truck giveaway again, Cranmer's answer comes quickly. "You bet."

Bill McEwen

Bethesda Pools & Spas

Gilman Hot Springs, Calif.

Bill McEwen attests that he has gone to the show since Day One. In 2003, however, he came home with much more than the pool program he was seeking: a new Ford Ranger.

Rather than keeping it for himself, he decided to give it to his daughter, a college student. Because she was out that night with some friends, he decided to surprise her with the gift.