NPP Winners Annouced

Release Date: December 19th, 2008

NEW PRODUCT PAVILION WINNERS ANNOUNCED AT THE 2008 INTERNATIONAL POOL | SPA | PATIO EXPO

DALLAS – December 8, 2008 – Attendees of the recent 2008 International Pool | Spa | Patio Expo were invited to cast their votes for the New Product Pavilion “Best New Product” award, with Critter Skimmer winning first place.

Held in the main lobby of the Mandalay Bay Convention Center’s Bayside Halls, the New Product Pavilion featured 67 of the latest, most innovative products and hottest industry trends in a direct, nonselling environment.

Show Management notified the first, second and third place winners on Thursday, November 20 after hundreds of attendees voted for their favorite products.

Voted “Best New Product,” the Critter Skimmer is an environmentally-friendly devise that is placed in pools to prevent frogs and other small animals from drowning in the skimmer basket. The revolutionary invention allows critters to save themselves by crawling up a spiral ramp and out the opening in the skimmer cover to safety.

Continuing the animal-safety theme, the second place winner was Skamper-Ramp, a patented water-exit ramp that protects animals from drowning by providing a way for them to get out of pools and walled ponds on their own. Blow-molded from high performance and impact plastic, the ramps have an extremely high strength-to-weight ratio that can now stand up to frequent as well as emergency use.

Capturing third place was Water Tech’s Pool Blaster™ re-chargeable, battery powered, underwater vacuum cleaner. With its strong pump and internal filter, it vacuums up everything from rocks and gravel to leaves and other debris from any pool, spa or water feature.

“The Best New Product award winners demonstrate that innovation and creativity are thriving in the pool, spa and backyard marketplace,” said Donna Bellantone, Director of the Expo. “To be selected from attendees of the show is quite an honor. Our congratulations go out to all three winners.”

Other companies participating in the New Product Pavilion included Advanced Control Logix, Advantis Technologies, American SPS, Aqua Products, Aqua Quip, AquaChek, AquaLabz, AQUASALT, Aquastar Pool Products, Backyard Innovations, BioGuard, Bliss Hammocks, Blue Ember Grills, Brock Enterprises, Bullfrog Spas, Compass Minerals, Custom Chemical Solutions, Dolphin Industries, ECO-CHOICE Coatings, ECOsmarte, Extenda Swim Wood Fired Pool Heaters, Fattowels, Filbur Manufacturing, Finis, Flexible Solutions, Floatstorage.com, Great American Merchandise & Events (GAME), Hercules Sealing Products, Industrial Test Systems, InnovaPlas Products, inSPAration, Intermatic, IPS - CareFree Enzymes, Jedco Products, Kentak Products, LaMotte, Mareva, Maytronics US (Dolphin), Morton Salt, Natural Chemistry, Outdoor E Commerce, Palintest, PharmaSpa Int’l, Pioneer H20 Tech, Pool Pro Office, PoolSkim, Prozone Water Products, Shade Tree Innovations, Shirt Off Our Back, SmartPool, Spa Slip, Spazazz, Sun Pool Products, Sun Shower, SwimShape, Tupper Industries, Universal Screen America, Vio Products, Warming Trends, Waterco USA, Weir-Jones Group, WutPool and ZipLevel/Technidea.

The 2008 International Pool | Spa | Patio Expo concluded with 627 exhibiting companies in 2,038 booths covering 203,800 net square feet of exhibit space. Total attendance was 11,203, with verified attendees 544 less than 2007.

The 2009 International Pool | Spa | Patio Expo will be held November 16-18 [Monday - Wednesday], at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center. The educational conference will be held November 13-18 feature 75+ seminars, with most classes offering accreditation.

About International Pool | Spa | Patio Expo The International Pool | Spa | Patio unites the former Int’l Pool & Spa Expo, Backyard Living Expo and AQUA Show under one roof to create unique opportunities for networking and interaction that won’t exist at any other event. Attendees include pool/spa builders/installers, retailers, service technicians, landscape architects/designers, custom home builders and home design center professionals. The Expo ranks #101 in the 2007 Tradeshow Week 200. The official show sponsors include the Association of Pool & Spa Professionals (APSP), Pool & Spa News and Custom Home Outdoors. The show is endorsed by the Genesis 3 Design Group.

About Hanley Wood Hanley Wood, LLC, is the premier media company serving housing and construction. Through four operating divisions, the company produces award-winning magazines and Web sites, marquee trade shows and events, rich data and custom marketing solutions. The company also is North America’s leading publisher of home plans. Hanley Wood Exhibitions [Dallas] conducts 17 trade shows, including World of Concrete, one of the top 20 trade show events in the country. Founded in 1976, Hanley Wood is a $250 million company owned by affiliates of JPMorgan Partners, LLC. CCMP Capital Advisors manages the Hanley Wood investment for JPMorgan Partners.