Cindy married into the koi hobby - little did she know. Tom and she bought their first house in 1982 and Tom immediately begin building their first koi pond (during the winter). They joined the Koi Club of San Diego in 1985. Cindy has actively participated in the club, including serving as the club's President for two years. She also belongs to the Southern California Water Garden Society, the Inland Koi Society and the Mid-Atlantic Koi Club. After attending an IWGS event in 1998, Cindy talked Tom into building her a water garden and they have had a water garden and separate koi pond ever since. Cindy was a Financial Analyst by trade, but started helping Tom with KOI USA Magazine in 1997. In addition to the desktop publishing of the magazine, she was Interim editor twice. Cindy also does the layout for Mid-Atlantic Koi Club's magazine. In July of 2008, she and Tom purchased Pondkeeper/Pond & Garden Lifestyle Magazine, and relaunched it as a new magazine, now known as POND Trade. Cindy serves as the Editor, does the accounting, and somehow manages to keep Tom on schedule. She clearly remembers making Tom really happy one day when she announced she wanted a Kujaku. The Kujaku they got became the runner-up in AKCA's Koi of the Year Contest in 2008 and Cindy selected and purchased the Showa that won the AKCA's Koi of the Year award in 2009. So she has learned a little about koi over the years. Cindy has a passion for traveling and has included many visits to water gardens, koi ponds, retailers and events on several continents, and looks forward to getting on the road again soon.

INFO-TANZA has Great Event in Orlando

By Cindy Graham / January 1, 2013 / 0 Comments

The industry association, IPPCA, met in Orlando in November to elect officers, attend seminars and meet with manufacturers at the large tradeshow held in conjunction with the IA. It was a four-day event and filled to the brim. See who was selected as the 5-Star Contractor of the Year and much more.

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Product of the Year 2012 Announced

By Cindy Graham / January 1, 2013 / 0 Comments

The Product of the Year 2012 competition yielded two outstanding winners, one in each major category – Pond Equipment and Pond Product. Each is a new and unique addition to the industry. See who won here.

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Finishing Up: New Orleans Fire and Water Fountain

By Cindy Graham / November 1, 2012 / 0 Comments

Fire and Water Fountain, new trend in the pond and water feature industry. Take a look at one we found in New Orleans.

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Know ‘em – Sell ‘em Koromo

By Cindy Graham / September 1, 2012 / 0 Comments

Koromo is a beautiful combination of two other koi varieties – Asagi and Kohaku. There are three major types of Koromo, which are Ai Goromo, Sumi Goromo and Budo Goromo. The reticulation on the scales is key to this variety. Take a quick look at what you should look for in Goromo and details to share with your customers.

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Ways We Connect

By Cindy Graham / July 1, 2012 / 0 Comments

We are fortunate to have many great industry experts who share their knowledge with the rest of us freely. In the last issue of POND Trade, Rick Smith talked about “Networking Your Way to New Customers.” Another avenue of networking is by using “Meet-Up,” the Online group-building site. Getting together with your peers provides a chance to exchange ideas, discuss construction problems, new products, marketing, -– virtually any challenges or joys we share while running our businesses. Help strengthen this industry either by creating and attending Meet-Ups or participating in other industry events.

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Pond Industry Events – Adding Value to the Trade

By Cindy Graham / May 1, 2012 / 0 Comments

We were lucky to be able to attend this year’s Water Garden Expo, a popular distributor show ‘n tell. See what you missed, and enjoy the photos.

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Product of the Year 2011 Challenge Winners Announced

By Cindy Graham / January 1, 2012 / 0 Comments

Nothing stimulates sales like new products. See the dozens of new products recently released by our industry’s leading manufactures. The product challenge winners and all entries, including contact information are listed here. Congratulations to Fielding Pump Company for taking the Overall Winner Award for their new ShinMaywa Norus XP Pump.

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Strategic Banners as Powerful Pond Business Advertisements

By Cindy Graham / July 20, 2009 / 0 Comments

Banners to increase your business – how to use them and tips on how to make them ie your message, location, colors, fonts and graphics.

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Fred Bell, Industry Leader Retires

By Cindy Graham / March 7, 2009 / 0 Comments

There are not a lot of people working in this industry who, for the past 20 or so years, have been at it longer or had a greater impact on all of our businesses then Fred Bell. Fred recently announced his retirement as an independent sales rep from Firestone Specialty Products. The road he has taken to get here is loaded with milestones…

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