Lora Lee has over 25 years of experience in publishing. She purchased POND Trade in 2013 and has been thrilled with her new job ever since. As publisher, she is tasked with a few “minor responsibilities” that include organizing the content schedule, recruiting writers, acquiring articles, selling ads and designing the magazine. In her PPT (Pre-POND Trade) life, Lora Lee worked as an art director, marketing manager and art department supervisor for multiple trade magazines. She spends many hours in her garden and has been featured on garden walks. There is now a pond amidst the flowers. You never knew how much you would enjoy a pond until you have one. Now she can’t imagine life without one. Lora Lee is married and has one son. She lives in the Chicagoland area and her only regret is not being able to enjoy her garden and pond year round!
January / February 2025 PONDTrade

January / February 2025

By Lora Lee Gelles / December 30, 2024 / 0 Comments

Weee-oh! Another year has come and gone. Hopefully you’ve had a great year and manyfantastic completed projects. As with anything you do, there’s always room to better yourself. Heck, that’s why POND Trade has so many readers! Our January / February 2025 issue offers a lot you can learn from. We welcome back Dave Duensing […]

Read More
Nov / Dec 2024

November / December 2024

By Lora Lee Gelles / October 31, 2024 / 0 Comments

He’s Back … Welcome back, Kent Wallace! It’s been a minute since one of your favorite POND Trade authors has contributed an installment in his bimonthly “Best Practices” series. I think his new article in the November / December 2024 issue will .than make up for his absence. He takes us on a tour of […]

Read More

September / October 2024

By Lora Lee Gelles / September 1, 2024 / 0 Comments

Icing on the Cake The finishing touches — that’s the theme of our cover story this issue. As a gardener and pond owner, that really resonates with me. I’ve chatted over the years with author John Magyar and personally witnessed the impeccable attention to detail he gives his pond builds that help them maintain their […]

Read More
Pond Trade July / August issue

July / August 2024

By Lora Lee Gelles / June 28, 2024 / 0 Comments

Flower Power Oooh la, la. We have not just one but TWO articles about plants in the July /August 2024 issue. If you know me personally, you know that I’m really into flower gardening. I have a huge garden that I love to tend to. Back when I was initially looking into acquiring POND Trade […]

Read More

All-American Koi Show 2024 Roundup

By Lora Lee Gelles / June 28, 2024 / 1 Comment

What a thrill! I attended the All-American Koi Show in Las Vegas in March. I got a call from Hector Mardueno from W. Lim Corp. late last year, who described what he and Shawn McHenry of Mystic Koi were cooking up.   I later had a sit-down with Hector, who filled me in. He originally wanted […]

Read More
Thomas VanAmerongen

Show Us Your Trophies

By Lora Lee Gelles / June 28, 2024 / 0 Comments

Cheers to the 2024 Water Artisan of the Year Winners

Read More
POND Trade May /June 2024

May / June 2024

By Lora Lee Gelles / April 30, 2024 / 0 Comments

The pond community is alive and well I’ve had the privilege of being on several pond-related business trips as of late. First, I went to the Bedrock memorial build prior to the Water Garden Expo in Oklahoma. Then a few weeks later, I flew out to Las Vegas to attend the first-ever All-American Koi Show. […]

Read More
Ian Menzies, Imas Aquatic Services

Memorial Build Quotes

By Lora Lee Gelles / April 28, 2024 / 0 Comments
Read More
WGE Attendees

Pond Builders Gather for a Blockbuster 2024 Water Garden Expo

By Lora Lee Gelles / April 27, 2024 / 0 Comments

Another Water Garden Expo is in the books. The annual event took place February 28 through March 1 in Shawnee, Oklahoma and is sponsored by Pondliner.  This year was extra special because it started out with a pre-show memorial build. That feeling of pride, accomplishment and camaraderie carried into the expo. The three-day event kicked […]

Read More

Water Artisan of the Year Entry Tips

By Lora Lee Gelles / November 21, 2023 / 0 Comments

Contest tips from last year’s judges to ponder as you prepare your contest entries

Read More
Scroll to Top