Craig Sears

Craig Sears is President and Owner of Sears Pool Management Consultants, a 28-year-old firm specializing in the operation and management of commercial swimming pool facilities in the Metro Atlanta area. Growing up in Atlanta, Craig swam competitively year-round from the age of 9 through college. Craig received a degree in Biology from Washington and Lee University and an MBA in Management from Georgia State University. With over 30 years of experience in the aquatics industry, Craig has been a lifeguard, a swim coach, swim lesson instructor, pool manager, sales manager, and even a bartender before founding Sears Pool Management in
1997. Craig served as President of the GA Chapter of the Association of Pool and Spa Professionals (now PHTA) from 2012-2013, and continues to serve on the state Board of Directors. In March 2012, Craig founded the non-profit Greater Atlanta Water Safety Alliance,
an affiliate of the National Drowning Prevention Alliance.  Its mission is to reduce drowning and the spread of RWIs by increasing water safety awareness through community seminars and events, provide aquatic scholarships, and to be an advocate for recreational swimming and the sport of competitive swimming. Craig has achieved various aquatic designations and certifications including an PHTA Certified Service Professional, PHTA Certified Building Professional, PHTA Certified Pool Operator, American Red Cross Lifeguard Instructor Trainer, and PHTA Instructor. Craig received the prestigious PHTA Fellows designation in 2018, and was awarded PHTA’s Certified Service Professional of the year in 2020 and again in 2024. Craig was recently honored with the Aquatics International Power award in 2023. A frequent speaker at national conferences, Craig is passionate about aquatics and seeks to better the industry in the areas of safety, professionalism, culture building, and community engagement.