Kevin Holleran, President, CEO, and Director of Hayward Holdings, joins from the FinTech TV booth on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange to celebrate a major milestone, five years since the company’s public listing in March 2021, alongside its remarkable 100-year legacy. Reflecting on the journey, Kevin shares how Hayward has built momentum heading into 2026, driven by its core business of manufacturing pool equipment such as pumps, filters, cleaners, and automation systems that help create backyard spaces centered around wellness and connection. He discusses how the company navigated the surge in demand during the COVID-19 era, subsequent challenges like rising interest rates and inflation, and why long-term trends still favor outdoor living and home investment. Kevin also highlights how Hayward is embracing innovation, particularly through the use of AI to enhance customer service operations, reduce response times, and improve efficiency. As the company enters its next chapter, the focus remains on product innovation, supporting pool professionals, and continuing to shape the future of outdoor living experiences.
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Our next guest joins us now down here on the trading floor at the FinTech TV booth, Kevin Holleran, President, CEO, Director of Hayward Holdings. Fresh off the podium, ringing the closing bell, too. Nice to have you down here.
Great to be here. Thanks for having me.
Talk to me all about what brings you and the team from Hayward back down here onto the floor of the big board today.
Yeah, we're celebrating our five-year anniversary. So five years and just a few days ago, we had the opportunity to list back in March of 2021 So to commemorate that, we're having a board meeting here at the exchange. We're also celebrating, we just came off in 2025, our 100 year anniversary as a company. So we brought some employees back who are long tenured. just to tip our cap to them that they were really the ones who laid the foundation that ultimately led to us becoming a publicly traded company back in 2021. So wonderful day to be here.
Kevin, give me a bit more of a primer, more of an intro to your work at Hayward for anyone who might have only loose familiarity with the name and may not fully grasp, especially your top priorities here in 2026.
Yeah. So 2025, we finished with a lot of momentum. So we're really encouraged by how things are starting in 2026 for us. We're in the, we're a manufacturer of equipment that people use to power their pools, pumps, filters, cleaners, automation, and whatnot. So new construction certainly benefits our industry, but our installed base is really what makes our industry grow. And we're really excited to bring some great new products to the market that helps the pool professionals really create that backyard oasis where families gather, where memories are made, and where wellness is nurtured. So we're really excited. to continue that journey now in our fifth year as a public company and 101st as a company.
So I'm interested with the timeline of the last five years. You're coming right out of the depths of the COVID pandemic, and I wonder in what ways the business has had to stay the same over the last five years, and has this five-year time horizon gone as you had expected it? And in what ways have maybe things changed, maybe taken a bit of an unexpected turn in the last five years?
Yeah, the last five years, it's certainly been a whirlwind. You know, when we listed We were still sort of in the in the throes of COVID and pools were extremely popular back then. Our industry had a tough time satisfying the demand that existed out there. There's been a bit of a recovery. There's there's there's been some headwind around new construction and interest rates and inflation and whatnot. But the secular trend is still people want to lead healthy outdoor lives. And the best way to do that is to have that oasis in your backyard. So it's been a fun ride.
Kevin, I tell you, I live in a fifth floor walk up in Queens, New York. I dream of the day where I get to have a pool and have some of these issues. Before I let you go, quickly, ways you're incorporating artificial intelligence into your business. I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't ask.
That's a great question. It's certainly a popular question. We are. Primarily, I'd say where we think we're setting the tone within our industry is around the customer service side. We've employed a number of AI agents into our call center, thus reducing resolution time and call time. There's a lot of other opportunities, but that's one that I'd say we made the most progress on over the last couple of years. Kevin Halloran, congratulations.
Really on the century mark, but especially the last five years here in the NYSE family. Kevin, President and CEO, Director of Hayward Holdings. Come back anytime. Nice to see you. Great, thank you. Great to be here.