Management

Robert B. Lawson

Lawson Aquatics, Inc.™ is headed by the founder and CEO, Robert B. Lawson. Educated in Australia, Mr. Lawson earned a degree in business administration, became a CPA and later gained extensive experience in international business and marketing. After successfully marketing consumer products in the international business community for a number of years, Mr. Lawson became Executive Vice President for US operations of an international conglomerate. He formed Grate Technologies® in 1994 when he noticed a trend in the aquatics industry toward the rim-flow pool concept and the lack of products to meet the design and functional requirements. The company has since become the leader in the aquatics industry. In 2008, Mr. Lawson evolved Grate Technologies® into Lawson Aquatics, Inc. as the grating product line expanded, offering main drains and sumps, foam form gutter forms and other innovative products.

Mr. Saldarelli is a well-known veteran of the aquatics industry with more than 30 years’ experience holding previous management positions, such as President of KDI Paragon, and Poolsaver, and Chief Operating Officer of RehaMed International. Industry-related accolades include being named Aquatics International Power 25 honoree and United States Water Fitness Association’s Who’s Who in Aquatic Leadership. He also served as chairman of APSP’s Commercial Segment Council and currently serves on the Editorial Advisory Board of Aquatics International.

Responsibilities include overseeing and further developing direct and distribution sales efforts, overseeing new product development and implementing new marketing strategies to penetrate existing and potential markets, sales budgeting and forecasting, and assisting in all matters concerning the development and growth of the Company.

Peter J. Snelling

The product development brains behind Lawson Aquatics is Peter J. Snelling, a highly qualified and experienced aquatic professional from Australia. Peter is a Civil Engineer who originally commenced as a pool contractor, later moving into a consulting role and then that of a product developer and manufacturer. In 1963, Peter invented high rate sand filtration in Australia and soon after won the "Prince Philip" award for the first injection molded filter tank in the world. He is held in high regard in the swimming pool industry as an innovator and active designer of water treatment, air handling and recirculation systems. Peter became Lawson Aquatics' consultant in 2000, and his first contribution was the Quiet Flow® parallel grate—the only parallel grate that can adapt to almost any radius.