ClubSwim Keeps Aqua Buffs in the Water All Year 'Round

By George Walsh, Hacienda Network Staff Writer

Web Site Serves Swimming Community with a Variety of Products and Services

If you've ever tried to find a swimsuit in the middle of winter for an escape to a warmer climate, you know that it's just about impossible. Swimming is considered by most merchandisers to be strictly a summer sport, much to the chagrin of those who like to partake in aquatic activities regardless of the season. Whether you're looking for a swimsuit or a pool to wear it in, ClubSwim, based at 4256 Hacienda Drive has a website that can fulfill both of these needs and more.

ClubSwim is working to bring swimmers, coaches, teachers, parents, organizations, and businesses together, along with providing the swimming community a combination of products and services to support their pastimes. The company's website, www.clubswim.com, provides a directory of 10,000 listings of swimming schools, teams, camps, and pools in the United States, Australia, and the U.K. In addition, the site provides a private lesson matching service to help people find a private swimming instructor in their community with details about the instructor's lesson schedule, experience, gender, and certifications.

If you're looking for a job in the swimming industry or for a qualified instructor to fill a position, the site's online job board takes care of that service as well. If your goal is to get in the water, you'll also want to take a look at ClubSwim's online store, www.swimoutlet.com, which offers everything from swimsuits to flippers to goggles - even when summer is nowhere in sight.

"We provide a combination of products and services for the swimming industry," says Avi Benaroya, founder and CEO of ClubSwim. "We started as www.swimlessons.com in June of 2000 as a referral service for private instructors around the country and we've expanded from there. About six months later, we realized there was more that we could do to serve the swimming community and became ClubSwim to add those features and products."

Benaroya himself is a former competitive swimmer who was a lifeguard and swimming instructor for many years. After college, he went to work in the technology industry for a few years before realizing that it wasn't what he wanted. In fact, the idea for his current venture had always been in the back of his mind. He purchased the Internet domain name for www.swimlessons.com back when he was still in school. His new business combines his high-tech background with something he loves.

The company, which currently has a staff of 11, has been in Hacienda since October of 2003, where it has its warehouse and shipping department. The company is strictly an online operation with no "brick and mortar" store, but that doesn't seem to be hindering its progress. "Business really started taking off when we added the retail section of the site, which can be reached through www.clubswim.com or directly at www.swimoutlet.com. We realized that there's a need for year 'round swim gear. In a lot of places it's hard to find specialty items for swimming, especially in the winter. ClubSwim is more than a business for us. We're both an information provider and a retailer."

Photo: Avi Benaroya started his first aquatics web site, swimlessons.com, in June of 2000.