Management Team

Kyle Chaikin, CBP, CSP, CPO, NPC Certified | President

An award-winning pool professional, Chaikin has over 30 years’ experience in the pool industry with an emphasis on construction and aquatic facility management. Chaikin has been an active member of industry’s local, regional and national associations, including the National Plaster’s Council (NPC), the Long Island Pool & Spa Association (LIPSA), Northeast Spa & Pool Association (NESPA) and the national Pool & Hot Tub Alliance (PHTA), ensuring he and his team are up-to-date with relevant swimming pool and spa codes, legislation, safety standards, industry ideology, products and training.
Chaikin holds the highest credentials available to industry professionals as a PHTA Certified Building Professional (CBP), Certified Service Professional (CSP) and Certified Pool Operator. Chaikin is a subject matter expert and educator for swimming pool industry, instructing pool professionals from across the globe looking to achieve their own CBP and CSP credentials for proper pool building, service and maintenance techniques.
As a result of his tireless efforts, he was named 2009 NESPA Member of the Year for his efforts toward drowning prevention on Long Island through the KidSwim LI program. In 2015 he became one of the youngest recipients of the PHTA Fellow award, the swimming pool industry’s highest recognition for volunteerism. He was also awarded the 2021 NESPA “Paulette Pitrak Above & Beyond” award for exceptional service and was honored as 2022 PHTA National Builder of the Year.
He serves on the PHTA Board of Directors and is Past-Chair of the PHTA Builders Council, was the PHTA representative on the International Code Council (ICC) and served on the national Builders’ Education Council. Kyle is the current President of NESPA’s Board of Directors, and Past-President and current Director of LIPSA.
His many examples of industry leadership locally and throughout the Northeast have included leading the Cementitious Surfaces and Winter Effects Taskforce, chairing the NESPA Government Relations Committee, serving on the Licensing Oversight Committee and as a volunteer at The Pool & Spa Show.
Chaikin is also an active volunteer locally, as past Chairperson of KidSwim Long Island, past Board member of The Long Island Drowning Prevention Task Force and current Board Member of the PHTA Step Into Swim Champions’ Board Advisory Committee. He is passionate about workforce development issues. Kyle spearheaded the effort to bring Pool Technician classes to Long Island BOCES Adult Education and teaches the classes himself as a formal curriculum is being developed.

Ed Cohen, CBP – Master, CSP | Chief Executive Officer

Ed Cohen began his pool industry career on Long Island in 1980. He has since gone on to build Ultimate In Pool Care, Inc. one of the largest and most respected pool companies in the tri-state area.
Cohen is noted as one of the nation’s top experts in swimming pool and spa leak detection. Four decades of experience along with high-tech equipment and his innate sense of discovery has led Cohen to unearth and resolve over 10,000 leak issues.
 The award-winning pool industry veteran has spent countless hours developing education curriculum as well as instructing training programs for the swimming pool technician. He teaches the art and science of pool maintenance, repair and leak detection not only to our staff, but to other pool company owners and employees across the country.
 To keep abreast of the most up-to-date trends, product options and regulations impacting pool and spa owners, Cohen stays active in industry associations including The Long Island Pool and Spa Association (LIPSA), The Northeast Spa and Pool Association (NESPA), the national Pool & Hot Tub Alliance (PHTA) and the National Plasterers Council (NPC). He is a LIPSA Past President and current Board member of both LIPSA and NESPA.
Cohen is certified by PHTA as a Certified Service Professional (CSP) and a Certified Building Professional – Master (CBP-Master), the highest education designations one can achieve in the swimming pool industry.
As a result of his tireless dedication and volunteerism, he was awarded one of the swimming pool industry’s highest honors in 2016, that of PHTA Fellow. He was recognized as 2022’s NESPA Volunteer of the Year with the Paulette Pitrak Above & Beyond Award.

Terry Hyams, Director of Service & Construction

Raised in a military family, Terry Hyams traveled extensively living in eight different states and overseas before settling in the Virginia area. Hyams attended Longwood College in Virginia where he majored in physics. His interest and understanding of the principals of physics became an important component in his pool industry career.
The combination of scholastics, along with extensive hands-on field experience as well as substantial specialized technical training from Jandy, Pentair, Hayward, Polaris, and SR Smith has lead Hyams to become an expert in pool service and construction for both commercial and residential aquatic installations. Hyams also attained the Certified Pool/Spa Operator (CPO) certification from the National Swimming Pool Foundation.
Hyams’ pool industry career began in 1992, as a manager for Leslie’s Swimming Pool Supplies. A promotion with Leslie’s moved Hyams to New York in 1993. In 1995, he joined Chaikin Pools, Inc., and became a partner.
Terry continued with the company as it merged with Ultimate in Pool Care, Inc. in 2011, and is an integral part of the Chaikin Ultimate Group which is widely recognized as an industry leader in all aspects of residential and commercial pool service and construction.

Bob Reed, Service Manager

Bob Reed started working at Ultimate In Pool Care, Inc. in 2008, bringing over 30 years of swimming pool industry experience in all phases of pool care and repair. His quest for excellence continues today, as he continues to learn and master the latest technological advances in our rapidly evolving industry. Bob’s contribution to our team’s collective knowledge is invaluable, as we are often able to repair and successfully maintain many older systems that other pool companies would simply have to abandon and replace due to lack of familiarity with products of the past.

Rudy Charles, CPO, CST | Director of Pool Maintenance

Born and raised in Trinidad and Tobago, Rudy Charles moved to New York in 2001 to enhance his academic studies. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics at St. Francis College in 2005.
While attending college, Charles joined Chaikin Pools, Inc. in 2003 to oversee service and maintenance for residential and commercial clients. He also managed contracts for professional lifeguard services. A part-time job soon became a lifetime career, including earning PHTA Certification as a CPO (Certified Commercial Pool & Spa Operator) and CST (Certified Service Technician.
Following the merger of Chaikin Pools, Inc. with Ultimate in Pool Care, Inc. in 2011, Charles took on increased responsibilities as the Director of Pool Maintenance for the combined company, one of the very few serving all of Long Island.
Rudy is known for his attention to detail and care and concern for the quality of service provided by The Chaikin Ultimate Group. From the smallest residential pool to the largest commercial facility, each account is handled with the same strict standard of excellence to ensure a flawless experience.

Glenn Petraitis, CPO | Chaikin Ultimate Management

When Covid-19 lockdowns sidelined Glenn’s career in television sports production, his childhood friend Kyle Chaikin offered him a part-time position for Chaikin Ultimate Management, the Chaikin Ultimate Group’s aquatic facility management division. Glenn discovered a passion and talent for finding and developing Long Island’s top employee talent, and a knack for understanding the intricacies of complex commercial pool equipment.  A part-time job quickly led to a full-time management role, and Glenn helped the division more than double its size in just one season. Glenn is very hands-on, and his keen eye often helps alert our repair team to potential problems before they even occur, avoiding disastrous commercial pool downtime.
Chaikin Ultimate Management is one of the few companies on Long Island with services geared toward commercial pool operation. We provide as little or as much as the facility needs, from chemical deliveries to pool attendants to 7 day a week lifeguard staffing, serving homeowner’s associations, schools, hotels, country clubs, senior residences and more throughout Long Island.

Dawn Desimone, Office Manager

Born and raised in Deer Park, Long Island, Dawn DeSimone joined the Ultimate In Pool Care team on Valentine’s Day in 2000.  As the office manager of our Deer Park headquarters, her numerous responsibilities include scheduling both commercial and residential service work and leak detection, pool openings, initial vacuums, weekly contract maintenance and winterizing.
For DeSimone, it’s not just numbers and dates on a calendar; it’s about optimizing resources and manpower to ensure superior service and high customer satisfaction.  In an average week during swimming season, DeSimone along with her team coordinates several hundred appointments and service calls, not including the regular maintenance clients.
Her dedication and proficiency provides a smooth transition going into and out of the hectic and unpredictable New York area summer swim season. Regardless of the number of clients serviced, everyone receives the same respect and attention to detail as the team strives to provide a carefree user experience.

Sheryl Heather, CBP | VP

Sheryl’s education and professional background in advertising brought her into the pool industry in 1986 when she started a retail division for Spring & Summer Activities, her husband’s business. Over the years her involvement grew into a full-time commitment, and she assumed full ownership in 2005. When The Chaikin Ultimate Group acquired Spring & Summer Activities in 2021, she transferred her experience to assisting the management team in various areas, including the vinyl pool division, company marketing and promotion, human resources and more.
Sheryl also currently serves as President of the Long Island Pool & Spa Association, as Executive Director of the Southampton Business Alliance, is a long-term member of Rotary, and a volunteer for the Ellen Hermanson Foundation. She was honored as NESPA Volunteer of the Year in 2020, earning the Paulette Pitrak “Above & Beyond Award”.

Patricia Keller, General Manager, Spring & Summer Activities

Patricia started her swimming pool career as a high-schooler in 2002, in the retail division of Spring & Summer Activities, our East End satellite office. After acquiring a thorough knowledge of water chemistry through the store, she moved into the maintenance division to clean pools and learn equipment repair. When the office manager position opened up several years later, she was promoted and brought her first-hand knowledge of field work to the job, thereby offering enhanced customer service and staff management skills not often found in traditional office personnel. After Spring & Summer Activities was acquired by The Chaikin Ultimate Group, Patricia was once again promoted and today manages that division’s day to day operations with great skill and her signature friendly, upbeat attitude.

Elizabeth Aleman, Client Support Coordinator

If you’ve called the Deer Park office of The Chaikin Ultimate Group, chances are you’ve heard Elizabeth’s friendly and reassuring voice on the other end. She joined the company in 2016 with extensive experience in customer service and service staff management, and quickly adapted those skills to the deadlines and demands of the swimming pool industry. Today, Elizabeth is fluent in both the construction and service ends of our business making her a great asset to our management team and our clients. And she’s fluent in Spanish as well – por favor llámenos hoy!