Kait Correia, 33

General manager
Dartmouth Pools & Spas
New Bedford, Massachusetts

During her 12 years with Dartmouth Pools & Spas, Kait Correia has risen from selling chemicals in the retail store to running the entire operation as general manager. “My favorite part of working in this industry is that I feel like I will never stop learning and growing,” Correia says. “There are so many different facets [to explore].”

Correia’s ambition quickly pushed her toward larger projects. She moved into selling spas, pool equipment upgrades and liner jobs, then advanced through assistant manager and store manager roles before taking the helm as general manager. Along the way, she discovered an appreciation for her coworkers, a team that has “been together for so long and seen each other through so many special life moments.”

A big moment came early: her first spa sale, made alongside her father, a 25-year industry veteran. “It was the first time I thought, ‘I can do this job well,’ ” Correia says. “I demonstrated why we as a company and our product were the best choice — and it was a huge bonding moment for me and my dad.” Breaking into a male-dominated field was not always easy. Early on, she questioned whether she could match the technical skill and field savvy of her colleagues. But she made a point to prove herself. “One [rainy] day a crew member didn’t want to perform a service, so I put my raincoat on and got it done with the owner,” she says. That willingness to lead by doing became part of her management style.

Correia is helping the company expand to multiple Cape Cod locations while overseeing service, pool sales and retail. She also wants to tackle one of the industry’s biggest hurdles: outdated perceptions of hot tubs. Too often, she says, people assume spas are overly chlorinated, costly to run or difficult to maintain — misconceptions based on older units or hotel experiences — “but hot tubs have come such a long way,” she says. 

Away from the store, Correia’s creativity shines through cross-stitch and embroidery — crafting everything from Bob Ross to “Prison Mike” from “The Office.” “It’s not the most glamorous hobby,” she says, “but it keeps my mind clear and my hands busy.”