Taylor Sleeman — 30 Under 40 2026

Taylor Sleeman came to RB Retail & Service Solutions in 2024 from hospitality, bringing a background centered on customer experience, operations and the behind-the-scenes details that keep businesses running well.

Now, Sleeman works with pool and spa retailers and service companies on everything from inventory and retail operations to service scheduling and customer communication. She has quickly developed a broad view of where operations tend to break down — and how small changes can improve them.

Her first challenge was learning just how complex those businesses could be.

Rather than pretend to know an industry she had just entered, Sleeman asked questions. Lots of them. That helped her build credibility with owners who may have decades more experience than she does.

“When someone who has run their company for 20 or 30 years trusts your perspective enough to make a change, that’s meaningful,” she says. “It means you’ve taken the time to understand their business, not just sell to them.”

Sleeman sees significant opportunity in connecting systems that remain fragmented across many pool and spa businesses. Retailers still cobble together software, spreadsheets, paper and manual processes, making growth harder than it needs to be.

“I don’t think this industry needs more complexity,” Sleeman says. “It needs more clarity and better tools, and I’d like to be part of that.”

Her hospitality roots still show outside work. Sleeman loves hosting and cooking — an interest strengthened by culinary courses required for her degree — along with trying new restaurants. She is also a Cubs fan, concertgoer and dog owner. And after welcoming her first child in July, she already knows her definition of free time is about to change considerably.

Locations refer to company headquarters; honorees may work remotely or live elsewhere.