Julie Johnson 37Store managerMission Pool & SpaMission Viejo, CaliforniaMissionPoolSupplies.com Three years ago, Julie Johnson applied at a Leslie’s Pool Store simply because she was on the hunt for a job and there was one near her house. “I had a retail background and thought I would just be ringing up pool toys,” Johnson says. “Little…
Matthew Boranian 36OwnerDoctor PoolKailua, Hawaiiyelp.com/biz/the-pool-doctor-kailua Matthew Boranian has been in the pool industry off and on since 2005, when he started as a swim instructor during college. It was there that he developed a desire to pursue a career in water chemistry. He worked for a few independently run businesses, and in 2012 was diagnosed…
Beau DeRohan 35OwnerGreat White Pool and SpaBoise, IdahoGreatWhitePoolAndSpa.com Beau DeRohan’s pool industry career began 18 years ago when his mom bought a hot tub. The company she’d purchased it from needed extra help, and DeRohan was paired with an experienced technician to learn the ropes. Over six years, DeRohan learned plumbing, electrical, pumps, filters and…
Austin, TexasPatriotPoolAndSpa.comPhotography by Thao Nguyen Hal Denbar, 36, PresidentNathan White, 37, Repair manager and company integrator Last year, INC magazine named Patriot Pool & Spa the fastest growing pool-industry company in the country. Based in Austin, Texas, it services nearly 800 pools a week and has more than 35 employees. Hal Denbar founded Patriot in…
Andrew May 29OwnerTriton Pool ServiceCumming, GeorgiaTritonPoolServiceGA.com Andrew May used to work in the automotive industry, traveling to auto shows as a product specialist, presenting for brands like Toyota, and as a performance driving coach for Porsche — which he still does when can find the time. “The problem was, I always had to travel and…
Pamela Basham 39 Account manager and service tech Royal Pool Service & More, LLC Charlotte, North CarolinaRPoolService.com Pamela Basham’s parents instilled a strong work ethic in her from an early age. Her mother started a pool service business from her garage in West Virginia in 1979, while her father worked nights in the coal mine…
Ryan Morson 31Southeast regional sales managerHayward Hayward-Pool.com When Ryan Morson graduated from college in the middle of the recession, he had little to show on his resume other than a bachelor’s degree and pool experience. “I had a college summer job working for Splash Pool Management in Dallas, Georgia,” Morson says. While maybe not the…
Jonny Nalepa 30Senior designerAquatic Consultants, IncMiami, FloridaAquaticConsultantsInc.com Jonathan Nalepa is a second-generation pool professional. Over 35 years ago, his father started Miami-based Pool Rangers, Inc., a service company that has turned into a family business. Nalepa started riding in his dad’s work truck, and as he got older became an official employee of the company….
Jonathan and Jessica Rust 35Co-ownersWaterDog PoolsNew OrleansWaterDogPools.com Jonathan and Jessica Rust met when Jonathan moved to New Orleans to help gut and rebuild homes after hurricane Katrina. Jessica was a local resident that lost everything in the flood, decided to volunteer and was paired with Jonathan’s crew. “It’s been life ever since,” Jessica says. After…
Brian Siegel 34Owner and presidentNorthstar Pool Co.Allensdale, New JerseyNorthstarPoolsNJ.com Brian Siegel’s first job in the industry was as his dad’s apprentice, learning to service and repair residential pools. “Before I had my license, I remember riding my bicycle to a job we were working on near our house,” Siegel says. “We were in the process…
29PresidentBowen PoolsFlower Mound, TexasBowenPoolsLLC.com Christopher Bowen was working as a service tech for another business when he decided to start his own pool service company. He had one account and, when he opened Bowen Pools in March 2017, asked the homeowner if he could continue to service her pool for free in exchange for using…
36 PresidentSummit Swimming Pools, Inc.Wayne, PennsylvaniaSummitPoolAndSpa.com With a degree in economics and mathematics, Kevin Barry worked corporate jobs in the financial sector for four years before finding himself in the swimming pool industry. “I just fell into the industry,” Barry says. “I needed a change.” He started at a sports club, first as a pool…