Photography by Thao Nguyen Patriot Pool & Spa in Austin, Texas, services nearly 800 pools a week and has more than 35 employees — but owner Hal Denbar still remembers how hard it was to hire the first one. “Everything about that, mentally and emotionally, was much harder than anything else I’ve encountered [with this…
Photography by Austin Mullen Two years ago, Natalie Scott’s friend from junior high school posted an ad for a pool tech position with his company — a position he was willing to train. At the time, Scott was working in the hotel industry, trying to establish a new normal after a divorce and several office…
Photography by Doug Melillo John and Lisa Morgillo own the place. Their daughter, Lia, heads the marketing and sales department while Lia’s boyfriend learns construction. Lisa’s brother, Al, is the project manager for in-ground installations. Sue, Al’s wife, runs the front-end cash registers for the store. Doreen and Paul, John’s sister and brother-in-law, do sales…
photography by Christian Hernandez In the mid-2000’s, Mike Burns and his wife, Amanda, were ready for a change from their life in England. Setting their sights on sunny Florida, the family purchased Doc Dean’s Pools from its original owner and emigrated in 2005. It’s been a great fit, says their son James Burns, because of…
photography by Joan WoodPool built by Red Rock Pools & Spas, based in Mesa, Arizona When Tyler Rasmussen got passed over for a promotion at his job, he said enough is enough. He had always dreamed of working for himself anyway, and a friend had been telling him about a pool route he just purchased….
photography by Simon Hurst Ryan Hayes has big dreams for the family business he’s been around since age 8. Already committed to taking over for his parents, who own Leisure Time Pools and Spas in Oklahoma City, when they retire, Hayes started out water testing and helping his dad in the store’s warehouse between throwing…
photography by Marc Ridel Tiffiny Consoli wasn’t looking to go into the pool business. She was just looking to own a business, any business, that made sense. “I didn’t have one thing I was particularity good at or knew I wanted to make bagels every day,” she says. “It wasn’t like that. I wanted to…
photography by Brad Zimmerman Brian Lee Miller started Hilltop Pools and Spas, Inc., after moving from his native upstate New York. Brian initially only did pool construction in summers as a way to earn supplemental income while not teaching school. He eventually opened pool construction company Hilltop in 1976 in the tiny town of Jonesboro,…
Photos by Wendy Stewart Adam Litke and Loren Cohodes got their start in the pool industry in different ways. Litke’s father, who was a high school principal, made him find a summer job when his biology grade wasn’t up to his standards. Litke made a good impression at the company, All Seasons Pools & Spas;…
Photos by Tom Weinstein Mark Howard’s neighbors were pool guys. While growing up in Phoenix, during his high school summers and on weekends during the school year, Howard worked for two brothers who lived near him. After graduating, Howard briefly worked at a print shop but found it insufferable. “I couldn’t stand being cooped up,”…
Photography by Josh Goetz When Jennifer Del Vaglio was working as a lifeguard at a country club, she never dreamed it might turn into a pool career. She did, however, meet her husband CJ there, who ended up being the true catalyst. The couple was working in Connecticut — Jennifer as an event planner at…
Photography by Raul Mendoza Along with his family and crew, Miguel Mercado has carefully developed the Dorian Construction Group into the pre-eminent outdoor living design construction company in El Paso, Texas. Primarily, the company handles pool construction, pool refurbishment and transformation, outdoor kitchens, fire pits and ponds. “I started out more than 25 years ago…