Kara Weed

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Kara Weed started running the register at her family’s pool and spa retail store, Ultra Modern Pool & Patio, at the ripe old age of 9. She worked summers in the store, performing water tests and stocking shelves, but started full-time as the company’s marketing manager in 2015 when she left an accounting career at Koch Industries. Her mom, Rita Rowlen, was one of three family members still running the company, “and it was too much for one person,” Weed says. “I knew I would regret it if I didn’t give it a shot.”

Weed’s role and responsibilities have changed and grown, while Rowlen begins to step away more and more from the business. In 2019, Weed became a 50% owner — and when Rowlen needed to stay safe at home during the pandemic, she semi-retired and Weed became the managing partner. “My goal is to add additional stores and grow the construction part of our business from 10 pools per year to five times that,” Weed says. “I would like to leave my mark by setting an example for women and others in the industry by becoming an industry leader, helping others to success.”