Patriot Pool and Spa

As president and founder of Patriot Pool and Spa, Hal Denbar has good things to say about Robert Johnson and Travis Spearman. “Having the two of them on the team for more than four years each has absolutely brought Patriot to where we are now,” Denbar says. “These two are the model of what swimming pool professionals should ideally be.”

Both Johnson and Spearman have received the Patriot of the Month award at least once and are foundational pieces to the company, Denbar says. “They have enriched the professional lives of so many people who we have brought onto our team who needed wise, industry veterans like these two to look up to.” 

Spearman started cleaning pools part time in the summer of 2002. “After a year or two of cleaning pools and some pleading with my boss I began my journey into repair work,” he says. “It was a slower transition than I would have liked, but looking back, I am grateful for the opportunity. At that time I was in my early 20’s and it wasn’t the norm for someone my age to be a repair tech.” He joined Patriot in 2015 and has watched the company grow from roughly 10 employees to around 40 with no signs of slowing down. “I have grown as the company has grown, continuing to hone not just my technical skills but my customer service skills as well,” he says. “Eventually I see myself moving out of the field and into the office. For now I’m focused on passing along knowledge to the newer guys and helping Patriot grow any way I can.”

Johnson’s siblings were working in the pool industry and what they had to say appealed to him, so he started working on pools in 2012. At a friend’s suggestion, Johnson interviewed for a position with Patriot in 2015 (his siblings soon followed suit as employees, too). “I clicked immediately with the honest, positive environment and earnest employees,” Johnson says. “I genuinely enjoy seeing a happy customer, especially in the times we live in where swim time with family and friends is more important than ever. There’s nothing more satisfying than making a concerned customer love you.”