The Pool Pros Podcast

Adam Courter didn’t grow up in the pool industry. After a career in banking, he acquired a pool service company and has since grown it from roughly 630 pools to more than 1,100.   In this conversation, Adam shares the systems, hiring practices, and performance-pay structure that helped fuel that growth while maintaining a strong company culture. We discuss: Transitioning from banking into pool ser...

Most pool companies focus on getting more customers. Ronny Barrett focuses on keeping them. Ronny is the owner of Top Notch Pool Management in the Atlanta area, where he’s built a business around high-touch service, strong client relationships, and a concierge approach that stands apart from the industry’s “splash and dash” model.   In this episode, we discuss: Why customer loyalty matters more th...

Dave Hawes has spent decades building H&H Pools into one of the most respected service companies in Northern California, growing to nearly 1,000 pools while staying intentional about culture, pricing, profitability, and lifestyle design.   In this episode, we talk about: Why most pool companies struggle when they start hiring The difference between being a great technician and a great business...

Nick Day, GM of Gohlke Pools in Texas, breaks down what it really takes to scale a long-standing pool company from a small local operation into a 90-person business servicing more than 1,250 weekly accounts.   We cover: Why the 2008 recession pushed them to double down on service The systems and org structure required to scale route operations How they track technician production and compensation...

Chantel Dooley shares how Dazzle Pools built a premium pool service company in one of the most competitive markets in the country—without racing to the bottom on price.   We cover: Why answering the phone is still a massive competitive advantage How Skimmer helps them deliver a premium customer experience Their philosophy of “quality over quantity” Why they refuse to discount or compete on cheap p...

Pool Butler services 550–600 pools in Atlanta with 30 employees, but their real growth came from systems, training, and higher-value services—not just adding more pools.   We cover: Why they prioritize attitude over experience when hiring How weekly training drives consistency at scale Their strategy for “weeding the garden” and firing bad-fit customers How technicians generate high-margin upsells...

Most pool businesses don’t deal with this problem: your entire season is 5–6 months. Jay Broyer has built a multi-location company in the Northeast despite that constraint. We cover: Why staffing—not demand—is the biggest bottleneck How they recruit and train large seasonal teams Lessons from multiple acquisitions (including one that went wrong) Why they centralized operations across locations How...

This is a rare behind-the-scenes look at a real acquisition—from both the seller and buyer. Karl Toth sold his 500-account company. Garrett Welch (Nevergreen) was on the buying side. We break down: The real reasons owners decide to sell What buyers are actually looking for (and what kills deals) How relationships drive deals more than brokers What the LOI and due diligence process really looks lik...

Tim Ryan built and sold multiple pool companies—and added 300 pools in just 5 months. His approach is aggressive, unconventional, and it works. We cover: How he dominated lead flow using Angie and speed-to-lead The exact tactics that helped him win 90% of leads Why most companies are too slow (and lose deals because of it) His “hire fast, fire fast” approach to building teams Why branding matters...

Justin Pinson started with 40 pools on a credit card. Today he runs a 250+ customer operation. No fluff here—just a simple, proven playbook. We get into: How he got started with zero capital Why referrals and reviews drove early growth What’s working right now with Facebook ads Pricing models that actually make money How paying techs per pool increases efficiency If you’re starting small or trying...

Kyle Peter went from 12 pools to a 2,000+ pool operation backed by private equity. This is a clear look at what it actually takes to scale beyond “owner-operator” and build a real business. We cover: The shift from owning a job to building a scalable company How route acquisitions + Google ads became their growth engine Why customer retention matters more than lead gen (long term) The key hires th...