Good Neighbor Podcast: Frisco

EP #242: Diving Deep: How Pool Pros Transforms Backyard Maintenance

• Sophia Yvette

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What makes Blake Owens with Pool Pros a good neighbor?

What happens when litigation-level ethics meets the pool service industry? Blake Owens, founder of Pool Pros, joins Sophia on the Good Neighbor Podcast to reveal how he transformed from legal industry veteran to swimming pool expert – and why this unlikely career shift resulted in a company that's changing customer expectations.

After 25 years in the litigation support world, Blake was shocked to discover the pool service industry's reputation problem. Customers repeatedly shared horror stories about companies that didn't follow through on promises, neglected proper chemistry, and damaged expensive pool surfaces. Drawing on his background where trust was non-negotiable, Blake built Pool Pros around a core value that seems surprisingly rare: actually caring about customers' pools.

Now celebrating 10 years in business, Pool Pros stands apart through certified technicians who stay with the company three times longer than industry average. This stability translates directly to better service, with equipment repairs completed within a week and comprehensive offerings from weekly maintenance to complete pool remodels. Most telling? Three-quarters of their new customers come through word-of-mouth referrals rather than advertising.

Whether you're struggling with your current pool service or considering adding a pool to your property, Blake's insights reveal what questions to ask and red flags to watch for. Discover why proper pool care is about more than chemicals – it's about creating a relationship where your pool service sees themselves as partners in maintaining one of your home's most significant investments.

To learn more about Pool Pros go to:

https://poolprostexas.com/

Pool Pros

972-590-8161

Speaker 1:

This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Sophia Yvette.

Speaker 2:

Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast. Are you in need of a full-service pool company? Well, one may be closer than you think. Today I have the pleasure of introducing your good neighbor Blake Owens, with Pool Pros. Blake, how are you doing today?

Speaker 3:

I'm doing great, Sophia. Thanks for having me on.

Speaker 2:

It's a pleasure to have you on and we're so excited to learn all about you and your business. Can you tell us a bit about your company?

Speaker 3:

Well Pool Pros started in 2015, so we're in our 10th year. Our core focus is on weekly service, equipment repairs and pool remodeling. Regarding our weekly service, we specialize in a higher level of service through well-trained and certified techs who, on average, have been with us over three years. One of the biggest hurdles other companies have is their frequent turnover in staff, and we just don't experience that, as we've created a company culture that techs want to work for and that attitude translates into happy customers into happy customers. Regarding our equipment repairs, our customers count on us to diagnose the issue and provide a quote, then repair the issue quickly. Our average turnaround time from diagnosis to repair is less than a week. We also provide brand new equipment, set sales and installation with a dream up, from plaster tile coping to new decking, patio covers, pergolas, sun decks, beach entries, pool leveling, and the list goes on. So that's pretty much, in a nutshell, what we do.

Speaker 2:

Amazing. And so, blake, how did you originally get into this business?

Speaker 3:

Well, my journey started 25 plus or actually 35 plus years ago. I spent 25 plus years in the litigation support industry. Most of that time was in sales and sales management, and for almost all those years I had a residual income based on my sales and my team sales. And so when I became burned out on that industry, when I was looking for a new industry, I was looking for something that would provide the same type of residual income and that I've been accustomed to. And my research kept coming back to the pool industry, and so I got a job with a pool company a big, big company so I could learn the ropes and just be a sponge and soak everything up, and then stayed with them for two years and then branched out and started pool pros. And here we are today.

Speaker 2:

And so, blake, what is the number one myth or misconception you typically come across in your industry?

Speaker 3:

Okay, that's a good question. Really, when I first got into the industry, I was shocked at how many people had bad experiences with pool companies. There just wasn't a lot of trust in pool companies to do what they say they were going to do. And then me coming from the legal industry, where ethics is paramount, I started Pool Pros with the goal to bring those same ethics to the pool industry, which we have successfully done. I was also able to migrate some other key must-haves I've learned from the legal industry that fit right into the pool industry, such as communication organization and records retention.

Speaker 2:

Let's go ahead and tell us who are your target customers and, in terms of marketing, how do you attract them?

Speaker 3:

Okay, our target customers want their pool taken care of on a higher level. They're not really as much concerned about monthly rates, rather a well-taken care of pool and a safe pool to swim in. We've taken over from another company that maybe charged a little less than we did, just to find, you know, just a nightmare and cool chemistry and damage to you know the plaster due to the chemistry and just many other scenarios that just can't believe another company would do that to their customers.

Speaker 2:

And, in terms of marketing, how do you attract these customers?

Speaker 3:

Marketing-wise we, you know we do the, you know same marketing that other companies do. You know the Yelp and and you know home advisor things like that. But really we typically get new customers by referral. I would say 75% of our new customer signups are by referral and that's across the board, whether it be remodels or equipment sales or just weekly service.

Speaker 2:

Let's go ahead and switch gears. Can you describe a hardship or life challenge you overcame and how it made you a better and stronger person today? What comes to mind for you?

Speaker 3:

Well, what comes to mind is I go all the way back to when I was 18 to 20 years old down in Waco, texas. I had a lot of offers to continue my athletic career through basketball and I just, you know, kind of got led down the wrong path and for a couple of years, and I woke up one day and decided I didn't want to live that way and moved to Dallas and first job within a week I got a job in the legal industry that I spoke of and stayed in that for 25 plus years and really all of that, you know, made me who I am today.

Speaker 2:

And really all of that you know made me who I am today.

Speaker 3:

So, blake, please tell our listeners one thing they should remember about pool pros, I would say by far. It's the fact that we care about our customers. We think of them as friends and partners in the care of their pool, which is a big investment on their part, and we don't take that lightly. We've even had some reviews here recently where customers had stated just that that they haven't seen a company that like us, that actually care about the product that we give them each and every week. So I would say that would be the biggest factor.

Speaker 2:

And where can our listeners go to learn more about Pool Pros?

Speaker 3:

um. Our website is wwwpoolprostexascom. You can also contact us or text us at 972-590-8161. That's our office line, and you can also email me directly at bl at PoolProsTexascom.

Speaker 2:

Well, Blake, I really appreciate you being on the show. We wish you and your business the best moving forward.

Speaker 3:

Thank you, sophia, appreciate you having me on.

Speaker 1:

Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to gnpfriscocom. That's gnpfriscocom, or call 469-221-9345. © transcript Emily Beynon.