Dave Beattie of Beattie Master Pools and Spas Talks About Current Pool Trends (interview by Leon Rawitz).

www.beattiepools.com
Topics include:

• Robotic cleaners
• Salt Generators (he touches on the advantages)
• Increase in Pool Renovations

 - -  Please see below for a text version of this audio file. - -

Leon Rawitz:       

Welcome to the Innovation Lab. I’m here with Dave Beattie from Beattie Master Pools and Spas. Dave has two locations in Saginaw, Michigan and they’ve been in business since 1959. Dave, I want to welcome you to the Innovation Lab and thank you for participating today.

Dave Beattie:       

Well thank you.

Leon Rawitz:       

Dave, you have a real interesting story as to how you got started in the pool industry. Would you mind sharing it with our viewers?

Dave Beattie:       

Sure. Actually we built a pool at our own house in 1958. My dad was a post office worker, and basically what we did is bought a kit. And it was a block wall pool and a vinyl liner and between the neighbors and post office workers we put the pool in. And after the pool was in the person that we bought it from asked if we wanted to install pools. And my dad felt why wouldn’t I just do it for myself. So that’s when he started in 1959, then, and would do it after work with post office workers and kids in the neighborhood. And about two years after that he had to leave the post office and it became a full-time business.

Leon Rawitz:       

And what – when did you join him in the business?

Dave Beattie:       

I basically grew up in it. I started when I was, like, nine or ten and would always work with him. Actually, before I was 16 I couldn’t even drive, but I would run one of the crews for him. And I’d go to the jobs and be the foreman. It was a little tough, though, being so young. I’d always tell my dad to tell the people, you know you better tell them to ask the youngest guy on the job the questions because he’s the one that knows what he’s doing.

                              {Both laugh}

Leon Rawitz:       

Oh wow. How did the older workers take to you back then?

Dave Beattie:       

I got along with them very, very well. I always got along with the construction workers. I had a great time doing that. I used to tease my dad that I – they were my teacher, but I was teaching them. {Laughs}

Leon Rawitz:       

And tell me a little bit about your business. Now you build pools today and I understand you also have retail stores as well.

Dave Beattie:       

Yes we do. I have two retail stores in Saginaw and I – we do construction and service.

Leon Rawitz:       

What have you noticed this summer in particular as it relates to maybe some of the hot products that people are expressing a lot of interest in?

Dave Beattie:       

A couple of things. One is robotic cleaners have really taken off this year. And they’re doing…

                              {Crosstalk}

Leon Rawitz:       

Why do you suppose that is?

Dave Beattie:       

I think what it is is the people just don’t want to go out and hook their vacuum cleaners up anymore, and these things work very, very well. And it just simplifies the people’s, the customers’ life.

Leon Rawitz:       

You had a {laughs} fun comment about what one of your customers said. Would you share that with our listeners?

Dave Beattie:       

Oh, he was actually a friend of mine and his wife came in and she had heard about the cleaners and so she bought a cleaner and took it home. And I told her, ‘You know how (Fred)’s going to feel about this.’ Well (Fred) called me and (Fred) said, “You know I’m sitting here watching this thing work and it’s absolutely amazing how this is doing this with me sitting here.” And he said, “So I think we’ll keep it.” And then about a week went by and he called me back and he says, “You know,” he owns a lot of property and he does everything himself. He says, “I cut my whole lawn, I get done and my pool’s clean.” He says, “I got two things done in the same time.” He says, “So I’ll tell you what we’ll do. You can have my wife, but you can’t have my cleaner.”

Leon Rawitz:       

{Laughs} I love that. What else are you finding that customers are really interested in this year?

Dave Beattie:       

We’re doing a lot more with the salt generators every year, but this year seems to be probably the biggest.

Leon Rawitz:       

What’s the biggest advantage and are customers coming to you asking for them or are you sharing information and piquing their interest that way?

Dave Beattie:       

We do share and pique their interest, but they are asking for them. And we have some very knowledgeable people that work for me. I mean my manager of this store’s been here 35 years. And we can teach people how to do things really, really, really to make their life simple. And when you go through and explain the salt and how much better the water feels, and they’ve been in a salt pool, especially if they’ve been in a salt pool, that about will sell it for us.

Leon Rawitz:       

What’s the most common questions you get asked by people that you sell the product to, both before the sale and then maybe after the sale?

Dave Beattie:       

Well before the sale is they get a little concerned about the amount of salt that has to go in the pool to generate the chlorine. But when you explain to them that it’s about like contact saline solution and you do not taste the salt, you know, and just the ease of their life it’ll be by having something there that’s making the chlorine for them and they don’t have to do it.

Leon Rawitz:       

Sounds great. What about after the sale? Are there any questions or comments that you typically hear from customers after they’ve installed one of these things?

Dave Beattie:       

Not really. We set them up on a program. We make calendars for them whether you’re a salt, chlorine, whatever type pool for the summer to tell them what to do weekly and what to look for and in warmer weather to run their filters more. And you can bump up the chlorine level on the generator. That’s probably their biggest questions is about they might call and say, “Do you think it’s time for me to bump my salt up or to shock it?” Because they will shock the pool themselves.

Leon Rawitz:       

Okay. Dave, you also mentioned that your company does, in our earlier discussion, renovations.

Dave Beattie:       

Yes.

Leon Rawitz:       

What’s that business like these days? How is the economy affecting the renovation side of your business?

Dave Beattie:       

Well being from Michigan, and the economy’s been down because of the auto industry, the renovation business this year has been tremendous; just tremendous from past years.

Leon Rawitz:       

Why is that? I mean we hear so much about pools being older. Are folks waiting until maybe equipment is breaking down or the pool absolutely has to be renovated or are they actually approaching it with the idea that, “You know what? We just want a new, fresh look for our backyard,”?

Dave Beattie:       

It’s more so the new, fresh look. What they’re doing is because the housing industry’s down and they’re not going to go anywhere, they’ve decided they’re going to stay in that home. And by putting some new tile in a pool, plaster and doing some things with the deck and equipment, they can upgrade the pool to look new again.

Leon Rawitz:       

Right. Now I understand, Dave, you were telling me you’re an avid golfer. Do you get a chance to play any golf during these busy summer months?

Dave Beattie:       

I play in a league nine holes once a week. So I do do that. And if I find some time; I’m usually here seven days a week in the summer. And sometimes I might slip out on a Sunday once it gets later in the year and go golfing, but more so I get to do that in the winter.

Leon Rawitz:        

Good for you. Well listen, we really appreciate your time this afternoon and want to thank you for visiting with us in the Innovation Lab. And if somebody wants to reach you or learn more about building a pool in the Saginaw area, how would they reach you?

Dave Beattie:       

www.beattiepools.com

Leon Rawitz:       

Okay, wonderful. Well Dave, thank you again. It’s been a pleasure having you.

Dave Beattie: 

Thank you.