Stan Griffin of Griffin Pools and Spas, South Carolina & Georgia (interview by Leon Rawitz).

www.griffinpoolsandspas.com
Topics include:

• Today’s Pool Trends
• Outdoor Living

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

Leon Rawitz:       

Well welcome to the Innovation Lab. We’re talking today with Stan Griffin, who is the president of Griffin Pools. Stan owns seven locations in South Carolina and Georgia, and Stan, welcome to the Innovation Lab.

Stan Griffin:         

Thank you.

Leon Rawitz:       

Stan we were talking a little bit offline and I understand that you have kind of an interesting background before you got into the swimming pool industry. Can you tell our listeners a little bit about your background?

Stan Griffin:         

Yes, I was the head of the artist staff for the state of South Carolina for 25 years. And bought a pool kit. Installed it at my home. And never dreamed of going into the business, but after I installed my own pool kit, family member, of course, bought a pool kit and said would I help him to install it. And so it just snowballed into a big enough thing that in 1994 we opened our first retail store and had built pools on the site construction only up until that point. And since 1994 we’ve opened several locations.

Leon Rawitz:       

And, Stan, you’ve been in business since – is it 1976, I believe?

Stan Griffin:         

1976; that’s correct.

Leon Rawitz:       

Okay, great. What kind of trends are you seeing in terms of how people are equipping their swimming pools these days; both new swimming pools and perhaps even in the aftermarket itself?

Stan Griffin:         

We’ve found that people are into automation. We’re finding that the consumer wants ease of maintenance for maintaining their swimming pools. And they’re putting more automation, which operates the automatic cleaners and it produces chlorine through the salt generation. And we’ve found that the outdoor lighting and things, just the automation has definitely experienced (inaudible) at this particular time.

Leon Rawitz:       

You know, a couple of years ago I think I heard the term staycation; a term to describe that people were staying more around the house, wanting to entertain and do more things together as a family. What kind of lifestyle changes have you seen in terms of your customers; the things that they are looking for? Are they entertaining more around the swimming pool area? And if so, how are they equipping that area? What other things are they putting around their swimming pool?

Stan Griffin:         

We’ve found that the swimming pool is the center of the backyard; that people are staying at home more and traveling less. We’ve found that they’ve made additions to the backyard. We’ve found that outdoor kitchens are really doing well. Portable spas are doing well. Grills are doing well, because people are spending more time in the backyard.

Leon Rawitz:       

If someone were needing, you know, maybe to make some renovations around their swimming pool or just wanting to give it kind of a fresh, new facelift, if you would, what kind of recommendations would you make to them?

Stan Griffin:         

Well, again, we suggest that they add these outdoor kitchens and portable grills and spas. It’s just more things to do in the backyard. And again, it’s a way of life.

Leon Rawitz:       

Are you seeing more of a tendency these days, Stan, for people to entertain more around the swimming pool? Is that something that you see continuing as an ongoing trend?

Stan Griffin:         

Yes. We find that a lot of people are purchasing pools, building pools, buying homes with pools because of the entertainment factor. It’s, I think the lifestyle is slowing down (inaudible) people spending more time at home with family and friends and the swimming pool in the backyard just adds to this criteria.

Leon Rawitz:       

Are there any products that you feel give customers today maybe the biggest bang for their dollar; essentials that maybe they ought to be considering as they’re building a new swimming pool or perhaps maybe face-lifting their existing swimming pool?

Stan Griffin:         

Well we think that, again, that it’s a way of life and what we attempt to get people to do is to spend and expand their backyard to the extent that they’re comfortable in the amount of money that they’re spending; depending on how much available, flexible money that they have to spend. So we like for them to not overspend on what they want to do, because then they develop an attitude about their backyard and about the products and stuff. We like for them to stay within their budget.

Leon Rawitz:       

Any favorite pastimes that you enjoy when you’re not in the backyard building swimming pools? What do you do in your spare time?

Stan Griffin:         

Me? I live on a farm and we have all sorts of animals; horses and donkeys and things like that. So that is very relaxing to me to spend time, get away from the business. It’s quiet. It’s calm and just very peaceful out in the country.

Leon Rawitz:       

Well, listen; we have enjoyed tremendously, Stan, having you on and in the Innovation Lab. We so much appreciate your time and thanks so much.

Stan Griffin:         

Thank you very much.