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Reflections of the Owner
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ABOUT CLASSIC REFLECTION POOLS AND STAN PENNER |
Born and raised on a dairy
farm in Nebraska and not wanting to milk cows for the rest of my life, I set out
to find a more enjoyable and satisfying career. After serving my country for a term in the Navy and receiving
my education from the University of Nebraska, I landed in Texas. As the saying goes, “I wasn’t
born in Texas, but I got here as fast as I could!” |
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Not really knowing what I
wanted to do for a career, I spent some time selling ladies shoes, men’s
clothing and life insurance. Then I
found a business that I really loved. In
1982, I began designing and selling residential swimming pools for Cardinal
Pools of Austin. My directive here
was to get the signature on the bottom line.
This was difficult due in large part to the then current interest rates
on home improvement loans. A
potential customer with great credit might get a rate as low as 14%. People who had even the slightest
blemish were in the to 18 to 20% range! I concentrated on the development of my design skills and in
spite of the outrageous interest rates, I soon became very successful. It was amazing to me that most of the
salespeople I was competing with, seemed to have little or no regard for what
the customers really wanted. Paying
close attention to what potential customers asked for, and designing exactly
what they wanted, became my key to success. |
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This was also my
introduction to challenging backyards! It
was just as likely for us to build a pool almost completely out of the ground on
a gorgeous hillside, as it was to build it in 100% solid rock, which could take
more than a week to excavate. A
couple of years later when my lovely wife was offered a promotion/transfer to
Dallas with her employer IBM (which I found out really stands for “I’ve
Been Moved“). I
regretfully said goodbye to my good friends and moved as well. |
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Fun ‘N’ Sun Pools of
Irving accepted the responsibility of my continuing education in the industry. Learning how to engineer the structures
and design the complicated hydraulic systems of large commercial pools and water
features was indeed the education of a lifetime.
Piers, beams and void cartons, tensile strength, sheer strength and water
pressure/resistance measured in “feet of head” all became a language I
understood quite well. Dimensional perfection was an absolute must on these
projects as some of the pools we built were to be used in trials for the
Olympics. It was during this time
with Fun ‘N’ Sun that I was introduced to and developed a tremendous respect
for Landscape Architects and their profession.
I was inspired to take some courses in Landscape Architecture at The
University of Texas at Arlington (much to the chagrin of my lovely Aggie wife). |
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When the bottom fell out of
the commercial pool industry in ‘86, it was time to move on. I interviewed with and was fortunate to
be hired by a residential pool company by the name of Riverbend Pools. Being the only salesman at the time
allowed me to work closely with the owner who, in my opinion, is one of the best
businessman I’ve ever met. Charles
Barnes is a master of marketing and selling and his company’s growth is a
testament to that fact. As
Riverbend continued to grow, so did
my knowledge. One of the things I
learned about myself was that I am a perfectionist. |
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So it happened that while
working for these three distinctly different swimming pool companies, it became
apparent to me that although I might be able to design the perfect pool for
someone didn’t always mean it would be built perfectly. In order to truly build the finest
quality pools available anywhere, I would have to control all aspects of the
process from design thru construction. Thus
was born Classic Reflection Pools Incorporated. |
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The goal of Classic
Reflections is simple, design and build the highest quality pool we can at a
fair price. |
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My theory is that it is
better to use subcontractors to build your pool than to have in-house employees. Why?
Because the best contractors always end up in business for themselves. Owner participation is a key ingredient
to our success. No one cares more or takes more pride in his/her own
performance than an owner. Another
good reason to use contractors rather than in-house employees is that we don’t
have to find something for a salaried employee to do when there is currently
nothing to do in their field of expertise.
For example, with a large company you may find the plumber trying to
install tile, or the excavator tying steel.
This is always comical as long as it isn‘t happening on your pool. |
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With Classic Reflections however you are very likely to see the owner of the excavation company, Vern Larman, operating his own track-hoe. The same is true of the men tying the steel in your pool. One of them is the owner. (It’s the dark haired good looking guy with all the muscles) There is a man named Dan who owns Dan’s Shotcrete and you can meet him too if you would like. The list goes on and on. Our stone masons are the finest in the industry and the owner Charles Hetmer is on site daily. In almost every phase of construction, you will see the owner on site! This is by far the best team of pool building professionals in the metroplex, bar none! |
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How does a small company (about a million dollars a year)
get and keep the best subcontractors? Simple! Treat them with the respect they deserve and pay them on time. All contractors who have their invoices
in by Monday are paid the following Friday. |
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How do we compete with the
mass quantity pool builders? We
keep our overhead very low and we make fewer mistakes. Our contractors and distributors give us the same prices as
they give to the larger quantity pool builders simply because we pay so well and
they don’t have to fight for or chase their money. |
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Why have we been so
successful in building some of the finest pools for some of the finest people in
Texas? We treat our clients
with the respect they deserve and make absolutely certain that they are not just
satisfied, they are delighted! |
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When you invite us in to create your back yard, you become “some of the most important people in our lives“!
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 Click image for Classic Reflection Pools home page. |
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