Business for all seasons: what do you do when cold weather puts a damper on business? This Northeast pool-building firm takes advantage of additional opportunities

Pool & Spa News, Jan 17, 2005 by Brown. AmyJo

The bottom line for building pools in the Northeast?

"Once it gets cold, pools close. And that's it," says Mike Giordano, a pool builder in Pine Brook, N.J. "We have to get all of our work done as fast as possible."

Another way the firm stays profitable throughout the year? Extending its reach into complementary fields. Giordano, for one, shares ownership of Artisan Pools with two partners, Thomas Fitzsimmons and Charles Baldissard. Together, they also own Chux Landscaping.

While the landscaping side of the business has been in existence since 1988, their pool-building arm, opened in 2000, is a relatively new branch. Giordano, who spent 15 years working as a construction manager for another company, proposed combining the landscaping work with pool building to provide more comprehensive services for customers. His partners run the landscaping side; Giordano oversees the pool work.

Not to limit themselves to two fields, though, the company also has a full-time florist shop, supplies irrigation equipment and provides lawn care services.

In the winter when the work slows, Giordano and his partners also take advantage of a unique business opportunity the weather provides: snow removal services. They are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including holidays.

That makes for an eclectic list of references. Their trade association membership includes the Association of Pool & Spa Professionals, the New Jersey Nursery and Landscape Association, the New Jersey Landscape Contractors Association, as well as the Snow and Ice Management Association.

This diversity has paid off for the company, Giordano says. The firm is able to expand the services it offers its customers, ensure its employees are kept busy year 'round and, most importantly, keep its bottom line strong.

Making pools a priority

While the additional ventures play a key role in the company's success, growing the budding pool business by creating well-landscaped outdoor poolscapes remains a top priority, Giordano says. In the company's first year, just five pools were completed. In 2004, the firm built 25.

Once the pool-building season starts, usually in April, the construction pace is fast and furious, with the crews racing to finish projects before the cold weather descends in November. With about 50 employees, completing that many pools requires that Giordano and the crew work long hours during the week and many weekends. Sometimes, he'll even double up on staff to make sure a project is done on time.

Such actions speak to the company's commitment to customer service. With a short season in which to work, Artisan Pools is quick to go above and beyond for its customers. Winter last year, for example, came early and piled on the snow. Giordano was forced to leave a pool shell in the ground until April, with only a tarp for protection. So, he checked on it once a week throughout the winter months to make sure the pipes stayed intact, and the shell didn't crack.

In addition to the care it gives its customers, the combination of in-house crews for both hardscaping and landscaping lends the company a competitive edge. Placing a pool in a backyard is easier when a master plan is established, and all involved understand what the final look should be, Giordano says.

In his area, he adds, the design trends call for a formal atmosphere--rectangle pools, straight lines, Roman columns. Landscaping is done on only one side.

Buoyed by the area's strong pool market, the company for the most part has limited its promotions to print advertisements in a local magazine. Thanks to word-of-mouth referrals and crossover customers from the firm's other ventures, more extensive promotions aren't necessary. Plus, the boost the industry got from America's nesting tendencies after 9/11 is still positively affecting the firm's financial health.

"They're spending less money on vacations and putting it into yards," Giordano says, "which is fine for us."