Earning accolades
Even after just three years, Taylor and Boyko have much to be proud of—in particular, the company’s 2009 Gold Award in the Pool and Hot Tub Council of Canada (PHTCC) Canadian Design and Construction Awards Competition. They took home the honour in the vinyl swimming pool and hot tub combination category.
“The customers described their yard as an unusable space, due to drastic elevation changes,” Taylor says of the award-winning project. “The original plan was to install a curved pool with a vanishing edge, but once all the prices came back we had to alter the design. We decided to use the elevation changes in the yard to our advantage and add a spill-over spa, which is set 609 mm (24 in.) above grade and incorporates a flat stone water fall.
“The entire design was a collaborative effort between the homeowner, stonemason, landscape architect and us. We were very pleased to be acknowledged for our construction and look forward to entering other pools of ours in the future.”
‘Bright’ future
While Taylor and Boyko are pleased with the company’s progress and looking forward to the future, they do not want to outgrow their market, choosing instead to focus primarily on keeping existing customers happy.
“We don’t want to get too big; we are pleased with what we have accomplished so far,” Taylor says. “In the past, we have seen companies that have tried to expand too quickly and it never seems to work. The quality of their work declines and all that seems to matter is the sale. There is no personal connection with the customer.
“Because we are a small company, we are limited as to how many people we can serve. We focus on our existing pool customers, and slowly take on new clients on a case-by-case basis.”
While some professionals are slashing prices, causing concern within the industry, Taylor says Brightwater has yet to be effected, largely because the co-owners understand their target market.
“We feel we install a very high-quality pool and offer excellent service for a fair price,” he explains. “The homeowners who realize this are the people we want to do business with. I would say the main reason we have been successful is because of the reputation we have built in Saskatoon for constructing high-quality swimming pools.”
Taylor credits much of this success to Boyko’s 25 years of experience and expertise in the industry. “He has seen almost every problem related to a swimming pool,” Taylor says, adding that Brightwater approaches every job as if it were being done in their own backyards.
“We hold ourselves to the highest of standards,” he says. “Our goal is to make sure each new pool owner has a positive experience. There is nothing worse than hearing about someone who installed a pool and wished they had never done it.”
