A thriving business founded on family values
By Jason Cramp
BonaVista Pools was established by Bob Brown in 1969, when he moved from Montreal to Toronto to expand ValMar Pools, a company owned by his uncle and cousin—the Valois family. Brown took over the business, renamed it BonaVista Pools in the ’70s, and transitioned its management to Melissa and Peter Brown in 2002. Sadly, Bob died from cancer in September 2002, when he was only 60, after retiring to Prince Edward County, Ont., where he grew up. His work ethic, success, and approach to customer service continues to provide inspiration to his family.
Melissa and Peter run the custom concrete pool construction and service division from the Markham, Ont., office which Bob built back in 1990. In 2008, Melissa and Peter asked their sister Jennifer to open a retail division in Toronto, with the intention of providing more backyard products—including hot tubs and swim spas—and services to the clients they had been serving for decades in the Greater Toronto Area.
Pool & Spa Marketing recently spoke with Jennifer Gannon, proprietor at BonaVista’s retail store in Toronto’s Leaside area, to learn more about the shop’s culture, some of their recent projects, how they are navigating the industry through the pandemic, and what they see for the future of the business.
Pool & Spa Marketing (PSM): What makes the company unique?
Jennifer Gannon (JG): Bob Brown was a professional engineer, and his daughter Melissa—the company’s president—is also a professional engineer. This foundation allows us to tackle challenging installations and large commercial and residential projects. Melissa is also a Genesis 3 member, which is an elite group of pool builders in North America.
Melissa started working for the company when she was 13. She helped with payroll throughout the school year, then cleaned pools during the summer months. Her favourite days at work are when she gets to be in the field with her crew building pools.
Peter Brown, BonaVista’s vice-president, grew up in the family pool business and learned an appreciation for a well-built pool while initially cleaning them, and later building them during the summer months through high school and university. After graduating from St. Francis Xavier University with honours and a bachelor of business administration, Peter took over the role of construction manager. In this role, he has successfully managed a staff of 30 seasonal labourers and tradespeople, while constructing more than 600 custom concrete pools.
As proprietor of BonaVista’s retail store, I focus on helping our customers find the perfect swim or soak with our line of hot tubs and swim spas. I started working in the family business 30 years ago, as a student maintaining pools for clients during the summer. After I graduated from the University of Western Ontario, I managed the company’s service department and marketing. I stepped away from the business for 13 years to explore a career in public relations and advertising, working for ad agencies in Toronto and Winnipeg. When I returned to Toronto in 2006, I joined the family business again and opened our outdoor living showroom in Leaside.
Offering a retail location in the heart of Toronto allows BonaVista to provide service and water care support year-round to clients who like to look after their own hot tubs, swim spas, and pools, as well as pick up fun toys, accessories, and supplies for their backyard.
