David Thompson: Continuing the Family Legacy
Although he may say he had little choice when first starting his career in the family business, David Thompson has emerged as a successful leader within the aquatics industry as CEO at Swimming Pool Services, Inc. Following in his father’s footsteps, he proactively transformed his role at the company over the course of nine years, ultimately purchasing it in 2003.
While initially beginning his aquatics career journey as seasonal summer help, David pursued an engineering degree and spent time working in commercial construction before finding his passion for service as a pool maintenance technician. He officially joined the company in 1994, where he worked his way up to a retail manager by the late 1990s. In the process, he took extra steps to elevate his career, earning a Certified Service Professional certification and Certified Builder Professional certification offered by the Pool & Hot Tub Alliance.
Now serving as CEO, David continues to be amazed by the progress and success the company has witnessed since its humble beginnings over 56 years ago. He emphasized this as a highlight of his career: leading the company’s growth while also working together to enhance client’s lives, and ultimately carrying out his father’s legacy.
“Our industry is all about fun – it is what we give to our clients and also have a lot ourselves as an industry at our trade events. As an industry, we work hard and play hard!” he shared.
David has built long-lasting connections with colleagues and clients, while also traveling to new places, working on exciting projects and watching his team at Swimming Pool Services grow to the next level. He wants industry newcomers to know that those who enjoy helping others can discover a great living and tremendous opportunities like he has within this industry.
As he highlights in his own personal experiences, aquatics professionals play an important role in the lives of others. For one of his company’s projects, David shared that a client was adamantly against installing a pool due to the family’s country club membership but did so at the request of his wife. Following the completion of the pool, the client thanked the team for their work and told David he has spent more time connecting with his children since the pool installation than in all the time they had their country club membership. There’s nothing better than hearing firsthand the positive impact you have on people!
“Most of our construction work today is not just the pool like it was 20 years ago – now we create outdoor living spaces for our clients. I get to help people every day enhance their lives and the lives of their families through the projects we build,” said David.
Spending a majority of both his life and career in this industry, David expressed how blessed he is to work in an exciting, welcoming environment that has allowed him to grow both personally and professionally. If you’re inspired by his story and want to embark on your own journey, take the plunge today and join the aquatics industry! Check out job openings near you.
