Crystal Pools Inc.

Not many people can say they sell fun, but John Rozanski, second generation co-owner of Crystal Pools Inc. (Crystal Pools), can. “It makes me proud to know we help support a stress-free lifestyle,” says John. “We’re helping make families happier and healthier.”

Since John’s father, Henry Rozanski, founded the Pennsylvania-based company in 1964, Crystal Pools has been the clear choice for fun and industry-leading service. “We have been family-owned and -operated since the beginning,” shares John. “I started working here in high school and have been helping out since I could drive. My father passed away at a very young age, before I was old enough to work. At that time my sisters and brother who were already active in the business had to take on more responsibility, along with other key managers. As a result of my father’s untimely death, my siblings and I all became owners of a swimming pool business.”

However, John and the rest of the Crystal Pools’ team pushed through the challenges. “Luckily, hard work and good core values were instilled in all of us as we were growing up,” John continues. “This greatly helped us adjust and thrive as the business grew over the decades.”

Family-focused

As a family-owned business, Crystal Pools understands the importance of unwinding from the chaos that is life and enjoying time with family and friends in the comfort of your own backyard. For nearly 50 years, Crystal Pools had specialized in delivering relaxation to homeowners throughout central Pennsylvania, from award-winning in-ground pools to above ground or the soothing jets of a hot tub, the company has it covered.

Today, the company remains based in Elizabethtown, Penn., but has added retail stores in Lancaster and Mechanicsburg, Penn., as well. “Our sales locations are about 25 miles apart and we cover a good 110-square-mile area in this state,” details John. “When my father died, we had one location, 20 employees and we did less than 80 projects a year. That’s pretty good, but today we have three locations, we employ four times as many workers and we do over 300 projects a year.”

Crystal Pools employs more than 80 individuals who John says might as well be family. “One of the things about this company that gives me the biggest sense of pride is the fact that we employ and support more than 80 families,” he shares. “The majority of our employees have been with Crystal Pools for at least 20 years; there are a few who have been here for 40-plus years. We continue to help them put food on the table while they help us make other families happy and healthy.”

John is proud to note that Crystal Pools remains a great place to work. “We are all active, not absent owners,” he continues. “Our company is a team and we all pitch in and do whatever it takes. We know that our staff is one of our most valuable assets and customer service is at the top of our priority list.”

Crystal Pools specializes in the installation and service of premier quality, vinyl-lined swimming pool packages, as well as fiberglass in-ground pools, three brands of above ground pools and four brands of portable spas. The company’s three retail outlets showcase the area’s largest full size pool parks, hot tub lines, maintenance products such as chemicals and sanitation equipment, as well as games, toys, parts and accessories.

“We design, build and service swimming pools and sell hot tubs,” details John. “We offer a full service center and our products are backed by 49 years in business. We have a sterling reputation in this area and we do everything ourselves, in-house, there’s no middleman involvement and that’s still one of the biggest things our customers appreciate. From the point a customer speaks to a sales person to a project’s completion; everything is done through our team. We don’t want to meet customers’ expectations, we want to exceed them.”

The Bells and Whistles

Keeping things in-house allows Crystal Pools to deliver some of the most impressive, customized backyard destinations in the area. “We’re currently working on a $150,000 custom job and there’s nothing standard about it,” reveals John. “The site is complete with brick pavers instead of standard concrete, underwater LED lighting, special built-in benches and entry systems; it even has automatic sanitation. Overall, the project is quite involved and probably won’t be completed until spring 2014.”

John says the company has seen more custom work in recent years. “Homeowners are looking for out-of-the-ordinary; something not like everybody else, but unlike everybody else,” he explains. “They want the extra bells and whistles and add ons to really make things special. This is one reason why we attend industry tradeshows in the offseason from mid-November to January. We go to these conventions to see anything and everything that’s available to us in our industry, so if it’s out there and available, we can offer it and install it.”

The amount of custom work coming through Crystal Pools’ door is more than welcome after several years spent combating and trying to recover from the economic downturn. “We deal with the challenge of local regulations and getting the go-ahead to move forward with projects from municipalities, but the recession has impacted us even more so,” notes John. “We’re continuing to fight for discretionary dollars, because we sell a want-to-have, not a need-to-have item.”

John goes on to note that there will always be prospects out there who have the money it takes to purchase the company’s products; however, the great majority of Crystal Pools’ market in central Pennsylvania is middle to upper middle class, aged between 35 and 54.

“The middle-class homeowners are the ones who seem to have been hit hardest by the recession, and unfortunately, they are a huge target market group for us,” he continues. “But the Baby Boomers continue to age and have ailments and they are the largest target group among us. As a result, we’ve seen an increase in sales in recent years. I don’t think we’ll get back to where we were in 2005, but we continue to strive to do our best and we’re much better at what we do now than we were 10 years ago.” Through family ownership and custom designed solutions, Crystal Pools Inc. remains a clear choice for friendly service and bringing fun and relaxation to the backyard.