Episode 119: Russell Pool Company - Three Generations of Pool Building History with Lee Russell
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In this episode, we had the opportunity to sit down with Lee Russell of Russell Pool Company in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Russell Pool Company was founded by Roy and Betty Russell in 1965, and today it is owned and operated by Keith and Lee Russell who have continued the tradition of designing and developing beautiful swimming pools. We all know that pool construction is a science, Lee shares with us why that is especially the case in Louisiana's unique environment, which includes year-round rainfall, high humidity, and shifting soil. In addition to pool construction, Russell Pool Company has a pool service division and operates a retail store.
Ever since we first met Lee and got to know him at a Tributary event, we knew we had to have him on to share what he knows. Lee talks with us about what it is like being in a multi-generation family business and the ups and downs that come with it. He also shares several business tactics that he has implemented since he became one of the owners. To this day, Lee still plumbs in their equipment sets and is very involved in the day to day operations of the business because he truly loves what he does. The Russell Pool Company story is a special one that deserves to be told and we are honored to share it with you all.
Show Notes
01:21 - Introduction to Lee Russell of Russell Pools
15:53 - Russell Pool Company was founded by Roy Russell in the mid 60's
17:58 - Building pools from a book
19:21 - Separating build from service
21:15 - Lee introduced to the family business
24:42 - Dad and Uncle roles in the business
30:17 - Louisiana conditions for building pools
38:16 - Old artifacts Lee brought to show us
44:19 - Grandfather knew the founder of PoolCorp
48:16 - Getting business degree from LSU
54:54 - Reality of what to do for a living kicks in
58:59 - Father relationships
01:01:48 - Leadership
01:11:17 - Only Two Grandsons
01:23:21 - First things done when taking over business
01:28:27 - Consultants come in
01:35:20 - Plumbing is favorite part
01:41:34 - We service what we build
01:44:12 - Exit strategy and planning for the future
“Back in the sixties, the baby boomers, a lot of kids run in the streets and if they had a pool in the backyard, they could kind of keep track of where everybody was. So in sixty four, they built their first pool. My grandfather said, hey, let’s do this. They work together. He built is and then they went around the corner, built his and then some folks kind of heard that they were doing that kind of work and started inquiring and it kind of just started from there.”
“He was a very good person working with his hands. He could build anything from a pitcher or from whatever. And he actually the story goes he went and got a book to learn how to build pools. I still have the book. It’s made by Jacuzzi brothers. I don’t know how much he used of it, how he used it. I still have it. But if you look through the book, it’s shows you different plans of different pools, different sizes, how to ploughmen, how to do your style schedules. And this was back in the 60s. I mean, you couldn’t Google or YouTube how to build a pool. So, I mean, I can only assume he went to the library and found a book and kind of went from there. ”
