Mud Run for M.S. 2010

Thank you to the PBJC Allstar team which participated in the 2010 Mud run!

Joel Hartman, Judson Clarkson, Jeremy Calloway, Joshua Clarkson, and Jordan Clarkson each completed the 10K obstacle course and in the process raised money to support the M.S. Society of Northeast Florida.

To see additional pictures please visit Pools by John Clarkson on facebook.

Thank you again to all who supported the team.

 

 

PBJC Story - 20th Anniversary!

As Pools by John Clarkson celebrates our 20th Anniversary, we wanted to let everyone know how it all began:

The PBJC Story
Imagine…you, the president of a respected company-a company you've spent over twenty years working your way up-now earning a six-figure salary and enjoying great job security. You are in your low forties with a lovely wife and three young children, all of whom depend on you as the financial provider. Would you have the courage to walk away from the company? The position? The money? Would you have the courage to leave the security and start all over?
In 1989, John Clarkson left his employer and his well-earned security for a humble office space backed by his family's life savings. That winter, on the heels of financial uncertainty, Pools by John Clarkson (PBJC) opened for business.
"I didn't have money for advertising. All I had was my name and my reputation-and I worked hard to maintain both. I tried to listen to the customer and guide each individual through the pool construction process, from the design to the startup and all the construction in between. This way of doing business became the foundation for the company and has led to an excellent referral base-which I am proud to say we enjoy to this day."- John Clarkson, President and Founder of PBJC

Aquatech Conference 2010

At Pools by John Clarkson, we look forward to the annual Aquatech conference as an opportunity to network with fellow builders from across the nation, attend seminars and prepare for the year to come. This year added another level of excitement as we traveled to Vancouver and Whistler Canada - site of the 2010 Winter Olympics!

Now that we have returned, we wanted to provide an update from the conference:
1) Aquatech's new consumer web-site is ready to launch! http://www.aquatechpools.com/ has been re-designed to focus on future and current pool owners' needs. Articles, recipes, pictures, builder profiles, and so much more are the focus of the new site.
2) Jacksonville Pool builder PBJC was honored with 2 Gold awards for new construction; 1 Silver for new construction with Artificial Rock; 1 Gold award for Renovation; and another for the category "Fun with your Pool." (See future blogs for more.)
3) We learned a lot discussing designs, construction techniques, and new technologies with fellow pool builders. The best session is simply known as "Best of/Worst of," and was reintroduced this year. Basically we go around a room with ~50 other builders and everyone discusses their best and worst decision of the past year.
To summarize, check out the new Aquatech website and stay tuned for the Award winning pictures.
Remember to follow us on Facebook and you can always request a Free Idea CD.

October Pools of the Month

We received an email this week from Pool & Spa Living (a leading industry and consumer focused magazine and website.) The e-mail informed us that they have a new section on their website which features ~10 pool pictures as "Pools of the Month;" and that one of ours was chosen!
PBJC feels honored to be included with the other beautiful pools / great pool builders.

Check it out at Pool & Spa Living.

Fall is the time to Build

If we put together a list of Frequently Asked Questions; one would have to be "What is the best time of year to build a pool?"

All businesses have cycles - both yearly and over the life of the company. For pool builders, we have now entered our less crazy time of the year. There are both postives and negatives with these cycles:
Positive: we go on vacation; we can spend time with our family over the holidays.
Negative: Not as many people want us building a pool during this time of year > even though it is the best point of the year for construction.

Some may question that statement, but there are a number of reasons we at PBJC can make that statement; here are 3:

1) In Jacksonville, this is our dry season = less delays.
2) Most manufacturers and subcontractors raise their prices 1 January for the new year = still get this year's pricing.
3) Temperate climate (60's - 70's) during the day = more efficient and more timely work.

At Pools by John Clarkson, we are a year round operation; so give us a call or request a Free CD!

PBJC's Pool makes appearence on MTV

Seeing a friend or family member on TV (for the right reason) can give one a sense of pride and excitment.

At PBJC, we felt this way as one of our projects appeared in an episode of MTV Teen Cribs. If you are interested it seeing, the link will take you to a top 15 episode in which "KJ's resort style pool . . ." earned 2nd place. The backyard is featured approximately 49 minutes into the episode.

For this Jacksonville swimming pool builder, it was fun to see!

Aquatech Honors Jacksonville Pool Builder

During its 2009 annual convention, Aquatech announced the highly anticipated Design Awards. Pools by John Clarkson was honored to receive 3!

The first award was a Silver for a pool designed by Joel Hartman. The category was traditional design; and this vanishing edge swimming pool is a show stopper for sure.

The second Honor came from a pool which was a joint project from Jordan Clarkson and Joel Hartman. The category was Concrete Spa and this picture won Gold! The design is a simple perimeter overflow with glass 1" x 1" tile. At night the reflection of the color pool lights gives the spa a beautiful cobalt hue; and the photographer, Ben Brewer, framed the shot perfectly.Along with the obvious excitement about the Award; we were blown away when we received a letter from the Architectural Review Committee for this neighborhood thanking the homeowner and PBJC for setting a high standard for the neighborhood. These type of letters are few and far between and it was a honor to receive.

The third Award was in the renovation category, designed by our specialist Kevin Chung. We refer to this as a "true" renovation, because the pool and spa remained the same in structure - there was only a change in materials, equipment and safety features. Visit our website or our facebook page to see before pictures.
Congratulations to all our designers on the hard earned recognition!