“Wow, 60 years. I guess that’s quite an achievement these days. I think it’s a strange mix between pride and a bit of pressure, to be honest. Like, third generation, you know. But no, we’ve grown the business and we’ve established a really good team. And yeah, so 60 years, and I think we’re still going strong.
Yeah, there’s been a lot of pools over the years when you think about it. I think the fact that each job is different and has its own challenges and unique [elements] keeps you interested. And the technical aspects of pools have got a lot harder in recent years, and it keeps you driven to adapt to new things, bringing new technology, because if you’re doing the same thing day in, day out, you get bored.
Initially, the focus was always on building good backyard pools, but it was a simpler time. It was a simpler business. Now I think the major changes are that we brought everything in-house, so we’ve got a fully integrated business from design and engineering office right through to steel fixers, tilers, plumbers, all in-house, and that allows us to control the process better and train. So that’s probably one of the biggest changes. Along with all those in-house teams, the size of the business grew, and so you have to have better systems and better management.
So why do we focus on commercial as well as domestic? I would say there was a natural fit because we have our own staff, and most of the industry is subcontractor-orientated. It doesn’t fit well within commercial. It’s a very regimented and a very regulated area, and relying on contractors to have that degree of compliance is hard. The scale of the projects also suits, because we have big teams, we can move into those projects and still get them done effectively. And honestly, you get to play with big toys. I mean, it’s big pipes, big pumps. I love it.
Well, obviously with growth comes challenges. You have to have better systems, better management, and also, the more people, the more you have to concentrate on culture and make sure everyone sees your vision and has the same drive for quality. I’m proud of our teams because they, as a whole, have kept that same attention [to detail]. Whether it’s a large commercial or domestic [project], they still care about the end product.
Will there be four generations of Fells building pools? Well, my daughter is doing an apprenticeship as a plumber at the moment. Not in the pool industry — she’s doing general plumbing — and she’s certainly got the work ethic for it. But she’s loving what she’s doing at the moment, so I guess time will tell.
It’s been 60 years of hard work, blood, sweat and tears. Sleepless nights. But then it’s been rewarding as well. We’ve built tons of beautiful pools and we’re working for clients — and now kids of clients, repeat clients. So I guess there’s a sense of pride in the legacy that we’ve been able to create within the business.”
