Noah Nehlich
39
CEO/founder
Structure Studios
StructureStudios.com
A homework assignment in 2001 inspired Noah Nehlich, then 19, to eventually build Pool Studio, software that fundamentally changed the way swimming pools are designed and presented. Through many ups and downs, which included investors threatening to walk away and close the company more than once, and Nehlich spending his last $1.18 at Taco Bell, Pool Studio eventually released in 2004. “It’s been an incredible journey, starting in my bedroom,” Nehlich says. “We’ve now built the industry standard pool-design software used by thousands and thousands of pool builders from around the world.”
The award-winning software not only includes options for landscape designers and outdoor living, but also virtual and augmented reality. Nehlich sees his company as playing a big part in helping the industry improve collaboration.
“We’ve seen a large shift in the pool industry in the last few years, where builders and designers are now more open than ever in sharing their design ideas and resources with other pool builders,” he says. “This is what it will take to progress and standardize, with the common goal of improving lives.”
Nehlich says he believes water is a center of family activity that creates incredible memories. “I see an industry that doesn’t simply build concrete and water,” he says, “but creates a hub for families, friends and neighbors.”
