The Texas-based pool builder sets the standard for successful acquisitions and mergers  

Gold Medal Pools CEO Josh Sandler wasn’t born into industry royalty. In fact, the company that now boasts over 200 employees began with just four people back in 1997. Sandler’s father, Steve, spent several decades as an owner in another pool design and construction firm before launching Gold Medal, experience that helped shape the vision and foundation of what would become one of the industry’s most respected brands.

But it was his desire to spend more time with his daughter that led him to reconsider his path.Since there were no free rides or silver spoons, Sandler began his journey in the industry as a teen doing bare-bones labor in the 1990s. 

“I’m a pool guy — I started off building pools sitting on a Track-O every day,” Sandler says. “So, I understand how the business works; I understand everything we do. Everything we ask our people to do I’ve done with my own hands over decades.” 

As the company’s sterling reputation soared, so did its capabilities. Eventually, its commercial construction arm became saturated with projects that welcomed star-studded clients like the Dallas Cowboys, Crystal Lagoon at Windsong Ranch and the water features at Grandscape, one of the largest mixed-use developments in the country. 

Today, Gold Medal Pools ranks among the largest companies in the industry — and it’s still gaining momentum. With private equity support, the company has acquired more than 25 pool service, construction and maintenance outfits within five years. 

Sandler notes the decision to acquire similar businesses was a strategic legacy planning tool to give financial freedom to Gold Medal’s founders.  

“It was an opportunity to plan our family’s legacy, both financially and into retirement, because a lot of times you can build successful businesses, but they are capital intensive,” he explains. “So, it’s taking the original folks who were part of it and giving them liquidity that they deserve for their years of hard work.”   

Thoughtful conversations are key 

If the thought of selling or merging your pool service company with another makes your toes curl, you’re not alone. 

“When I heard things like ‘private equity’ or ‘acquisition’ or ‘sale,’ it made me nervous,” Sandler admits. “I thought of these sharp-elbow Wall Street folks coming in, and I just didn’t feel comfortable with it.”

However, Sandler says he now realizes it’s important to keep an open mind if there is an opportunity that may be a good fit for your company. Now that Gold Medal is one of those companies that has rounded the corner to financial stability, he has set his sights on giving back to the industry.  

“Our mission is to professionalize the industry that has been so good to us for so many years,” he says. 

To do this, Sandler says, Gold Medal brings each acquired company into the fold one layer at a time, beginning with embracing the employees who ultimately take care of the customers. 

“The employees have to come first,” Sandler says. “We want to give them a place where they can grow, earn for their family and develop personally and professionally. If you treat your employees like family, you’ll have an environment that’s a giving culture, and if you have that, you can take great care of customers.”

One by one, pain points and roadblocks are examined and eliminated, paving the way for cohesion to ensure quality customer service and employee satisfaction. The intent, Sandler points out, is not to dismantle smaller operations through acquisition but to give them more to work with. 

“Just because you sell your business doesn’t mean you’re out of business; I’ve sold ours several times, and I’m still CEO and one of the largest investors in the business,” he says. “In terms of a sale, you can hang it up and ride off into the sunset if you want. But you also can be part of a bigger platform of pool professionals who understand the business and are truly committed to making the quality of life better.”

A new era for the industry 

Looking ahead, Sandler doesn’t intend to sit back and talk about change in the industry — he wants to incite it. He looks to innovations in technology and frank conversations with partners as ways to help “level-set the market.” 

“It’s up to us as business owners to find ways to lower our cost to serve because we can’t just continue to pass that along to homeowners,” he says. “So every day, as we innovate, we’re thinking about processes and technology as ways to give the same or better level of service to our clients — all the while lowering our cost to serve. Just because we’ve done it for 30 or 50 years a certain way and been successful at it, does not mean that it is the best way going forward.” 

Though Sandler bills himself as a regular “pool guy” at heart, he exudes passion that puts Gold Medal at the forefront of pool construction and service companies. His growing network of affiliates suggests that others want to ride into a new era of the industry with the company. Exactly how many is yet to be determined, and Sandler remains coy. 

“There’s a good chance you’re going to see us in a neighborhood near you in the coming months and years,” he says.