Sarah Bess, 33
Director of business development
Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida
With over a decade of experience in pool and home improvement financing, Sarah Bess has built her career on fostering strong partnerships and helping families bring their backyard dreams to life. She spent seven years at Lyon Financial as director of marketing and dealer services before joining Viking Capital, where she now serves as director of business development. She supports contractors nationwide by showing them how financing can help close more jobs, educate homeowners and make pool ownership more accessible.
For Bess, the pool industry is unique because it’s rooted in joy. “Our industry focuses on a fun family investment, where clients can make memories with their loved ones and add a space in their backyard to relax and wind down after a long day,” she says. She’s proud to work for a company like Viking Capital that values employees and promotes work-life balance, knowing that when employees are supported, clients benefit, too.
Bess takes pride in the everyday victories — like helping families secure approvals when they thought pool ownership was out of reach. “It’s always a win when a homeowner has been shopping around for financing, frustrated by the process, then comes to us and gets approved,” she says.
The financing sector is heavily influenced by economic shifts. Interest rate hikes, changes in underwriting and broader lending fluctuations often impact day-to-day operations. Bess tackles these challenges by leaning into clear, consistent communication — keeping builder partners and their clients informed, educated and supported every step of the way.
Bess envisions herself stepping into a senior leadership role in the future, such as vice president or C-suite, where she can continue mentoring others and sharing her industry expertise. She also hopes to advocate for higher standards in the industry. “I’d like to see state-mandated contractor licensing in states that don’t currently have requirements,” she says. “It would help weed out [unscrupulous] companies that leave jobs unfinished and cause harm to the industry.”
Bess and her husband are raising three sons — one in high school and twin first graders — who keep her busy with basketball, baseball and soccer. When she’s not cheering from the sidelines, she helps run the family’s side business, creating custom hats and shirts for local businesses in North Carolina.
