Happy Spring, Spring Lake!

My name is Jim Barry, the President of Polynesian Pool and Spa, having just taken over the business in July 2023. Polynesian Pool & Spa was established in 1971 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. We are a 3rd generation family business and sister companies with Viking Spas, a global hot tub company. We provide customer service, professional in-ground swimming pool construction and service, spa sales, service, and hot tub installation. We are full-service and can do weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly upkeep on your pool or spa whether it's building a new one from scratch and delivering a hot tub.

 

What inspired you to start your business and where are you from originally? Well, I wish I could say I started Polynesian Pool and Spa but I am 2 generations removed from the founder. I am from Michigan and have pretty much lived my whole life in Michigan, however, I started on the east side of the state and progressively moved West, living in the area here since 2000.

Walk us through the events that led you to where you are now-education, past careers, life-changing decisions, etc. I am a Michigan State Alumni and also got my MBA from Davenport University. This is the 4th business I have helped run and spent most of my life in marketing, sales, and operations. This is the second company I have held the President title.

Tell us about your family, spouse, kids, pets, etc. I have been married to my beautiful wife, Amy, for 25+ years (this past October) and we have three kids in College - so I need you to buy a spa or pool from me to offset those college tuitions, LOL! We also have 2 cats and a 4-year-old Golden Retriever.

Well, our most unique characteristic is the fact that we have been in business for 53+ years. No one else who has pools and hot tubs in the area can say that. It is very important to me to operate with integrity and build trust with our customers. Being seasonal, that can be challenging sometimes because a good percentage of the staff change from year to year, so there are always new faces and names for our customers, however, we now have an online system that will give a customer their "own portal" to view and see what we have done while servicing their pool or spa and we even can include pictures. We don’t claim to be perfect but we will do whatever we can to make it right and own up to it when something is not as expected - but we try as hard as we can to align and set expectations with every customer.

How is your business involved with the community? We support our communities by sponsoring baseball teams, service projects, and whatever we can. People make all the difference to our success - both our customers and employees. We are members of a few chambers, the Home Builders Association (HBA), and the National Pool & Hot Tub Alliance (PHTA) where we get our staff certified to perform their duties and we stay up on the latest trends for our industry.

Given your expertise, what advice can you offer to the residents of our community regarding your industry? First, if you want a hot tub or own one, we want you to use it! We will help you get the most out of it and it has wellness benefits for all ages. We want raving fans so we want to help (and there are saltwater tubs now) so ask us how we can help. Second, inground pool ownership can be easier than one thinks. One myth is it makes your house harder to sell. Not true, if it is done right with a quality company.  Polynesian Pool and Spa is full service and will bring all the components to the table if you desire a full ‘turnkey’ design (construction, landscaping, fencing, accessories).

We help you make memories with your family and friends that will last a lifetime and you can have a pool that you can use for 6 months (not 3) if you want one - just ask us how! Finally, we want you to get what you want. We aren't trying to sell you something but to help you get the backyard of your dreams. That is what you should look for in your pool and spa partner. We are not the least expensive, but we are not the most expensive and we want to help you make the best decision for your needs, even if it isn't us - while we hope we can show why it should be us, we just want you happy and informed before you invest in the products and services we offer.

We are very grateful to have been able to be in business as long as we have. That is a rarity these days. We are very thankful for all of our customers and employees that have helped make that happen and we look forward to servicing them every pool season. We always look forward to building new relationships too! As we like to say - we are your "pool partner for life" or as long as you own your home, and we have a few people we have sold 2-3 pools to and 3-4 hot tubs too, and repeat customers are AWESOME! 

It is great to see publications that support local communities and help them make connections with trusted resources because you don't know what you don't know right? STROLL Spring Lake helps change that and provides opportunities to get to know local businesses and people.