membership
The Benefits of Bringing People Together
How gathering with people and sharing ideas help 2024 PHTA Board of Directors member Mike Church grow Cody Pools
Success can’t be achieved alone. This is a lesson Cody Pools president and CEO Mike Church has lived.
Church bought the Round Rock, Texas-based pool builder in 2003. Since then, Cody Pools has grown from two locations in the greater Austin area to 16 locations across Texas, Arizona, and Florida and currently makes around $340 million a year in revenue. The company has won several design awards and has been named the number one pool builder in the United States by Pool and Spa News each year since 2013.
Church has worked hard to earn this success. However, he also attributes much of Cody Pools’ growth to his willingness to collaborate with others in the industry.
“I think that’s why I’ve done so well personally — I didn’t mind sharing business practices,” said Church. “I don’t treat other pool builders like competition. I feel this business philosophy can help the entire industry.”
The more those in the pool industry share ideas, the better ideas they’ll have and the better off they’ll be. This philosophy, along with Church’s desire to contribute to the industry, inspired him to join the PHTA Board of Directors this year. In his experience, bringing ideas and people together can be a powerful asset.
Sharing what you learn
When Church purchased Cody Pools in 2003, he had no experience in the pool industry. He discovered Cody Pools through an acquaintance a few years after moving to Austin from Houston, where he had run and sold an oil field equipment manufacturer. When he learned the small pool builder was looking to sell, his interest piqued.
“I thought, ‘Well, maybe there’s an opportunity here,’” he said. “I had a couple of pools built, but I didn’t know anything about the pool industry. It was easy to get research and start attending different trade show classes. So, I was just learning from the business as I dove into it.”
"I think that’s why I’ve done so well... I don’t treat other pool builders like competition. I feel this business philosophy can help the entire industry."
- Mike Church
Over several years, Cody Pools grew organically and opened additional locations after taking on high-end pool builds and earning referrals that opened new markets throughout Texas. The company made its first acquisition in 2018, with the purchase of Tampa, Florida-based Challenger Pools.
In 2021, Church purchased two more businesses — Houston-based Platinum Pools and Phoenix, Arizona-based California Pools & Landscape — followed by the 2023 purchase of Orlando, Florida-based American Pools & Spas. These acquisitions came to fruition with the help of his industry involvement.
“These companies were friends from the industry,” he said, explaining he was able to make many connections through multiple conferences and associations he participated in.
However, his most meaningful connections came about when he began sharing his expertise in business operations, including business strategies and the tactics that create value for his customers.
“I was always forthcoming about how we do business to the other pool builders,” he said. “Then we started building relationships and trust and sharing more about how we run our business.”
This approach to networking created the connections for Cody Pools’ acquisitions and provided Church with a unique understanding of how those businesses operated prior to buying.
Letting people lead
The primary challenge in integrating Cody Pools’ acquired pool businesses was aligning all companies to the same operations and accounting systems. For Church, unifying personnel was easier.
“When it comes to the day-to-day, there’s more on the plate for everybody,” said Church. “But I have strong people underneath in every position.”
Cody Pools’ management was well-equipped to take on all the changes that came with the acquisitions. Having reliable managers gave Church the ability to delegate.
In 2023, Church appointed three presidents to lead each of the three states Cody Pools operates in — Texas, Florida, and Arizona. Each president operates with several managers underneath them and reports to Church. The new structure was beneficial to Church’s workload and the company’s operational efficiency.
“If you want to expand, you’re going to have to turn loose and give everybody else more responsibility,” said Church. “If you let others make critical decisions, the company can get more employees and managers, and the decisions can be made in a timely way.”
"If you want to expand, you’re going to have to turn loose and give everybody else more responsibility."
- Mike Church
Foster a family culture
Cody Pools’ expansion has also been aided by strong employee tenure. When employees are happy and morale is high, they want to stick around. Church attributes much of this to regular company-wide events and activities.
“Our culture is incredibly strong, even though we’re as big as we are,” he said. “We host a lot of functions throughout the year, and it’s neat stuff.”
Here are some examples of events Cody Pools hosts:
- Each year begins with a sales conference and construction conference. The three-day events gather all sales or construction personnel to one location where they can share best practices.
- Cody Pools holds an annual weekend-long Celebration Party for employees and their families at a fun location like a water park (and gives everybody the following Monday off).
- Golf tournament fundraisers often raise around $100,000. The selected charity typically supports an employee going through a tough time.
- Countless departmental and regional events
The events provide employees with opportunities for team building and bonding. Sometimes friendships form between employees from different cities. According to Church, the events are “an expense, but a much-needed expense.”
In essence, Church’s journey with Cody Pools serves as a testament to the transformative power of collaboration and camaraderie.
