"The Shopper" had this to say...

When B.J. and Stacy Whitted got married in 1999, they expected to become a family. What the couple didn’t expect was to start a family business. But that’s exactly what happened when B.J. and Stacy decided to open Trident Pools of Chesapeake.

“We wanted to open a different kind of pool business,” B.J. recalls. “One that truly delivered quality pools without a lot of run around or pressure to the customer. We didn’t plan on the business involving pretty much the whole family and then some, but it does now and we’re very excited about the new shape our business has taken.”

In the beginning, B.J. was in charge of operations and the staff he directed consisted of a small number of talented people: Construction Manager Leo Rojas-Rivas and Stacy Whitted, general help and all-purpose laborer. Things didn’t stay that way for long. B.J., Leo and Stacy worked so hard to please their customers that Trident Pools quickly gained a reputation as one of the finest pool companies in the area.

If they were to maintain those words of praise, B.J. and Stacy knew more hands would be needed. But not just any set of hands would do. “We knew we had to grow quite a bit to continue to deliver a superior product and superb service to our customers,” B.J. explains. “But we didn’t want to lose the type of working relationships we had already established. We needed individuals who would fit into the Trident Pools family, so to speak. And that meant we had to be very selective.” And they were.

The first thing B.J. and Stacy did was move Stacy into B.J.’s position as Operations Manager. This gave B.J. more time to dedicate to new concepts, innovations, renovations and approaches to marketing. It also gave him the freedom to search for the perfect new family members. Because of Leo’s technical pool background and strong leadership abilities, B.J. turned to him for help in that area.

Immediately, Leo called on his father for assistance.

“I owe my professional work ethic to my dad,” Leo says with pride. “I knew he would make an excellent construction partner. He’s my best helper and everyone loves him.”

Papi, as everyone calls Leo’s dad, is always a favorite on the jobsite. Not only does he work harder than anyone except Leo (and that’s working hard), but he’s the one who makes the kids laugh and the adults relax as construction noises fill the air around them. Today, Leo oversees all pool construction, including older pool renovations, updates and pool repairs.

Joining Papi as a fairly recent newcomer to the Trident Pool family is Ian Jones, a specialist in new pool construction. In addition, B.J.’s daughter, Jessica, now handles overflow in the office and Stacy’s son, David, lends a helping hand whenever and wherever one is needed. But that’s not all. B.J.’s goddaughter’s husband, Branden Tatasciore, joined the business recently as the man in charge of pool maintenance and cleaning.

“We really are a family business these days,” Stacy says. “We may not all be related per se, but we work together as a close-knit family would because, like a real family, we all share the same goal. Everyone is committed to working hard to make things run smoothly and efficiently in order to make the customer happy.”

At Trident Pools they make it their business to know their customers and to be there for them. They pride themselves on their open lines of communication and their eagerness to be available to their clients at just about any time of the day. “The fact that we are a small pool business allows us to give each client VIP treatment,” says Leo. “We all know what’s going on at each pool at any time. And we can attend to each client in a personalized way whenever they have questions or concerns.”

Trident Pools’ unique family makeover has allowed them to expand their services to include not only new-pool construction but also pool renovation, repair, and maintenance. Although new-pool construction will always be a primary focus at Trident Pools, pool renovations and updates challenge and excite them as well.

“These days the extreme home revision includes the pool,”Stacy explains. “We really enjoy helping our clients redesign an existing pool and bring it back to life.”

Dr. Lynnette Young of Young Family Dentistry has been working with Trident Pools to revive her own older pool and the results have her completely thrilled.

“I’m having my 25-year-old pool completely rehabilitated by Trident Pools,” Dr. Young says. “I know it’s going to be wonderful because B.J. took me on a road tour to show me the work they’ve done on other older pools and it was all outstanding. I was very impressed. They’ve listened to my ideas and offered advice. I’ve no doubt I’ll be happy with the finished product because I’m happy with the people working so hard to create it.”

The friendly and hard-working people at Trident Pools pride themselves on building one quality pool at a time and on being this area’s Fort Wayne Sterling Strong Support Pool dealership.

“Fort Wayne is the top-of-the-line in terms of pool product development,” Stacy points out. “Because our products are supported by Fort Wayne, everything is joined together. From the liner to the stairs to the walls, the whole pool is a perfect fit and with that comes the backing of the largest pool company in the nation. We’re very proud to offer that to our clients.”

A few days ago, Trident Pool clients Karen and Renny Arnold received their “New Pool Owners’ Orientation” from B.J. After reviewing all the literature about their pool and going over chemical procedures and general maintenance with B.J., the Arnolds, without leaving their own back yard, were finally able to say to their four children, “Let’s go swimming!” They couldn’t be happier.

“We have two small children and two teenagers,” says Renny. “Our beautiful new pool is the one thing that really gets everyone together in one place to do something we really enjoy as a family.”

The group at Trident Pools understand what that means to the Arnolds. After all, they’re a family, too. And working together to make other families happy is what the Trident Pools’ family is all about.

Karen Beardslee Kwasny

BJ and his crew came to our house to do what they thought would be a simple liner replacement. Much to everyone's surprise we had a HORRIBLE ground water problem. The deep end of the pool, when drained, would be knee deep within an hour from the ground water. Needless to say it was a battle they didn't expect. As consummate professionals, they continued to tackle the problem until they got it right. Now we have a brand new liner. We are and continue to be very pleased with Trident Pools!

Aaron Bull

Now that summer is officially over and the pool parties are starting to wind down, Christine and I would like to let you know how pleased we have been with our recent experience with Trident Pools. From our initial meeting until project completion, we were impressed with your team's knowledge, efficiency and dedication to your business. Not only are we pleased with our new pool but equally as important, we have been extremely pleased and impressed with the entire business relationship and in particular, the work ethic of every worker that was onsite during the process. In particular, we would especially like to thank Ed and Leo (who both seemed to live in my backyard throughout the installation process and who are now #3 and #4 on my speed dial). The information Ed provided on what we were about to get involved with (including driving me around to see other pools); the process of how a pool is installed, the various added costs besides the actual pool, upkeep and the enjoyment we would get from the pool was both accurate and reassuring to us. Leo was invaluable in answering the many questions my wife and I had during the installation process. Additionally, with pool maintenance being something completely new for our household, Leo patiently educated us during his mini "pool school". In this day and time where the customer must be diligent to protect themselves, our experience with Trident Pools was indeed refreshing and rewarding. Certainly all jobs do not go perfectly and ours was no exception, however, that does not distract from what is a strong company dedicated to giving 100%. We will be proud and confident in recommending Trident Pools to others.

Jim & Christine Galoppa

Simply put, you can't find a better team of the knowledgeable and professional installer than that found in Trident Pools Inc. In less than two weeks, while the Trident crew worked in from sun-up to sun-down and in some pretty extreme heat, we had water in our pool! Initially we must admit that we were overwhelmed with the huge hole dug in our backyard but BJ and his team put us at ease. BJ and his team made the impossible look easy.

From the initial layout, construction to the final concrete work the Trident crew explained the process every step of the way. Additionally, they accommodated changes to include the placement of the pool equipment and additional electrical work. The crew made every effort possible not to disturb areas of the yard which expedited our opportunity to hose pool-side parties. Our friends who have had pools put in by other companies routinely say that they wish they had selected Trident Pools Inc. install their pools.

BJ transformed our backyard into an oasis that our family and friends will enjoy for years to come. Their attention to detail and most of all their honesty and remarkable customer service made it easy decision to have them service our pool each month. If you are looking to put a pool in look no further. Trident Pools Inc. has "broken the mold" on pool installation and pool service. We are so confident in them that they have our complete trust and confidence to bring any potential customer by to see our pool and speak with us about our experience.

Dan and Denise Burke

Awesome Job! - We made the right choice. Our main concern was that we definitely did not want to see a new face everyday during construction and find our questions and concerns lost among a bunch of random contractors - Your "One pool at a time" statement truly means something because we only saw the same people on site. Another thing we did not want was hodge podge of pool construction materials. There was no mixing of manufactured parts. All tolerances were true. As a matter of fact, all equipment from the pool panels to pumps to filtration was appropriately rated and designed and all came from top of the line manufactures. Your sales people aren't just sales people - they're subject matter experts. There were no short cuts anywhere.

Thanks for keeping your promises both written and verbal. We never truly expected this project to go as smooth and efficiently as you ensured it would. To our amazement (and our neighbors) it was two weeks from the first excavator shovel full to the first plunge into our pool. Actually, we were in the pool three days ahead of schedule! Even with us having to go out of town during construction you worked with our schedule and again kept your word with regard to specific construction tasks that we decided to allow to be continued while we were away.

Through out the construction the crew was attentive to maintaining a neat construction site and used great care in excavation so not to destroy the lawn unnecessarily - Big deal to me since it kept my wife happy. Nearly all of our neighbors who have had pools put in or have watched the construction of other pools were amazed at the speed and the site cleanliness.

Today Tropical Storm Ernest has dumped over 6 inches of rain into our pool. I had pumped some waste water earlier in the day, shut it off and then had to go to a meeting. When I returned I noticed the waste water was funning. A few minutes after I got home there was a knock on the door. Leo Rivas came by to let me know he had pumped some more water out because the level had risen while I was out.

I will continue to recommend Trident Pools, Inc. to anyone contemplating a pool. Thanks again for making it a great experience.

George Wilson

I just wanted to take the opportunity to thank you and your team for the awesome job you did on the construction of my pool. Your sincere concern and professional attitude during the endeavor is an extreme asset to your company's reputation. Your in-depth knowledge of the products we wanted for our pool and those we needed educating on, was tremendously helpful in making our decision to hire your company to install our pool.

We were very skeptical when you said you'd be in and out of our hair in two weeks. We simply couldn't believe that you were able to initiate construction and start filling the pool in that short of time frame. Your crew's care of my property was also greatly appreciated. I was so pleased with your intense perseverance to ensure my flowerbeds were unharmed by your equipment and staff. You made the construction phase of the project so painless. Your willingness to accommodate my changes in the location of the steps and buddy-seat in my pool and the positioning of the pool in my yard was appreciated very much. It is sometimes hard to visualize the final product until you've had a chance to see it outlined in the yard. I felt like you were sincerely concerned with my ultimate happiness with the finished product. So many other pool companies that we approached with this project simply put on the salesman's act of concern. The fact that you are involved with every aspect of the project form the initial contact through the final grading of my yard is such a great benefit to dealing with your company. It is nice to not have to be passed from one person to the next for each step of the project.

We are also extremely pleased with your continued service on our pool. Any issues we've had have been addressed in a timely manner - which, I understand is very rare in this industry. I've never had to repeatedly call you for service like some of my friends who deal with other pool companies. Your business ethic is a welcomed part of dealing with Trident Pools.

We highly recommend Trident Pools, Incorporated to anyone considering the installation of a pool. We would be glad to speak to any potential customers concerning our experience with you and your company. Anytime I hear of someone putting in a pool, I always tell them about your company. I just can't say enough good things. we have truly enjoyed our pool much more than we ever thought we would and a majority of that enjoyment comes from the uncomplicated and efficient construction of our dream pool. Our back yard is now the oasis we've always dreamed of. Thank you for putting such pleasure in our lives.

Kirsten and Mike McGinn