Swimming Pool Scene POOL PEOPLE
POOL PEOPLE: Tony Keogh Owner of Bespoke Swimming Pools
With unrivalled enthusiasm for his business and his projects, Tony Keogh believes looking after the smaller details, is what makes Bespoke Swimming Pools stand out from the crowd.
Tony oozes passion into every day of his pool work, so much so that he often is compared to a ‘mum with a new baby’…
Tell us about your career in the pool industry?
I am a third-generation pool builder so it’s something that I ‘literally’ got thrown into at a very young age. It’s all I have ever done or known which is lucky as I love what I do! I’ve been able to watch and learn from my elders’ mistakes to ensure Bespoke Swimming Pools never makes any.
How has the industry changed? There is a better choice of materials and products out there now and liner pools are becoming a much popular option as they are a lot cheaper than tiling a whole pool but look just as effective when fi nished. Tiles and transportation costs used to very expensive as a lot of the tiles were imported from Italy but now there are so many more UK suppliers, it makes things more affordable for people and easier for us.
What is the best part of your job? I love to see the transformation from either a piece of land or a wrecked, unused, unloved pool to something that can be enjoyed by all the family, and it’s got to be the kids’ faces when they get to jump in their pool for the fi rst time.
What projects are you currently working on? We are working on several projects at the moment; we have one in Chingford, Essex, which is a new infi nity edge pool with slatted cover, a refurbishment in Richmond, Surrey, and an indoor to outdoor pool refurbishment in West Kingsdown in Kent.
What have been the landmark moments of your career?
The things that stand out for me the most are winning overall winner of the residential pool refurbishment project of the year in 2016 at the UK Pool and Spa Awards. It was such a shock to win against some of the very large, best swimming pool builders in the country, it was such a huge thing for us to win. Also, we have been
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working hard on our social media and website and it’s been great receiving messages and enquiries and follows from celebrities which makes you feel proud that out of all the pool builders out there they have chosen Bespoke Swimming Pools, it’s a great feeling.
What is the best piece of advice you have been given? By whom? Growing up, my uncle always used to say to me, you can tell a lot from someone by the way they sweep up, give them a broom and if they get stuck in and sweep like their life depended on it they will be a valuable member of staff, give them a broom and they brush like they have all the time in the world, they will never be up to the standard you want. That’s always stuck with me when hiring new people and it has never let me down.
What are the main challenges facing the pool industry right now? We are fully booked up until August next year, so we are hoping it stays that way and our aim is to always stay a year booked up in advance.
What direction do you see the industry heading in?
I have done a few pools in the last year for clients that had small gardens and with the swim jet technology so you don’t need to have a 25m pool to swim up and down in to exercise you can just swim against the jets. So I am hoping people will realise it doesn’t matter what size your garden is or what your budget is we can make it work.
What are your hobbies and interests outside of work?
Snowboarding is certainly up there, I’ve been going to France with some friends for the past few years, and now the wives have got involved so we are all going in January which should be interesting! I’ve also recently purchased an old classic Mini which has brought back memories of my fi rst ever car and has been keeping me busy in the garage.
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