Greg Bowers was mowing a customer’s grass in 1990 when he
was asked if he would like to interview for a job at a local
Pinch-A-Penny. Bowers showed up to the
interview, aced it, and was offered a job on the spot. The 19-year-old, at the time, accepted the
offer and eventually started working at the Pinch-A-Penny location in Orange
Park, Fl.
“I still might be cutting lawns if I didn’t take that job,”
said Bowers as he laughed. “When I
started, the owner had me doing simple things like filling the chlorine bottles
and testing water.”
Bowers proved to be an important asset for the company, as
he quickly became assistant general manager.
It wasn’t long for him to then become a store manager at the Orange Park
location.
When the owner of the Orange Park location was looking to
retire, it was Bowers who was asked to take it over.
“I went out and took a small business loan and bought the
store in 2001,” said Bowers. “I have absolutely no regrets about starting a
career in the swimming pool industry.
Not a single one. It was the best
thing to ever happen to my life and to my family.”
Hard work and a relentless work ethic powered Bowers to
climb the company ladder. Now, as a
franchise owner, he’s focused on coaching and mentoring the next generations of
pool professionals.
“My favorite part of owning the company is being the coach
and helping my employees achieve success,” said Bowers. “It’s really a great feeling to see my
employees achieve success in the role they’re in and most importantly, they’re
happy and enjoying the work. It’s really
similar to being a coach and it’s my favorite part.”
Bowers is currently an active FSPA member of the Northeast Florida Chapter. You can find him at a
majority of FSPA events and chapter meetings in his area.
“I truly feel at FSPA you get to network with the true
industry leaders, the guys and girls with great experience who aren’t afraid to
take on challenges in the industry and people you’re able to reach out to and
form a family-like bond with,” said Bowers.
“Any obstacles or challenges in business that you run into, you can rely
on other FSPA members to help guide you through them.”