I am pleased to announce that Cactus Valley Pool Supply has been selected for the 2009 Best of Mesa Award in the Swimming Pool Chemicals & Equipment category by the US Commerce Association.

In recognition of your achievement, a 2009 Best of Mesa Award has been awarded to Cactus Valley Pool Supply. 

Each year, the US Commerce Association (USCA) identifies companies that have achieved exceptional success in their local community and business category. These are local companies that enhance the positive image of small business through service to their customers and to their local support to their community.

 Cactus Valley Pool Supply Opens a Store in Maricopa, Arizona, July, 2006
To serve the growing area of Maricopa, Cactus Valley Pool Supply has opened a store on John Wayne Parkway.  Aaron Hagen said that they had been looking at the rapidly growing area of Maricopa and had been watching it for some time.  The number of homes being built has created a need for a specialized pool supply store and Cactus Valley Pool Supply will fill that need. 

The Franchise Guys, Pool & Spa NEWS, June 5, 2006
David Hagen worked only a few months for Paddock Pools, Patios & Spas, based in Scottsdale, Ariz., before realizing he wanted to start his own business.  Upon hearing the plan, his twin brother, Aaron, was instantly on board.  Six years ago, they borrowed $1,000 from a buddy to buy a pole, a net and some chemicals.  Now they have four corporate stores and three franchises—and counting.

“If you give old-fashioned customer service, the customers will continue to come back,” Aaron said.  The 31 year-old brothers started their pool service company in1997.  They gained experience from watching and working with service pros.   “With one friend,” Aaron recalled,” we got free training, and she got someone to push the pole.”  To help publicize their fledgling business, they distributed flyers—and spread the word about their dedication to customer service.  In just two years, they had 250 accounts.

In April, 2000, Aaron and David opened their retail store, Cactus Valley Pool Supply, in Mesa, Ariz. It took off right away, and by 2002 they had two more in the works.  The first store was across the street from the No. 1-grossing Wal-Mart.  “The draw at the intersection was huge,” Aaron said.  From that point on, they made sure every store was in a prime location.

The Hagen brothers started selling franchises because they had a product that worked.  Their stores are scaled down to avoid spending money on extra warehouse space.  The largest outlet is only 1,400 square feet.  “Having our inventory streamlined made it a good business model for us,” Aaron said.  He and David also are careful to include an in-store “lab” for water testing in their store layouts.

“Every franchisee has been successful, and no one’s complained,” Aaron said.  “Perhaps it’s because the Hagens take the franchisee approval process seriously.  Noting that some prospective buyers have been turned away, Aaron said, “It’s important that the right people are wearing our hat.”

Once a new franchisee joins the team, he or she receives intensive training.  The Hagens note that their first franchisee did not know much about the pool business, yet things went so well that he’s gearing up to open a second store.

These days the brothers are concentrating on selling franchises.  David estimates they’ll have 10 or 11 stores by next summer.  The work is taxing, but they’re pleased with the results.  “Being the fastest-growing pool supply store chain is a lot of work, and we manage it well with the irreplaceable employees we have,” he said.  “We’ve got a good thing going.”

The Mesa Republic, May 26, 2006
In some respects, Aaron and David Hagen have been in the pool business since they were 5 years old, but now that business is bigger than ever.  The 30-year old twin brothers have expanded Cactus Valley Pool Supply, a pool-chemical-and supply company, consistently over the last decade, from a $1,000 loan to start a pool cleaning service in 1997, to a burgeoning business with three franchises this year. 

It's a journey that, in some ways, started for the Hagens when they began competitive swimming as youngsters, a career that culminated in a state championship at Mountain View High School, and recently entered a new phase with Cactus Valley's expansion to franchises around the valley.  "It was slow going at first," Aaron said about the brothers' start in the cleaning business, but after a few years they had several hundred clients and employees doing most of the backyard work.

"So we decided we're really not doing anything anymore, 'Do you want to try a retail store?' 'Sure.'" Aaron said.  "We still do pool service, and there are times when we pick up 45 customers in a month, but we're not banging the pavement anymore.  Now the Hagens let the customers do the traveling to Cactus Valley Pool Supply locations throughout the Valley, including two in Mesa.  But between scouting new locations and meeting with potential franchisees, the Hagen brothers don't spend as much time in the stores anymore.  That's not to say you'll never find them there. 

Each store is equipped with a camera system that allows employees to communicate about parts, for instance, or let management check in.  David happened to look in on a franchise store a couple of Sundays ago and realized they were short-staffed, so he hopped in his truck and finished the afternoon working alongside other employees.  That sort of diligence and attention to detail is part of the Hagen's recipe for success.

The stores' computerized water testing equipment is unique, reliable, and keeps customers coming back, Aaron said.  While some of their competitors have larger stores, Cactus Valley Pool Supply stores are smaller and can get daily deliveries of product instead of wasting retail space to warehouse product. 

When they're eyeing a busy street corner for a new location, they'll find out how many pools are located within a couple of miles, and then often charter a plane to take a bird's-eye view to confirm the numbers, Aaron said.  "There have been a lot of locations where it looks good, but we'll charter a plane and it shows it's not ready," he said.  And to Cactus Valley Pool Supply, location is everything.  It was a shock, Aaron admitted, to sign the first lease on a store for five years and hundreds of thousands of dollars in rent, but they quickly realized that location--across from the Wal-Mart on Baseline Road and Stapley Drive--was worth it.  "The busiest stores are Wal-Mart, and we knew instantly that that's the intersection we need to go," he said.  "We're not afraid to pay rent.  If you have to spend more money on advertising to drag them into an out-of-the-way place, it's not worth it."

And the Hagen brothers should know.  Neither went to business school, but both have learned a lifetime of valuable lessons on the job in the last nine years, a lesson that started with that $1,000 loan.  But you wouldn't know it by looking at them.  "People look at us when they come in and they don't ever believe that we're the owners," Aaron said.

The Phoenix Business Journal, May 5, 2006
Cactus Valley Pool Supply, a retail pool supply chain in Mesa, now is selling franchises to accelerate growth.  Co-owner David Hagen said he and his brother Aaron will sell four franchises this year. 

Cactus Valley Pool Supply Begins Offering Franchises, April 19, 2006
Cactus Valley Pool Supply, a fast-growing retail pool supply chain based in the East Valley, has begun selling franchises to accelerate growth.  Brothers David and Aaron Hagen began providing pool cleaning services in the Mesa/Chandler/Gilbert areas in 1997, and opened their first retail store in Gilbert in 2000.  For the past eight years David and Aaron have been building Cactus Valley Pool Supply to a six store retail chain.  Three stores were opened in 2005. 

“We plan to sell about four franchises this year,” said David Hagen.  “There are excellent sites available yet in the East Valley area as well as in the North, Central, and West Phoenix metro areas,” he added.  Aaron Hagen said that the franchise program will allow Cactus Valley Pool Supply to open stores more quickly than would be possible through company expansion alone.

Cactus Valley Pool Supply stores sell pool supplies, provide services and repairs to pool owners, carry approximately 8,000 items in stock, and have access to 100,000 items available from local distribution.