Keith Zars – One on One with Pool Magazine

For Keith Zars, building pools is in the blood. The veteran pool builder has been a fixture in the San Antonio market for a generation and has established his firm as one of the leading pool construction companies in the industry. Consequently, the award-winning pool firm that bears his name, Keith Zars Pools, has remained a constant for high-quality pool construction in the Alamo City.

Recently, we had the chance to catch up with Keith Zars on the Pool Magazine podcast. We took the opportunity to discuss what’s made them so successful and take a look at one of their latest beautiful backyard custom pool projects which has already begun turning heads on social media.

Pool Magazine Q&A With Keith Zars

PM (Pool Magazine): Keith, your business has been going strong in the San Antonio market since 1985, is that right?

KZ (Keith Zars): Yes, exactly. Well, it wasn’t that strong in 85, but it is now.

PM: Well, what first inspired you to start your pool company and how’d you get going?

KZ: I’ve been in the business since I was like ten years old. My mom started a pool company, Gary Pools, and I worked there until ’85. So I’ve been in the industry a while.

PM: You’ve had your share of obstacles over the years, establishing yourself as one of the top builders in your local area. What would you say are some of the biggest challenges you faced as a business owner in the pool industry?

KZ: I’d say my biggest challenge right now is hiring people with the same company culture that we have now. Trying to indoctrinate them is difficult, especially as you hire in the upper end, which is what I’m trying to do at this point. At 78 years old, I’m trying to pass the torch as much as possible.

PM: What is it you’re looking for, people who have the right heart condition or people who have the right experience?

KZ: Yeah, experience is always good, but I’ve got three full-time landscape architects on staff and they do most of the actual design. I’d say what’s more important is if they have a positive attitude and willingness to help others. It’s a team sport. We’re basically looking for people that have great sales ability.

PM: Well, certainly pool design has changed since you first started in 1985. How does your firm stay up to date with the latest design trends and technological advancements?

KZ: I actually try to go outside the industry. I’m always looking at home magazines and things of that nature style. Looking at what new home-building styles are emerging. Of course, you look at pools that are being built, too, but I’d say I probably get more inspiration from others than the pool industry itself.

I would say traveling isn’t bad because you get to see how things are built in different parts of the country. But your various magazines that represent a lifestyle, I would say, are probably what I probably look at the most as it equates to what inspires my design process.

PM: You’ve been very successful at establishing Keith Zars as the premier name in the San Antonio market. What advice would you give to someone who’s just starting a pool business going in 2023?

KZ: Narrow your focus to a certain type of market and product. Especially when you start. You can’t be everything to everybody so you need to figure out what your strengths are. That’s important – knowing what your personal strengths are, what you’re selling, and how you’re presenting yourself.

I’ve also found that it’s hard to grow by more than about 10% a year because of cash flow and things of that nature. You don’t want to stretch yourself too thin, and you got to keep control of what’s happening each year.

PM: Is it a different strategy being a luxury builder as opposed to being a production pool builder?

KZ: Yes, I think that’s somewhat true. There’s nothing wrong with being a production builder. They’re trying to control costs, quality, and things of that nature by building a reputation on a mass production item. Our vision is a little different. We’re in the higher-end market, but you still have to go through a lot of the same routines to get to where you’re trying to go either way.

PM: What would you say are some of the other things that set you apart from other builders in your market?

KZ: I’d say, for one thing, we’ve got, like, 525 employees. It’s hard to have high quality and attention to detail if you’re running different subcontractors. If you’re running it in-house like we do, I feel you can accomplish it a lot better because you want to train the crews on what’s expected of them and how to perform. My customers all know what to expect from us, so we’re almost obligated to perform at a higher standard.

PM: How do you ensure customer satisfaction throughout the entire pool-building process?

KZ: Well, I’d say that for one thing, and you wouldn’t think this, but it’s our payment schedule. We don’t collect the final payment until you’re 100% satisfied. So that puts the burden of proof back on us as a company to perform. We know we have to perform to meet that customer’s expectations.

PM: Well, you’ve certainly established a name for most of the high-end custom luxury pools being built in the San Antonio market. We saw some sneak peeks of one of your latest projects and the photos look incredible. What can you tell us about this pool?

KZ: It was actually a very complex pool, but we wanted it to be done in a very simple way, so it reflected the landscaping and the vision of the homeowner. That pool is more like a piece of art. It’s not as practical as it could be, but we accomplished what the client wanted.

The pool is right on the Pedernales River, and the existing landscaping, we tried to keep intact as much as possible. It’s like a piece of jewelry sticking out there in the middle of the Hill Country.

The vanishing edge all the way around looked really beautiful and gave a nice reflective quality. Then you had the spillover on the far side, so there’s a vanishing edge and a trough on three sides, and then the spillway on the far side, but all of it hooked up together at the bottom.

I love the way we were able to maintain the view and the house. We looked at the house and the architecture of the pool and tried to combine the feel of both. I thought we did a good job on that.

Listen to our entire conversation with Keith Zars on the Pool Magazine podcast.