INDUSTRY PROFILE BY KRISTINE ARCHER HOLLANDIA POOLS & SPAS CELEBRATING 60 YEARS IN THE POOL AND HOT TUB INDUSTRY The management and staff of Hollandia Pools & Spas. Photos courtesy Hollandia Pools & Spas W hen Hollandia Pools & Spas first opened for business 60 years ago, pools weren’t even part of the picture. Founder John Guldemond started the company as a landscaping firm called Hollandia Gardens. It wasn’t until a few years later, when pool requests started coming in, that Guldemond expanded into the industry that would make his London, Ont., company a lasting success. ALL IN THE FAMILY The pool industry treated Guldemond well; at one point, the entrepreneur even opened his own fibreglass mould fabrication plant to support demand. After the plant was destroyed in a fire, however, Guldemond decided to switch focus to concrete pools, taking on both residential and commercial projects. Current co-owners, Ed Spitters and Walter Schmoll, got involved in the business by way of their connection with Guildemond—each married one of the founder’s daughters. Spitters, who spent several years working shifts at Labbatt’s, made the move after a fateful phone call from Guldemond and Schmoll (the latter had already started working with Hollandia). “In 1985, they called me and asked if I wanted to come into the business,” Spitters says. “I thought ‘Shift work is going to kill me,’ so I made the jump—and 25 years later, I’m still here.” THE MORE THINGS CHANGE In addition to its design and service offerings, Hollandia maintains a modest 465-m2 (5,000-sf ) retail space, where it showcases its hot tub and eco-friendly line of pool chemicals. While the physical location has not changed much in the last several decades, Spitters says Hollandia has grown in leaps and bounds. Several new staff positions have been added over the years, including an inventory manager and service manager. The company’s vehicle fleet has grown to include more than 20 trucks, eight of them dedicated to service along with several 52 ■ Pool & Spa Marketing ■ January 2010 PSM_JAN10.indd 52 12/30/09 8:40:26 AM