Recently, Ray Salinas, Renovation Manager at Keith Zars Pools, was nominated as Most Valuable Player for the Pool and Spa News national Top 50 Builder Award.
“Every other year, we ask each Top 50 Builder to name one employee as their Most Valuable Player — the one person whose contribution had a profound impact on the company’s success,” Pool and Spa News.
As Ray celebrates 30 years with Keith Zars Pools, we would like to share the many reasons why his nomination is so special to our company and all those who have been a part of his professional journey.
Ray Salinas joined Keith Zars Pools 30 years ago. He began his career with our company working in New Residential Construction on the Deck Crew. Ray stood out because of his incredible work ethic and attention to detail. Ray was reassigned to different crews over the next 10 years to further his knowledge and expertise of the pool construction process. Eager to learn more, Ray began working for our Maintenance Department and soon transitioned to our Service Department. As Ray continued to show his leadership potential, his proficiency and talents soon solidified themselves at Keith Zars Pools. The time had arrived to use all of this experience and take Keith Zars Pools in a new direction.
Ray’s next endeavor at Keith Zars Pools would be starting what would be become our Renovation Department. After working in every facet of our company in some capacity, Ray had accumulated a wealth of experience. His unmatched skillset was the perfect fit for this new endeavor. With just one assistant, Ray started reaching out to individuals that needed pool repairs, whether the pools were Keith Zars Pools or pools built by another company. He realized the incredible potential in this untapped arena of quality pool repair, and soon he was hiring more staff, purchasing more equipment, adding trucks and trailers to the fleet, and building a dedicated office space for his team.
Today, the Renovation Department continues to grow at an average rate of 12% a year, employs two full-time crews, three full-time Sales Designers, a full-time Administrator, and two seasoned Field Supervisors. The hard work and dedication of the team, led by Ray, has made the Renovation Department a pivotal part of the success of Keith Zars Pools. With Renovation in-house crews that have been have a part of the Keith Zars family for many years, customers trust the quality and value brought to each project.
“These crews are hands on from the start of a pool renovation to the end of the renovation project,” says Ray Salinas, the Renovation Manager. “The amazing thing is that these skilled crews can do anything from prepping a pool for a re-plaster to simply retiling a pool.”
Seeing familiar faces is a testimony to the longevity of the team that Ray has assembled and brings more value and credibility to his department. His team adores him, his dedication to his customers and his scommitment to the vision of Keith Zars Pools.
“I am excited for what 2020 holds for our department! Our success would not be possible without my incredible team,” says Ray Salinas, “We have a culture that thrives on excellence and comradery. We all want Keith Zars Pools representing the best in the pool industry!”