"The Water is Calling" and it's calling you from 432 High Street West in Moose Jaw at Water Vision Pool & Spas where Owner/Operator Don McKenzie will meet and greet you with a smile.
McKenzie, a Moose Javian since 1986, has settled in with a growing business while surrounding himself with family and friends.
"I love this city. I've got kids and grandkids here and now I'm now a great-grandfather...I've been on a number of boards and volunteer for a number of things. Moose Jaw's just a very unique city," McKenzie said with a smile.
Water Vision Pool & Spas is in its 9th year of operation and McKenzie says it's been "quite a ride".
"Yes, from a little store that we opened up further down on High Street to where we are now. I have people come in and look around the store and say, 'Wow, we've never seen a store like this in Moose Jaw before, this is like a big-time operation'."
The current location gives McKenzie all the room he needs for the showroom which features a number of hot tubs and above-ground pools, lots of storage for all the accessories and chemicals you need to a large work area where tubs and pools can be built and serviced.
"We have three service technicians working full-time and three service trucks that are rolling all the time. We service all of southern Saskatchewan."
"I had had a hot tub and I thought, there could be a market for this. I did some research and got into it small-time at first but now I'm a big-time dealer, I guess," McKenzie laughed.
While the pandemic presented many challenges to many local businesses, McKenzie was pleased it didn't have a negative impact on his operation. In fact, it was the opposite.
"Yes, you hate to feed on somebody's misery but, for whatever reason, for the last few years, everybody wanted swimming pools and hot tubs. They were investing in their backyards because they couldn't go anywhere so they thought they'd make their own backyards their retreat."
McKenzie estimates he has sold over 200 hot tubs and around 30 pools.
"Hot tubs are our main bread and butter. This is what we do. Our guys are out there right now, servicing hot tubs, even in the winter, if you've got a problem, we go out and fix your hot tub."
McKenzie says if you're thinking about getting yourself a spa or pool, he has plenty in stock, including 14 above-ground pools.
"We can sell you a pool right away. They're top quality and Canadian made by Trevi. They are the best of the best. The pools are basically the same price as a hot tub...you get a gas furnace and a quality filtration system and you can get into these pools starting with the May long weekend and run them right through until October."
McKenzie also wants locals to know that Water Vision has expanded to include in-ground pools.
"We've got a technician, Trevor Olson, who was born and raised around this area and moved out to BC and worked out there for 25 years doing in-ground pools. He's trained. He knows how to do them from start to finish. He wanted to come back home and I hired him...so, if you want an in-ground pool, we can do it for you in just about any size you can think of from 12 by 24 right up to 18 by 33 or whatever size you want. We can get you into a pool for a fairly decent price," McKenzie said.
If you check out the website you can get your shopping started. The hot tub section features a number of makes and models with a number of options to choose from.
"On our floor right now, we have hot tubs starting at $10,000 and above ground pools start at around the same price. And these are complete units including your lids, your lid lifters, your steps, your chemicals and delivery right to your house. We also set it up for you and walk you through how to use it. It's the same with the above-ground pools - they come complete with your winter cover, your summer cover, ladders, pumps, heaters, sand filters - everything comes complete with a complete kit," McKenzie said.
Water Vision Pool & Spas is a local success story. While McKenzie started out all by himself, his customer base expanded over the first few years of operation and the need to expand his services and add three full-time employees would follow.
"We go all the way up to Yorkton and over to the Saskatchewan-Alberta border and all the way down to the Montana border. Our customer base is huge. We provide the service and because we do such a good job of it, the customers find us after that because it's word of mouth in these small towns. Fife Lake, for example, we have three hot tubs there and in the town of Coronach we have nine hot tubs. It's because they know that we can come down and service the hot tubs - we back up what we sell."
And, McKenzie wants to ensure potential customers that what he sells is top-of-the-line. 
"Our hot tubs are all made by Hydropool. They're out of Mississauga, Ontario. They've been in business for 46 years. Our swimming pools are from Trevi out of Montreal. They're the largest in the world when it comes to above-ground pools. They're also rated #1. Our chemicals come from Sani Marc and they're based out of Quebec...we buy quality Canadian products and pass on the savings to our customers”
"Our biggest thing has always been service. If you buy something from me, I want you to come back in through that door with a smile on your face and say, 'Hey, Don, my hot tub or my swimming pool is the best...thank you very much'," McKenzie said.
"We're 100% stocked...we have everything for you to get the season started."
"The Water is Calling" and it's calling from Water Vision Pool and Spas. Check them out online at watervisionpoolandspas.ca, call 306-972-9020 or better yet, drop in and have a look around at 432 High Street West in downtown Moose Jaw.
Sat, Apr 27, 12:15 AM
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