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Dar-Lyn Pools and Spas marks 35 years in business |
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Owner Harold Maurer with Kincardine store employees Corey and Ann Newman Harold Maurer had not planned to get into the pool business. He was working with his father, Wilson, at Maurer Contracting Co. Ltd., when he bought the family business in 1973. About the same time, he received a postcard in the mail about becoming a pool dealer. "I figured I could buy a pool at cost, get it installed and then get out of the business," says Maurer. However, once he discovered how things worked, he decided to try it out for a year. "That first year, we put in pools for Bill MacTavish and Bob Innes and the following year, we had four pools to install," says Maurer. "We were still doing the contracting work." They kept both companies going until 1982 when Maurer decided there was more money in the pool business. He put 100 per cent of his effort into that work and it has paid off with the success of Dar-Lyn Pools and Spas. The company has seen some difficult years, mainly at the end of the 1980s, but since 2000, sales have improved to almost $2 million at the end of last year. Maurer credits his staff for that success. Ann Newman has worked at the Kincardine store for 10 years and her daughter, Corey, has worked there a year. His first employee in the store was Fran Boulton, and then Judy MacLeod worked there for 22 years. At the start, he did most of the installation work himself but now has five employees in the field. The Owen Sound store opened April 1, 2004
The Owen Sound Store
Donna Flanigan, Manager of Owen Sound's Dar-Lyn location
Donna Flanigan has been part of the Dar-Lyn team since the company
expanded into Owen Sound. With years of previous experience in the spa
industry, she took over management of the location and has watched it
grow. 14/01/2010 09:08 PM |
Spas, hot tubs and accessories are available at Dar-Lyn Pools Maurer says he came by the Owen Sound business basically because a pool chemical dealer was looking for someone to sell his product. "We sell Mursatt Chemicals (in Kincardine)," he says. "Pools Plus in Owen Sound also sold Mursatt Chemicals, but the pool company went into receivership. The Mursatt dealer was looking for a place to sell his product, so Dar-Lyn Pools and Spas expanded into Owen Sound."
Picture yourself in a Sunrise Spa from Dar-Lyn Pools The name of Maurer's business stems from his family: his son Darren, daughter Darcie Lyn, and wife Lynda. He dealt strictly in pools until 1992 when he expanded into spas and hot tubs, with all the accessories. The business has always been located on Queen Street, at the north end of the downtown section. It has expanded to meet the demand over the years and in 2003, Maurer bought the building. Dar-Lyn Pools and Spas now serves a large area, from Goderich to Tobermory, and inland to Meaford, Mount Forest, Listowel and the Beaver Valley. Maurer has also operated a snow-clearing business for 40 years, and has a fleet of nine vehicles which operate every day it snows.
Check out the many accessories available
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