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Meet Craig Jones of Carolina Blue Pools & Spas

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Craig Jones.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Craig. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Ever since I was a child, I have had a passion for helping animals and so, whatever work I did, I wanted to help them. While in college, I worked as a Veterinary Tech on weekends and also, as a janitor at nights. After getting my degree from ASU in Chemistry & Dietetics and then my MBA from GCU in Marketing, I decided starting my own business so that, I could give back to local animal groups and eventually start my own rescue was the way I could make the biggest impact.

So, I decided to start a pool company since it worked so well with my schooling. We started small so for a long time I had to unload trucks at night to help make ends meet but we have grown a lot and we are now able to use some of the profits that we make from our company to help give back to various local animal rescue groups. My father Bill Jones was an Air Force Pilot, so, in an effort to also help out the veterans that have given us so much, we partnered with Soldiers Best Friend which is a charity organization that trains service dogs for veterans suffering from PTSD. We also work with AZ Small Dog Rescue, as well as Boxer Luv in an effort to help as many animals and people as we can.

Our ultimate goal is to build the company to the point where we can start our very own non-profit animal rescue to provide homes for as many of the homeless animals we have living in the valley as possible. We plan to name the rescue in honor of my mother Nancy Jones, who is the one who blessed me with the passion for helping animals that I was born with and the name will be The Saint Francis De Assisi Animal Rescue.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It has been a very difficult journey, luckily, I was blessed with the most amazing family in the world that would never give up on me and my dreams. My mother blessed me with the compassion for animals that does not allow me to give up in my quest to help them at all costs.

My father showed me what a real work ethic was my entire life and instilled in me, the drive to bike 14 miles a day to and from my night job as a janitor while in school, as well as spending 8-10 hours a night unloading trucks during graduate school to make ends meet before my company was developed and grow to what it is today.

The support from them and my sister along with my incredible wife has blessed me with the ability to push on no matter what the obstacle and to always remember. I’m not doing this for me, I am doing this for them and all the homeless animals that are living the streets of Arizona and beyond.

As they say, without struggle there is no progress and we have to make ourselves uncomfortable in order to truly change for the better as people.

Carolina Blue Pools & Spas – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
We provide weekly/monthly service & repair for all pools and spas and all the equipment associated with them. We maintain the chemical balance that is needed to keep pools both looking, and functioning, properly. We also ensure the equipment is maintained in a way to help prevent the need for costly repairs.

What I feel separates us from all others is our customer service. When I studied the landscape of pool industries, I found that the customer service aspect was lacking across the board and so, it is our mission to ensure that all of our customers are kept up to date on what is going on with their pool/spa and also to make sure we are available to answer any and all questions as quickly as possible. We monitor our email daily and all of my customers have my direct line for anything they need.

In addition, we also care about our customers as people, and even make sure to check in on their pets & bring dog toys frequently for their many rescued pets. We also take time to stay and chat with customers when we are lucky enough to run into them and each month with invoices I personally give them a break down on how things are going and wish them well.

If a customer’s dog is outside when we visit, you can bet we are rubbing that little guy or girls belly before we leave.

What we are most proud of is the charity work we do, we have been so blessed to be able to help out the groups we do and can’t wait to do even more this year. Last year, we were able to sponsor a Golf Tournament for Soldiers Best Friend as well as a Clay Target shooting event at Ben Avery Shooting Range, and we can’t wait to do both events again this year!! Keep an eye out in the future for the St Francis De Assisi Animal Rescue as well!!

What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Success always starts with setting a goal, and ends when you complete that goal & set a new one. We are constantly setting new goals for ourselves & detailing plans to get there, as they say, “A goal without a plan is a wish” and the people in this company are not about wishing, we are about doing.

The ultimate goal for us is always going to be setting up St. Francis De Assisi Animal Rescue here in Arizona to honor my mother and we will not stop until we do that. Then, it’s time to start working on setting up another one to house even more animals who need loving homes!!

The most important part of the plan to get there? Keep our customers happy! They are the people that make accomplishing our goals possible!

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Getting in touch: VoyagePhoenix is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.

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