When Blake and Deb Loke moved to a home on acreage near Montgomery in 2018, they planned to do their own swimming pool maintenance. They quickly discovered, however, there were many other tasks that demanded their attention. “We had all of these big plans, and it quickly got overwhelming,” Deb says. So, Blake looked online and contacted Geddy Baker, who came to the Loke home. “He was so personable,” Deb says. “They had just started their business, and it was a perfect fit for us.”

Blake and Deb are still customers of Journey Pool Services today, and they have recommended the company to several neighbors. They have found Geddy and his team do much more than “Throw chlorine tablets in the pool,” Deb says; they thoroughly clean and maintain it, and also keep a watchful eye on the pool’s mechanical components. They helped winterize the pool during the deep freeze of 2021, and on another occasion, they averted a disaster by noticing a leak that was hidden beneath a decorative rock. They even helped clean up the mess—without complaining—when Blake and Deb’s two ducks decided they preferred the swimming pool to the nearby pond.

Pooling resources

Krystal, who has lived in Montgomery since she was 10 years old, worked for years as a property manager. Meanwhile, Geddy came to Texas to find work in the oilfields. In 2008, however, Geddy, along with 90 percent of his company’s workforce, was suddenly without a job.

“I had a lot of plumbing experience and nothing to do with it,” Geddy says, so he began to explore the idea of maintaining swimming pools. He found a job with ABA Pools, and is thankful the owner of the business, Alex Stringfellow, mentored him.

Geddy and Krystal, however, liked the idea of working for themselves. They envisioned a company that would allow them to connect with their customers and provide honest, reasonably-priced services, and they knew a pool service company would have manageable start-up costs and overhead. “We thought, ‘Why don’t we take his knowledge and my knowledge and put it together to do our own thing?’” Krystal says.

In 2017, Krystal mentioned to a group of people that she and Geddy were thinking about starting their own company. A few days later, one of them contacted Krystal. She had discovered an acquaintance who owned a small pool service company and was considering selling the business. Would Geddy and Krystal be interested?

Geddy and Krystal had been saving their money, but were thankful for additional funds in the form of a loan from the grandfather of Krystal’s high school friend, Jerry Hoffpaur. “The only thing he asked was for us to work hard and be successful, and of course we paid him back in full,” Krystal says. “He has passed now, but we hope he was proud of his investment in us.”

The couple purchased the small company and began doing business as Tex Haven Pools, inheriting about 12 clients. “We still have over half of those customers today,” Krystal says. They also began finding other customers, while Geddy, who still had another full-time job, coached Krystal on the proper techniques of pool cleaning and maintenance. The hardest part for Krystal was cleaning out skimmer baskets, which always seemed to have wolf spiders in them, Geddy says with a chuckle. (Over the years, Geddy and Krystal have found frogs, rats, turtles, and lots of snakes—usually venomous—in their customers’ pools. Once Krystal rescued two baby squirrels. On another occasion, Geddy found a dead bat in a pool. Barbie dolls are not a rare find, either.)

A new Journey

Everything changed, however, in 2019. Krystal was riding with Geddy’s brother Kyle Baker on his motorcycle for a short jaunt when they were struck by a vehicle driven by an intoxicated driver. Both Krystal and Kyle were seriously injured, and Krystal was hospitalized for several weeks before having to endure months of physical therapy. During this time, Geddy balanced his full-time job with Krystal’s duties as pool technician, working about 90 hours in a typical week. Geddy realized something had to go and decided it was time to focus solely on growing their business.

Another major event occurred the following year, but this time, it was a happy one. To their surprise, Geddy and Krystal discovered they were going to become parents. Journey, their daughter, was born in 2020, and Geddy and Krystal were overjoyed. “Journey is the very air in our lungs,” Krystal says.

Journey became Geddy’s and Krystal’s motivation. They wanted their business to succeed so they could provide for her; furthermore, they wanted to grow the company so it can one day belong to Journey. So, they decided to rename their business Journey Pool Services. “She is the face of the company, and she is who we do this for, so we gave it her name,” Krystal says.

Family owned and operated

From the start, Journey Pool Services was a family business, and as the company grew, it began to include more family members. Today, Krystal serves as office manager, while Geddy handles pool equipment repairs. Geddy’s brother Kyle and Kyle’s son Gauge Baker serve as technicians, and lately, Geddy has been teaching the trade to Krystal’s son Johnathan Jones.

Geddy and Krystal think of their customers as part of their family, too, and they know each one by name. “We treat them like family. We even know their dogs,” Krystal says with a smile. She is pleased that they have made “genuine connections” with many pool owners. “We have one customer who gives us farm eggs from their yard,” she says. Journey Pool Services also welcomes its family of Postcards readers and is offering new customers 20 percent off their first month’s fee.

Pools in Texas, Krystal explains, need to be serviced weekly because the heat and the sun’s ultraviolet rays cause chlorine and other pool chemicals to break down quickly, reducing their ability to sanitize pools. “We come out and clean the pool, vacuum if needed, empty the skimmer baskets, check all the pool equipment, make sure everything is working properly, and skim for leaves and debris,” Krystal says. “We make sure everything is in tip-top shape.”

While Journey Pool Services offers one-time deep cleanings of pools, most customers utilize the company’s non-contractual service agreement. “It does not lock anybody in,” Krystal says. “We understand more than anybody in this world that things can happen.”

Geddy, Krystal, and the entire family take pride in their work. They know people have a lot of choices when they select a pool service, so they promise fair prices and honest treatment. “What we are not is a careless company,” Krystal says. “We care not only about the customer, but also the integrity of our company—one that we can one day leave to our daughter.”

It gives Geddy and Krystal joy to know they make their customers’ lives easier, allowing them to spend more time with their families. “We make it beautiful and relaxing,” Krystal says, so customers can come home after a hard day’s work and enjoy spending time in the water. Perhaps the company’s motto says it best: “Find joy in the journey.”

For more information, visit journeypoolservices.com.