Genesis is about to turn 20.
The anniversary marking the initial idea for the organization passed earlier this year. But it’s next year when the educational program itself becomes almost old enough to drink the carefully vetted wine vintages that have become a trademark at its events.
In 1997, three high-end builders — Skip Phillips, David Tisherman and Brian Van Bower — railed against a design-awards system that they claimed rewarded builders who not only didn’t design their pools but didn’t even acknowledge the architectural and landscape professionals who did. They decided to form their own school, one where instructors would be culled from outside the industry as well as inside, and where these teachers would be paid so they could draw the best.
The founding trio took something of a trickle-down approach, theorizing that boosting the caliber of high-end design and construction would increase favorable media coverage of pools and spas and elevate the reputation of these products, thus benefiting the entire industry. But it also offered education about the basics of design and construction, saying that best practices can be used at any level.
The first school took place in autumn of 1998 and entailed three days covering the various disciplines of design and construction, from hand-drawing intricate, art-quality renderings to the more brass-tacks issues of structural engineering, soils science and hydraulics that made ever-more complex waterscapes possible.
But attendees would have to pay a few thousand dollars, causing skepticism, especially from competing organizations, about whether builders would bite.
They did.
“I’m incredibly proud, not of me, but of them,” said Skip Phillips, also president of Questar Pools and Spas in Escondido, Calif., referring to Genesis students throughout the years. “I’m proud that we’ve been a part of something so instrumental to change in spite of all the hurdles and challenges that we had.”
In commemoration, the group will hold a celebration weekend April 5 to 8 at the Allegretto Vineyard Resort in Paso Robles, near the Central California coastal town where the first schools took place.
The event was structured to include many of the group’s traditions. A poolside barbecue will take place at the Italian villa-style resort, at a pool created by a student of the very first Genesis school, Wildwood Aquatech Pools. The resort owner, who displays several of his collected art pieces on the property, will conduct a tour of the of his treasures. A cocktail reception will take place at Eberly Winery, which has supplied Genesis at its events throughout the years.
Optional activities will include a tour of Hearst Castle — a staple at the early schools — along with zip lining and a wine-tasting outing. The celebration will close with a gala dinner.
“What ties it all together is just our 20 years of history and our Lifestyles Program,” said David Peterson, Genesis’ education director and president/CEO of San Diego-based design/build firm Watershape Consulting. “We always believed this shouldn’t be just about pools and work, but that good food and wine and entertainment, and our Genesis family were really important.
“It’s like a family reunion.”
