Howard Weiss, the founder of the prominent mid-Atlantic retail firm Contemporary Watercrafters, has sold his firm.
Kelly Reed, the company’s marketing and IT manager and Weiss’ companion, also has retired from the Gaithersburg, Md.-based company.
The retail operation sold to two of Weiss’ key employees — former Operations Manager Stephanie O’Neil and former Business Development Manager Denise Viner. Under the new team, the company will remain a member of United Aqua Group.
“I think the future is going to be very good for them,” Weiss said. “I feel very confident that they will be able to grow Contemporary Watercrafters and continue serving our clientele by exceeding their expectations.”
Weiss entered the industry in the 1970s, when he became a lifeguard for a pool-management company. Eventually he took a supervisory position, where he operated and oversaw 10 pools, before moving on to the company’s retail stores, called Offenbacher Pool & Patio. At the now-defunct stores, he sold patio furniture and pool supplies before becoming a manager.
He then decided to start his own service company, which he did in 1982. Originally running the operation out of his house, Weiss opened a store two years later. Over the years, it grew from two employees, including Reed, to 32. Reed joined the company after earning her bachelors degree at University of Maryland.
“When I started the company, I had no idea that it would grow to the size that we became,” said Weiss, who was the firm’s president and general manager.
In the past, Weiss and Reed have been active members of the Association of Pool and Spa Professionals, participating in its Board of Directors and Retail Council. Reed was one of the first to earn APSP’s Certified Service Professional designation.
Weiss will serve in a consulting capacity through the end of the year, while Reed will continue to perform marketing duties for the company.
Weiss now will focus on expanding his teaching business. He has been an instructor for several industry certification courses, including the National Swimming Pool Foundation’s Certified Pool Operator and APSP’s Professional Pool and Spa Operator and Certified Maintenance Specialist, for several years. He also will continue to perform inspections on residential pools for home resales.
“The industry has been good to us,” he said. “In the future, I hope to keep mentoring and training people of our industry, to give back what we’ve received from the industry.”
The couple, who celebrate their 40th anniversary together this year, also plan extensive travel, including on their boat.
