Richard Cariño, President of Crystal Blue Enterprises Inc., inherited the swimming pool business from his parents who started it in the 1970s . The business was good in 2013 as more clients are now becoming more aware with the benefits of hiring professionals to handle their swimming pools, he recalled.
Cariño attributed the strong growth of his business to a more focused approach on the goals of the company, awareness of operational details, strong management team and addressing the customer needs.
The company’s target markets include resorts, hotels, commercial swimming pools and private individuals who want to put up pools or are maintaining pools in their houses.
While competition is a major challenge for the business, “Crystal Blue Enterprises Inc. is one of the pioneers in pool construction, care, and maintenance in the country with unique, high-quality, and exclusive products and services,” said Cariño.
“My parents built numerous swimming pools and I saw the backlog of pool service which led to the establishment of the company specifically in pool care which became a one-stop shop for all swimming pool needs,” said Cariño.
“Swimming pool runs in my veins ,” says Cariño. He was motivated by the positive feedbacks from his clients about the company’s products and services.
“Our professional pool care program is currently enjoyed by the upper scale residents of Ayala Alabang, Ayala Greenfields, Valle Verde, North Greenhills, White Plains, Greenmeadows , Corinthian Gardens, Ayala Heights, La Vista, Loyola Grand Villas, Forbes Park, and Dasmariñas Village Makati. Our clients are very satisfied with our services,” Cariño added.
2014 prospects and priorities
For 2014, the company would be focusing to install 12 Wave Ball machines, making the seawater swimming pool with automated disinfection system and the 100% leak-proof , water proof color-changing and energy efficient swimming pool LED light due to its gasketless and glue filled design to be come the standard in residential, hotels and condominiums.
Cariño said the Wave Ball is the newest and most exciting pool technology to come out recently and the most energy-efficient and intelligent wave machine in the world that can simulate one 100% non-stop ocean waves and create different patterns.
He noted that the technology is used by the special forces around the world even by the US Air Force for specific survival trainings, reproducing the open sea conditions in a tank.
“This amazing equipment has been introduced in the Philippines by Crystal Blue three years ago. Our resort clients were very satisfied due to the almost 99 percent low-power consumption compared to other traditional and common wave machines which are power hungry. The Wave Ball has an average consumption of 2 kilowatts, ” said Cariño.
“Imagine your pool with this kind of equipment, the awed and amazed looks on the faces of both kids and adults when they try this awesome experience and the great fun and amusement this will bring to your customers and guests,” Cariño said.
That’s why it’s a very wise decision for swimming pool and resort owners to invest in professional pool managers and the latest pool technology such as the Wave Ball which amps up the whole entertainment experience and fun factor for customers,” Cariño added.
Aside from professional pool care services and the Wave Ball the company also offers other unique pool technologies such as the robotic pool cleaner, advice from Australia that vacuums and brushes the pool for only P2.00 per hour and with three years warranty, an automated seawater pool technology which does not require drums of chlorine to maintain a crystal blue pool water and powerjet, a non-slop swimming machine among others.
“When you hire us, we’ll guarantee that your swimming pool will be in tiptop condition and the lifespan will be longer by offering a customized, high-quality preventive and maintenance package,” Cariño explained.
“Maintaining a swimming pool under the care of professional experts is better in the long run because the owner can save tenfold in maintenance costs and future repairs. Prolonging the lifespan of a pool is equal to great savings in terms of cost of ownership,” Cariño explained.
Successful CEO
To be a successful CEO, Cariño said one should have innate personal power and leadership should be in your nature.
“Certain skills of leadership can be learned or refined, but you should want to lead, and leading should feel like an integral part of your ‘being in the world.’
Cariño said the attributes of a successful CEO are the following: A vision and clarity of purpose, making tough decisions, seeing the larger picture of your company, creating the culture for your team and company, making judgments about opportunities, people, their actions and your actions and accepting a certain unique isolation .
Quoting Vince Lombardi, the price of success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand and the determination that whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand.”
“Being a young entrepreneur is really tough. Not only do you face a lot of the same challenges other entrepreneurs do, but you are also inexperienced and quite often overlooked by others.”
“Mix all this together and it may end up being a recipe for disaster. In stead of hltting the panic button and jumping off the ship , you should take some time to learn from other successful entrepreneurs,” Cariño said.
He noted that not only can these people mentor you to become a better entrepreneur, but they can really shape your perspective.
“Be passionate about something and you are willing to put the work in. Do not let the fear of failing slop you from trying to build the business of your dreams. Take small steps, find help, and turn your dreams into a reality through hard work.”
Cariño graduated with a degree in Mass Communication and a major in Advertising. “It’s my passion to think out of the box and never ending learning which I’m now applying with my businesses.‘‘
He is a licensed financial consultant of Prulife UK and a million dollar round table (MDRT) qualifier. MDRT is the premier international association of financial professionals where only the top one percent of agents are admitted .
Pool technologies
Wave Ball, a Belgian technology is considered t he most energy efficient and intelligent wave machine in the world that can simulate 100 percent non stop ocean waves and create different patterns of waves.
The technology is used by some of the most popular resorts such as Bosay Resort in Antipolo City and Villa Rivera Wave Resort in Rodriguez, Rizal.
The automated seawater pool technology converts a resort’s pool into seawater. The pool owner could save money on maintenance and labor costs because they don’t need to buy expensive drums of chlorine.
The device is easily installed and sea salt will be added to the pool until it reaches the 21,000 ppm or the seawater’s ppm which is 35,000 while other ordinary system can only manage 3,000 ppm .
The robotic pool cleaner is an Australian high-tech device that vacuums and brushes your pool for only P2.00 per hour and comes with a three years warranty .
The powerjet is an endless swimming machine, capable of creating a current of 5,000 gallons per minute, can be adjusted to provide resistance for an enjoyable, therapeutic walk, jog or swim, without the harmful pounding and jarring of street exercise.
Crystal Blue’s 100% leak-proof, water-proof color-changing and energy-efficient swimming pool LED light is gasketless and glue filled design, another first in the Philippines.