In the swimming pool industry since 1970 and a licensed pool contractor since 1975, A.J. “Big" John Hampton hails from Le Compte, Louisiana. He lived on a farm until age 9, when his family moved to the Los Angeles area in the late 1940s.
A.J. has always been active and hard-working. At Jordan High, he played football, ran track, was student body president and president of his senior class. He attended East Los Angeles Junior College, where he also played football.
After college, A.J. married, and in 1961, started working in construction. “I liked the field, and building new homes and apartments,” he says.
While working in the construction industry, he realized the credit collections end of the business was an opportunity, and set up his own collections agency in Granada Hills.
A few years later, A.J. literally took a dive into the pool business. “One day in 1970, I walked into the office of a pool supply company down the street near my office and asked them for a job -- told them I could do just about anything,” he recalls.
“They showed me how to service pools, and I went out in the field and started doing it,” A.J. says. “From that point, I learned the business from the bottom up.”
A.J. earned a reputation as an expert in repairing of pools poorly built by competitors. Sunset Pools, one of California’s largest builders, soon hired him as their post-construction Customer Relations Manager.
“After the water was in the pool, I would add finishing touches like the diving board, exterior lights, balance the chemicals and drainage, and get it all started up,” A.J. recalls. “Then I’d give the customer instructions.”
A.J. soon earned a reputation for as an expert in repairing poorly built pools. Realizing his expertise, Sunset Pools, one of California's largest builders, hired A.J. as their post-construction Customer Relations Manager.
He always listened, and learned from his customers. “From what they would tell me after the pool was built, I could tell there was a tremendous void between the company and the customer, and I thought if I ever went into business on my own, I would fill that void,” A.J. says.
That opportunity came just a few years later. In 1975, American Products, then a major pool manufacturer and supplier, encouraged him to get his State Contractor’s license and start his own pool-building business.
Using his nickname for his company’s name, “Big John’s” Custom Pools & Spas has since grown to be Southern California’s premier builder. They have constructed thousands of pools and worked for such celebrity clients over the years have included Rob Reiner, Rick Dees, Richard Paul and Redd Foxx.
“‘Big’ John’s’ mission is to build the best-quality pool, spa or water feature for your home or office, at a fair price, and provide you the best customer service,” A.J. says.
“The keys to our success are communication with my customers, under-promising and over-delivering, and building a relationship with our customers that only starts with construction of the pool,” he adds. “After the construction is complete, our service relationship begins. By then, we’ve become friends and part of the family.” |
