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A funny thing happened at the pool store—
Back in 1978, Clyde and Mary Ann Berry were enjoying the pool at an out-of-town relative's house. They decided they would like their own pool.
Clyde is a decisive kind of man, so on the way home, they stopped by a Doughboy Pool store. Clyde quickly realized that other people in Longview would want these pools too. So instead of just buying a pool, he called Doughboy and became a Doughboy Pool dealer.
Clyde started small, working out of his garage and helping a few friends get their own pools. Soon both he and Mary Ann were working nearly full time selling and installing pools. Clyde was getting worn out working two full time jobs. He realized he had to choose between his old job and the pool business.
Pools won—and Berry Family Pools has been a family business since 1978. Clyde has retired, but Mary Ann's smile still brightens the store each week when she comes in to keep the books in order.
"I leave for college, and then you get a pool?"
Sheila Berry Satterwhite, Clyde and Mary Ann's daughter, is now the General Manager of Berry Family Pools. Back in 1978, she was a little upset, thinking she had missed out on the pool experience. But when she saw how busy her parents were, she joined them in the family business.
Family is hugely important to Sheila. In fact, that's what she loves best about Berry Family Pools. Sheila says, "Our customers are like family to us. Our pools last a long time—one has lasted 41 years so far—so we see our customers on a regular basis, often weekly, for years. We get to know them really well, and they become family here."
Berry Family Pools is a family company.
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