Ryan Steele is owner of NorCal Pool, Inc., a Diamond Certified company. He can be reached at (925) 526-5915 or servicerequest@norcalpool.com.
Ryan Steele: Knowledge is Power
By Matt Solis, Editor
Ryan Steele never planned on becoming a swimming pool expert, but when an unexpected friendship pointed him toward that path, he decided to let fate be his professional guide. “After high school, I moved out to the Valley to live with my grandfather, started dating a girl in a nearby town and actually became friends with her father, Jeff,” he explains. “He was about to make a career change and asked if I wanted to help him in the pool business. I ended up being really good at it, so when I eventually moved back home, I continued working for a different pool company. Six months later, another friend showed me a pool route that was for sale in my area. He encouraged me to take the next step, so I got a loan from my grandfather and purchased the business.”
Ryan was officially on the road to success, but before he could start building his empire, he first had to contend with an unanticipated roadblock. “I called my company Pristine Pool Service, but when I showed up for my first community meeting with the IPSSA [Independent Pool & Spa Service Association], I told the guy at the door my company name and he said, ‘No, that’s the name of my company,’” he remembers. “He had been around for a long time, so I had to start over again and change the name on all of my paperwork. I will give the guy credit, though—he knew all the pool companies in the area, so when I ran into him later and told him I was thinking of using ‘NorCal Pool,’ he confirmed that he’d never heard it before and I decided to go with it.”
Today, as owner of NorCal Pool, Inc., Ryan says his favorite part of his job is teaching clients how to maintain their swimming pools in the most cost-effective ways possible. “It can be challenging to keep a pool clean and sanitized—it’s all about consistency and using the right materials, so I like showing my clients how to take care of their investments and educating them about industry standards and things that could potentially save them money.”
A lifelong resident of the Bay Area, Ryan was born in Mountain View, spent most of his childhood in Fremont, went to high school in Pleasanton and currently lives in Tracy with his fiancée, Sarah, and his stepson. “I love the Tri-Valley area—there’s nowhere else I’d rather be,” he says. “I hear a lot of horror stories about places that are either too hot or too cold, so I feel like we’re pretty spoiled with the weather here, especially because I spend a lot of time outside.”
When he’s not working on his customers’ pools, Ryan likes splitting his free time between family activities and personal hobbies. “We’re a very adventurous family, so we like taking our RV trailer on camping trips and to different lakes to go fishing, but we also enjoy our quiet time inside,” he details. “Personally, I’m an avid NASCAR fan—I used to race stock cars at Altamont Speedway and Stockton 99 Speedway—and I also like traveling and exploring outdoors.”
In terms of a personal or professional philosophy, Ryan points to three profound statements made by mentors who helped him at various stages of his life. “My grandfather always used to say, ‘Buy low, sell high, prepare for the worst and hope for the best,’” he offers. “Jeff taught me to always live below my means. He would say, ‘If you don’t have cash in your pocket to pay for it, you can’t afford it,’ which I needed to hear when I was a young man. The third quote that comes to mind is, ‘Knowledge is power.’ You can never know enough about your craft, so work on perfecting it and it’ll pay dividends.”
When asked what his life might look like if he retired tomorrow, Ryan says it wouldn’t take him long to pivot to a brand-new venture. “I’d probably start looking at real estate and multifamily homes in out-of-state markets, so I guess I wouldn’t be retiring—just working in a different industry,” he says. “I’ve never been to Europe, though, so maybe I’d start there for a month.”
Ask Me Anything!
Q: Are you a dog person or a cat person?
A: A dog person. We have a white pit bull named Tucker and a teacup chihuahua named Adorabelle.
Q: What’s your favorite board game?
A: Monopoly. I’ve loved it my whole life. I even got the Dale Earnhardt edition one time for my birthday. It’s probably in my attic somewhere.
Q: If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?
A: Australia or New Zealand.
Q: If you could drive any car, what would it be?
A: There’s nothing better than a ’68 Camaro RS/SS with an LS3 engine.