“There’s a tree in a customer’s pool at the moment,” Angela Clark said, co-owner of LizardPools LLC, as she enjoyed her dinner at Batchelor Pad BBQ. The time was nearing 4 p.m. but for the Clark family, the day’s work was far from over.

Celebrating 10 years of offering swimming pool services and maintenance to pool owners around the Valley, Angela, her sister Chelsea and their father, Homer Clark, held a Fountain Hills Chamber of Commerce ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Shiprock Restaurant at Saguaro Lake last month where over 70 friends, customers and vendors showed up in support of LizardPools. The location was symbolic for the Clark family, who have spent their lives in and around water.

“We spend a lot of time at the lake,” Angela said, recalling her childhood living in Morenci, Ariz., and making the four-hour trek to Roosevelt Lake to go wakeboarding with her sister for the weekend. “When my sister and I moved down here to my dad’s place for school at ASU, we would go to Saguaro Lake to go wakeboarding.”

In 2012, the father-daughter trio opened LizardPools together as a family-owned and operated company providing weekly pool services like pool cleaning, emptying skim, pump and in-line baskets and adding/testing water chemistry. In addition to weekly services, LizardPools provides pool maintenance services, equipment repair and replacement and more.

“We’re owners,” Homer said. “That means everybody gets to work when you have the opportunity. Employees don’t have to work all the time. Owners do.”

Water safety

Since its inception, LizardPools has put water safety as its number one priority. Serving on the board of Drowning Prevention Coalition of Arizona, Angela promotes water safety in classrooms, businesses, HOAs and aquatic centers across the Valley.

“My sister and I both have very strong backgrounds in water safety, so we bring a lot of that knowledge and experience into the business and that was always a strong focus even from the start,” Angela said, who grew up lifeguarding and giving swim lessons with Chelsea.

With nearly 40 years of industrial and construction experience, Homer is adamant about getting his customer’s pools up current safety standards.

“Every year for the last 35 years, Maricopa County has led the nation in drownings,” Homer said. “In my opinion, of all the industries that go into a backyard from homewatch companies to real estate, to pool companies, to policemen and fire departments, it’s sad to see that we consistently lose 30 people plus every year to drowning.”

Homer says he has not yet heard of a pool drowning in Fountain Hills and commends pool owners in the community for paying attention to their families, guests and especially children around water.

Family values

For Angela and Homer, working as a family unit is the best part of the job. For Chelsea, it’s seeing progress through hard work and diligence.

“I think having something that you can grow and look back and say I was part of this and it’s yours that you helped create, I think that’s pretty cool,” Chelsea said.

Now that school is out, Homer says swimming season is in full swing and it’s important to maintain a safe pool area for friends and family.

“I’m pushing the safety issue,” Homer said. “Pay attention to the kids.”

To set up a free estimate appointment with LizardPools, visit lizardpools.com or call 480-489-0713. LizardPools is open Monday through Saturday by appointment.