Neil Gwynne was more known in the CSRA in a suit and tie leading 130 managers and 3,500 associates for Amazon, including at the fulfillment center in Appling.
This spring and summer, you may see him work a bit more in swim trunks during his first full season as a PoolWerx franchisee.
Gwynne feels like a whole new person and was candid recently during a franchisee spotlight that PoolWerx distributed nationally.
“Eventually, I got tired of being in the corporate world, I really wanted a better work-life balance. Amazon isn’t famous for being good at that. I wanted to be more in control, able to make my own decisions, learn from my own failures, and set my own culture.”
He left Amazon and opened PoolWerx in May 2023 as a mobile business. Poolwerx offers pool services, from residential and commercial pool cleaning to retail equipment sales and repair.
In late November, he made a splash by signing a lease with Jordan Trotter Commercial Real Estate to open his first retail store in the former DJ’s Water Ice shop next to Papa John’s Pizza and New China restaurants in one of the shopping centers outside the Riverwood Plantation in Evans.
It’s not clear yet when Gwynne will open the brick-and-mortar store to complement his mobile service. Once open, PoolWerx will be selling pool and spa supplies in the store, while testing the waters, providing expert advice, and even tackling DIY pool issues too labor-intensive for homeowners.
In Gwynne’s franchisee spotlight, he also told the editor he valued the support system that Poolwerx offered. “It was great to have the support of people who truly knew what they were doing,” he said. “I certainly wasn’t a pool expert, so being able to pick up the phone and utilize those resources was very reassuring.”
The business-in-a-box concept helps Gwynne follow a system for technology, operations, and marketing and leaves more time to hang out poolside with his family!
“I am 100% already feeling those benefits. My wife sees a whole different me,” said Gwynne. “I’m less stressed and much more relaxed. Sure, I’m still busy, but it’s a different kind of busy. I am still working long days, but when you are working for yourself, there is a whole other level of motivation and satisfaction. That is what I love most about being a franchise owner with Poolwerx.”
