Sometimes Business is Better with Friends | My Member Story
Justin Harwood and Richard Holm were destined to be business partners for over 15 years. They first met in Idaho when Justin was looking for financing on some apartment buildings he wanted to purchase, and Richard was the commercial loan officer working on the transaction.
They just clicked.
Losing everything isn’t the end
At first, they bonded over shared experiences—Justin and Richard had both suffered significant losses during the recession in 2007 and were trying to rebuild.
“The crash was hard,” says Richard. “It was hard to see my family go through such a hard time because of the decisions I made in the business world.” For both Richard and Justin, this experience showed them just how important their families’ support has been.
Time for a new beginning
For most of their friendship, they supported each other, confided in each other and were constantly on the lookout for the right venture to kickstart their business partnership. So when Richard’s job came to an end as a result of the pandemic, Justin invited him to come to St. George, Utah.
After some serious research, Justin realized the pool business in St. George was booming. In fact, it was one of the fastest-growing markets in the area. Richard decided the time was right and he and his family moved to southern Utah. It turned out to be the best move he could have made! Soon after, the newly-minted business partners bought the Premier Pools and Spas franchise and embarked on their new journey.
Today, Richard oversees the construction side of the business while Justin handles sales. So far, their intuition has been correct—the demand for new pools is higher than ever. Justin says this of the number of pools they have completed, “In 2021, we dug 94 holes. This year, we’re on track to dig 150.”
Of course, they haven’t succeeded alone. They’ve put together an amazing team of employees to grow their business. What started with two owners and one employee is now almost 30 employees two years later.
Entrepreneurs from the start
Justin and Richard tell stories of having an entrepreneurial spirit from a very young age. Richard realized he could make money buying a pack of gum and selling individual pieces to his fifth-grade classmates. For Justin, he pursued a lot of jobs when he was young—mowing lawns and keeping a vending machine route, just to name a couple. He was always trying to identify a need and how to fill it.
Justin tried college for a couple of years but realized it wasn’t for him. “I dropped out and started a restaurant. Then franchised the restaurant. Went into construction. Then the crash. Lost. Started over,” he explains.
It’s the core values that matter
Why does he do it? “I just like helping people,” Justin says. “It’s as simple as that.”
Justin’s core values are what keep him motivated. One of which is to serve people. It’s something he has done when he has been financially flush, as well as when he has been in the process of rebuilding after losing it all.
Some of his other core values are to have fun and make friends—the pool business certainly meets these criteria. “We are proud of the work we do, and to see families come together and enjoy that project is very, very enjoyable for me.” If you’re not making friends along the way, you’re doing it for the wrong reasons.
We can get behind that!
How Mountain America fits into the story
When it comes to partnering with a financial institution, Justin and Richard chose Mountain America Credit Union. They both had experience with other large financial institutions and couldn’t say they were getting what they needed.
Enter Jake Carlen, senior business advisor at Mountain America. He reached out after helping Justin’s family member get a credit card for his landscaping business. Jake asked the family member if he knew anyone else who could use some help with business finances, and Justin’s name was mentioned.
Jake got in contact and immediately provided some valuable input. Not only did he offer the products and services Premier Pools and Spas was already using, but he came with solutions to other problems. “Working with Jake is like having a personal banker,” says Justin. “Although he’s not a personal banker, it feels like he is because of all the specialized service he provides. He’s invested just like we are. Jake is exceptional.”
“I’ve worked for Mountain America for about a year now,” Jake shares. “I truly enjoy giving sound advice to my business owners and watching them succeed.” He believes the value offered by Mountain America is second to none. “Everything we do is member-centric.”
What it means to be all in
When you’re around Justin, you can feel the energy pouring out of him. He’s going all the time. He’s also a friend to the end. If witnessing his 15-year friendship with Richard teaches us anything, it’s that!
And because Justin has been so impressed with the way Jake and Mountain America do business, that friendship and loyalty has extended to his financial relationships. He has moved all his personal accounts as well as his accounts for other businesses over. He is now 100% at Mountain America!
Rising from the ashes
Both Justin and Richard have amazing stories of resiliency. We asked them how they were able to pick themselves up and start again. The shared answer was undoubtedly the love and support of their families. Without it, they said, they wouldn’t have made it.
There will no doubt be more ventures for these two—Justin has started somewhere north of 20 businesses so far and says he has hundreds more ideas! For now, he’s happy building pools, having fun and making friends.
