Over the past 15 years, GBI Pool Services has established itself as one of Ottawa’s most respected and reliable swimming pool and hot tub service companies. Garrett Incze, GBI’s President and Co-Owner, takes us through his remarkable journey of starting the company as a student and growing it into a multi-million dollar enterprise.
Owning a pool should be an enjoyable experience, evoking happy memories of carefree, long summer days spent lounging in the backyard. In reality, many pool owners spend precious hours on costly repairs or maintenance because of sudden snags that crop up right in the middle of the swimming season. Thankfully, this can be avoided.
GBI Pool Services Inc., an Ottawa-based, full-service residential and commercial swimming pool and hot tub service company, specializes in providing trusted pool maintenance services, ensuring your pool is kept clean, safe, and swim-ready, all season long.
ABOVE: In addition to construction and installation, GBI specializes in pool and hot tub maintenance, technical repairs, and season openings and closings. Photos: (L to R): Melissa Joma, Abdulaziz Alshahri, Mohammad M
A leader in aquatic construction, complex renovations, and technical repairs, GBI’s skilled, reliable, and customer-focused team combines technical excellence, smart systems, and genuine care to build lasting relationships and bring peace of mind through an array of services offered across the Ottawa region. These include pool opening and closing, pool maintenance and cleaning, pool repair, leak detection, pool liner replacement, safety cover installation, and pump repair and installation.
Headquartered at P.I.R. Industrial Park, a 22,000-square-foot commercial facility in Carp, the company has grown into one of Ottawa’s most trusted pool and hot tub service companies, serving more than 1,000 residential and commercial clients. It has grown at an annual rate of over 30 per cent since its inception 15 years ago.
At the heart of this multi-million-dollar enterprise is its founder, 34-year-old Garrett Incze, President and Co‑Owner of GBI Pool Services, whose entrepreneurial journey is truly one of grit and perseverance against all odds.
ABOVE: In addition to residential clients, GBI Pool Services has a long list of commercial clients. Photos: (L to R) James W., Lily M. and Jordan B.
Incze, a Materials Engineering graduate from McMaster University, started GBI in his parents’ garage in Kanata in 2011, when he was just 19. Back then, he had never envisioned launching his own company. “One day when I was back home after my first year of university helping my dad open our pool, I saw a pool opening flyer for one of our present-day competitors, and I remember thinking, ‘Wow, that’s a lot of money to open a pool’. Since I didn’t have a summer job at that point, I decided to try my hand at pool opening and closing services. I posted some ads on Kijiji and Used Ottawa and started getting a few calls. My mom lent me her old GMC Envoy, which became my first service vehicle, while my dad lent me some pool tools, and that’s how the business began,” Incze reveals.
With some guidance from his dad, who also accompanied him on initial servicing visits, Incze began to learn the bones of the business along the way, juggling university in Hamilton on weekdays and servicing pools across Ottawa on weekends for five summers.
While his low rates and prompt service initially helped him find his feet in the business, his attention to detail and precision in executing every job earned him a reputation for reliability, leading to word-of-mouth referrals and repeat customers. There was no looking back.
ABOVE: GBI Pool Services Co-Owners, Garrett Incze and Jordan Battram. Photo credit: Amy Incze
What began as a summer job grew organically. By year two, Incze secured a bank loan to buy his first truck, and by 2016, the business was running at full swing. Incze rented a warehouse and partnered with his high school buddy, Jordan Battram, who had just graduated with a degree in Environmental Engineering from the University of Guelph. With Battram as Vice-President and Co-Owner of GBI Pool Services and Incze’s now-wife, Amy, working on the marketing and promotion side, it wasn’t long before GBI had made its first two hires – Max Pigeon, who is still part of the GBI team, and Mark Harris, the company’s first general manager.
Today, GBI has close to 30 employees, but the backbone of the operations remains Incze and Battram.
On the partnership, Incze says: “Jordan and I both attended Earl of March Secondary School in Kanata, and though I was a year older, we both played on the same rugby and volleyball teams. We became quite close after university, thanks to mutual friends and hung out every summer. When I started the business, Jordan would occasionally assist me with pool servicing and maintenance calls. He was the first person who really believed in GBI, and eventually he decided to join full-time, working his way into the partnership.”
Incze says that Battam brought a set of complementary skills to GBI that really helped grow the business: “He’s smart and hardworking, a great problem-solver, and he’s awesome with building and maintaining long-term relationships with our commercial and high-end residential clients that needed an account manager. He was tasked with building our weekly pool maintenance division – our most important division overall – and today runs the day-to-day operations, including the highly technical side of the business.”
ABOVE: From residential pool openings to equipment upgrades and pool builds (RIGHT), GBI delivers end-to-end pool care. Photo credit: GBI staff (R) Amy Incze.
Building a strong presence in the Ottawa market with exceptional customer service has been a steady work in progress.
By offering specialized services like leak detection, liner replacements, pool heating, and complex commercial pool work—services few companies in Ottawa provide—GBI stands out from the competition. This is made possible by its in-house senior pool technicians, who are Certified Pool Operators (CPO), Certified Pool Inspectors (CPI), and fully licensed HVAC specialists, trained in pool heating and environmental control systems, and backed by GBI’s TSSA gas license.
GBI’s hot-tub servicing and maintenance, added in 2016, was an effort to accommodate customers with both pools and hot tubs, so they wouldn’t need to hire technicians from different companies. In 2020, GBI launched its online store selling pool-related products and equipment. It also has a retail water testing showroom in Carp.
Technological innovation has been key to operational efficiency. In 2020, Incze onboarded ServiceTitan to manage GBI’s daily operations. With ServiceTitan’s technology, a customer is notified when a technician is on their way, can track their route, and can view a short bio. The same software also enables GBI to send photos of the site, invoice estimates and purchase orders to vendors. With 14 trucks currently in its fleet, running an average of 50-60 jobs a day, Incze credits ServiceTitan for the smooth management of a complex business operation.
ABOVE: GBI morning team round-up led by Jordan and Garrett includes (RIGHT) reviewing the project management system. Photos: Gillian Todd-Messinger
Another key element that has vastly helped improve productivity and customer experience has been GBI’s AI systems integration, first implemented four years ago and upgraded earlier this year: “Since February, we have been using Avoca, an AI-enabled call centre which integrates directly into ServiceTitan, answers overflow and after-hours phone calls, replies to our web forms and confirms bookings, matching a technician with the exact skill sets required for the job. This has reduced job booking times from 10-15 minutes to five minutes or less,” remarks Incze. These and other digital innovations have been instrumental in improving administrative efficiencies, while supporting rapid growth.
Acquisitions and partnerships have also helped bolster GBI’s portfolio. In 2018, GBI became a licensed subcontractor for specialized vinyl liner welding technology in the Eastern Ontario market through a partnership with Toronto-based VinylMasters, a collaboration that continues to this day. Then, in 2022, GBI absorbed Arnprior-based Prior Pools, gaining access to its customer base, while its founder, Steve Marszalek, joined GBI as a senior technician. Currently, GBI is nearing the close of its acquisition of CN Aquatics, which has allowed GBI to expand into pool construction and renovations.
This year, GBI also launched its Pool Membership Program, which has approximately 150 customers to date. Priced from $200 to $600 a year, with three different levels, member benefits include priority support, a one-year workmanship warranty on service and repairs, exclusive access to member-only retail and online sales, discounts on equipment and products, a mid-season pool inspection and basic pool cleaning. It’s a thoughtful value-add for GBI’s loyal customers who have been using these services for years.
Another specialized offering launched this year is the GBI Pool Inspection Service. Explaining the basis behind this, Incze says that while most homebuyers invest in a comprehensive home inspection, swimming pools are often only visually assessed and do not receive the same level of specialized attention. As part of its Pool Inspection Service, GBI’s pool specialists evaluate the visible condition and operation of structural components, equipment, plumbing, filtration, heaters, automation systems, safety features and water circulation. They then provide inspection reports and professional recommendations to support due diligence and any negotiations.
Buyers gain a clearer understanding of the pool’s condition and any potential repair or replacement costs before taking ownership. For sellers, it allows them to address issues proactively, boosting transparency and helping the sale proceed smoothly. Moreover, realtors can provide an additional level of due diligence and confidence for their clients while reducing the risk of unexpected issues arising after closing. GBI believes that pool inspection is a critical aspect of property investment, especially given today’s high cost of pool construction and maintenance. This year, GBI has completed over 150 pool inspections. All its existing members have this service included in their membership plan and can use the written report for a potential property sale.
ABOVE: The GBI team and its fleet of 14 trucks keep busy throughout the outdoor pool season, handling an average of 50 to 60 jobs every day. Photo: Steve Marszalek
Incze’s vision is to build on the business’s foundation and scale it by continuing to enhance its current services. “Speed, cost and quality are the three main pillars of any home service offering, and while it’s nearly impossible to perfect all three, we are working hard in that direction. That said, our goal has always been to provide the best possible service with long-term asset protection in mind. We avoid band-aid, quick-fix solutions that may cost less in the short term, but more in the long term when things break down repeatedly,” he notes.
GBI’s weekly maintenance customer retention rate is close to 90 percent, with a couple dozen customers who have been with the company since 2012-13. “We are blessed to get lots of positive and encouraging feedback from clients, and we make it a point to share every review with the team. This helps foster a really constructive and positive environment, encouraging everyone to do their best,” remarks Incze.
Bucking the seasonal trend in the pool services business, GBI runs a year-round operation, retaining its employees even in the off-season. During the winter, in addition to servicing indoor pools for its residential and commercial clients, training is also a major focus. GBI’s structured technician development program trains new hires who want to make a career in the aquatics industry, enabling them to grow within the company across various levels. Some technicians also attend trade schools and are enrolled in external training programs, such as the CPO (Certified Pool Operator) programs run by the Pool & Hot Tub Council of Canada, the WSIB Health and Safety Excellence Program, and other industry certification programs, such as those offered by ServiceTitan. In this way, employees get a mix of sales, safety and technical training.
ABOVE: GBI technicians bring a backyard pool back to life through expert repair and restoration work. Photo credit: Londyn B and (R) Chris N.
This winter, GBI plans to build a demo pool to train newer staff, while reviewing possible improvements to existing service offerings. These training opportunities offer a clear growth path for each employee, and having younger mentors like Incze and Battram whom team members can relate to, plus a supportive work culture, has significantly aided GBI’s employee retention, with the average permanent full-time employee tenure being six years. This has also helped build a winning team that Incze believes is key to the company’s continued success.
Moreover, GBI has been running an engineering mentorship program with the University of Ottawa for the past decade, providing hands-on technical training to over 50 engineering students, some of whom have gone on to work at companies such as Tesla. This year, GBI also partnered with Carleton University and Algonquin College to help more students enter the trades.
Incze says that he is always on the lookout for good business opportunities. “I think within the next three to five years we will be in a position to look at potentially expanding geographically, adding more services that are maybe a little less seasonal, hiring the right people to help us grow, or acquiring another smaller owner-operator business. However, our number one priority right now is to optimize and scale our current operation. Besides, Ottawa is a pretty big market, and we have only scratched the surface,” he avers.
In recognition of GBI’s significant impact on Ottawa’s pool services industry and the community, it was named Best Pool Maintenance Company by Faces Magazine in 2023 and 2024.
More recently, GBI was one of only three Canadian businesses and the only pool service company from Eastern Ontario to make it onto Pool & Spa News (PSN) & Jandy’s 2026 Top 50 Service List, ranking 32nd. The list recognizes leading pool and spa service companies across North America for excellence in several areas, including business performance, staff training, management practices, industry involvement and community engagement. Incze says that “Earning a place in the Top 50 in our first year is a tremendous honour. Recognition from within our own industry makes it especially meaningful. We’re proud to represent Eastern Ontario and grateful to everyone on the team and our customers who made this possible.”
ABOVE: Jennifer Cross of Chandos Construction presents Garrett Incze with the 2026 Ottawa Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 Award. Photo credit: Mark Holleron, OBJ
This year, Incze also bagged Ottawa Business Journal’s 2026 Forty Under 40 award. “Entrepreneurship can be a lonely journey. There have been lots of challenges along the way, from teaching myself the skills required for this business to taking risks by implementing new ideas to hiring and retaining the right people, as well as turning a seasonal business into a year-round operation. Jordan, my wife Amy, my parents and my in-laws have been an invaluable support system, as has every single team member who has helped make GBI what it is today,” notes Incze.
He continues, “These awards help establish GBI as a local and industry leader, and I’m super proud of all we’ve accomplished in the past 15 years. That said, while the recognition is nice and these awards motivate the team to continue striving for excellence, they are not the end goal. They are just a result of a team working together efficiently. The journey ahead is long, and we are only getting started.”
Header image: Garrett Incze flanked by his parents, partner Jordan, their wives and colleagues at the 40 Under 40 Gala June 2026. Photo: Tia Mac Pherson-Abdulla, OBJ
