Meet Ryan Schumm: how the Builder’s Pool Company is redefining luxury outdoor living in Louisville, Kentucky

a legacy of entrepreneurship

The story of The Builder’s Pool Company doesn’t start with pools. It starts with grit.

Walt Schumm of Walt Schumm Custom Building relocated from Pittsburgh, PA to Louisville, KY in the early 1980s. Shortly after arriving, he found himself without a job. Rather than look for another one, he built something. Walt bought a company, grew it from the ground up, sold it, and did it again. That entrepreneurial spirit eventually led him into land development and home building roughly 35 years ago, laying the foundation for what would become one of the Louisville area’s most respected building and development operations.

About 12 years ago, Ryan Schumm joined the family business and the two divided and conquered. Walt took the lead on land development. Ryan focused on high-end custom home construction. Together, they’ve built a vertically integrated operation spanning approximately six active subdivisions and 15 to 17 ongoing home projects, with roughly 80 percent of builds coming in at $1 million or above, with their primary market is Oldham County. Ryan’s brother, Chris, joined the team in 2018 and is resposbible for the day-to-day operations of the pool company.

It’s a partnership built on trust, shared values and a common goal, and it has quietly become a formidable force in Louisville’s luxury residential market. Today, that legacy extends to the backyard, powered by EvoPools.

from home building to pool building: vertical integration done right

As the Schumm client base grew more discerning, so did the demands. Luxury homebuyers didn’t just want beautiful houses. They wanted complete, fully realized outdoor living spaces, including pools, pool houses, hardscaping and more. And they wanted this ready the moment they moved in.

For a time, Ryan subcontracted pool installations to local companies, working with various brands and crews. But timeline delays and inconsistent quality created bottlenecks that sometimes prevented homes from closing on schedule. The solution was clear: bring it in-house and partner with a brand that could deliver the quality his clients expected.

“We had a lot of clients that wanted the capability or opportunity to do pools, pool houses and hardscapes while they were building the home and have it all finished when they were able to move into the home,” Ryan said.

The result was The Builder’s Pool Company, and with EvoPools as his fiberglass pool brand of choice, Ryan now offers something few pool dealers in the country can match. Because his team builds the home first, they’re able to prep every utility run, drainage line, gas connection and electrical system with the pool and backyard living space already in mind. The finished product, anchored by a stunning fiberglass pool from EvoPools, looks and functions like it was always part of the original design.

“Everything we do in the construction process is to create the lowest maintenance possible for the end user,” Ryan explained. “Having a background in scheduling and communication has really allowed us to seamlessly integrate pools into the backyards of these houses in the most opportune times during the construction process, which ultimately leads to a finished product that looks like it was purposeful and meant to be there.”

That seamless integration is the essence of vertical integration at its best: one team, one timeline and one vision, from groundbreaking to the first swim in a beautiful backyard fiberglass pool from EvoPools.

Ryan didn’t stumble into the EvoPools brand by accident. His path began with a simple but telling observation on the job site, and it changed the trajectory of his business.

While overseeing multiple builds and working with various subcontractors and pool brands over the years, Ryan noticed a striking difference the moment fiberglass pools from Imagine Pools, a fellow Explore Industries brand, started going into his job sites.

“I just noticed a much higher quality of pool right off the get go,” Ryan said. “Things seemed level, square, better finish, better fit. With some of the other brands, you’re checking damages and making a punch list before it’s ever even gone in the hole. With the Imagine Pools brand, there wasn’t any of that; the pool was just getting installed.”

That quality sent Ryan on a research deep-dive. He discovered that Imagine Pools was part of Explore Industries, the same parent company behind EvoPools. He then reached out about becoming a dealer. When Explore Industries learned about Ryan’s builder-first business model, they recognized immediately that the EvoPools brand was a natural fit. Evo’s design philosophy with its clean lines, quality construction and purposeful integration with the surrounding landscape aligned perfectly with the luxury homes Ryan was building.

Nearly two years into the partnership, Ryan has found that the EvoPools brand delivers on every front, not just in product quality, but in the values that drive the people behind it.

“EvoPools and Explore have been great to work with,” he said. “The same things that I think are key in business, from communication and timeliness and customer experience, have all been the same things that I’ve found Explore Industries values as well. It’s been a really nice partnership.”

For Ryan, choosing EvoPools wasn’t just a business decision. It reflected his own standards as well as his commitment to delivering only the best to his clients.

EvoPools and the Builder’s Pool Company: a winning combination

What makes The Builder’s Pool Company such a compelling EvoPools dealer isn’t just the quality of the installations; it’s also the full-service ecosystem surrounding every pool that goes in the ground.

The Builder’s Pool Company has grown from a small excavation crew into a dedicated, full-time pool installation team currently managing multiple active projects, with more estimates on the desk and ready to be ordered. Their EvoPools installations are complemented by custom hardscaping, pool houses, pergolas, patios, and landscape design, offering a full suite of outdoor living services that transform a backyard into an extension of the home.

Ryan estimates that roughly one in three pool projects now includes a full pool house, which is a testament to the luxury vision his clients bring and the all-encompassing experience The Builder’s Pool Company delivers. At the center of every one of those projects is a fiberglass pool from EvoPools.

Their streamlined process allows them to complete many pool installations in approximately two weeks, thereby keeping new home construction timelines on track and homeowners on schedule to move in. The results speak for themselves: The Builder’s Pool Company is currently the only five-star rated pool installation company in Louisville on Google.

In the luxury market, the experience matters as much as the end product. Ryan’s philosophy on customer service is shaped by a decade of delivering high-end homes and it informs every EvoPools installation his team completes.

“Communication and transparency are the keys in any business dealing,” he said. “What we offer at The Builder’s Pool Company is probably as much communication as anybody’s ever had on a project, which people really appreciate, knowing what’s going on day-to-day.”

That commitment to the client experience is something Ryan sees reflected in the EvoPools brand itself. From the quality of the product arriving on the trailer to the support from the Explore Industries team, every touchpoint reinforces a shared standard of excellence that makes the dealer-brand partnership work.

What’s next: innovation on the horizon

Ryan and his team aren’t standing still. Plans are underway to incorporate EvoPools fiberglass pools into select spec homes giving prospective buyers a firsthand look at a finished luxury backyard before they ever sign a contract. It’s a bold move that could redefine what “move-in ready” means in one of Kentucky’s most desirable residential markets while positioning EvoPools at the center of that conversation.

On the technology front, The Builder’s Pool Company is developing an AI-powered visualization tool for their website that would allow potential clients to see a pool rendered directly in a photo of their own backyard, similar to how platforms like Amazon allow shoppers to preview furniture in their living room before buying. It’s an innovative approach to showcasing the beauty and versatility of the fiberglass pools from EvoPools and a glimpse at the forward-thinking direction of this dealership.

“We’re always trying to be innovative and stay ahead of the curve,” Ryan said.

Serving greater Louisville and beyond

The Builder’s Pool Company primarily serves Oldham County and the greater Louisville metropolitan area, with EvoPools installations extending into Shelby County and Henry County, KY. The team also takes on select custom builds outside their primary service area.

ready to experience EvoPools in your backyard?

If you’re building a new home in the Louisville, KY area or ready to transform your existing outdoor space, The Builder’s Pool Company brings an unmatched combination of construction expertise, design vision and EvoPools fiberglass quality to every project. From excavation to the finishing touches, every detail is handled by a team that builds luxury homes for a living and installs EvoPools in the same manner.

Explore the full EvoPools fiberglass pool collection and discover why discerning homeowners across Oldham County and greater Louisville are choosing Evo.