My Experience with Military Makeover for the Dawson Family

There are moments in my life when I realize the swimming pool industry is about a whole lot more than swimming pools.

This was one of those moments.

Recently, I had the privilege of being involved with Military Makeover with Montel alongside the incredible teams from HASA and Orenda Technologies as we worked with the Dawson family during their home transformation. The Dawson family’s story, like so many military families, is one of sacrifice, resilience, and service.

For people unfamiliar with the show, Military Makeover is much more than a home renovation series. Hosted by Montel Williams, the series honors military veterans and their families by transforming their homes and, in many ways, helping restore a sense of comfort, stability, and appreciation for their sacrifices. The show airs on Lifetime and the American Forces Network and brings together volunteers, manufacturers, contractors, and sponsors from all over the country to support deserving military families.

The Dawson family episodes specifically focused on honoring U.S. Army Purple Heart recipient Matthew Dawson and his family as the Military Makeover team completely transformed their home and property. Throughout the season, viewers saw not just the physical renovation, but the emotional impact the experience had on the entire family.

For me personally, this project touched a lot of parts of my life all at once.

Before I ever taught pool chemistry or worked trade shows and industry events, I served in the Navy as a bosun’s mate and hospitalman. And like a lot of veterans, there’s something in you that immediately connects with another veteran family. You understand the commitment, the sacrifice, and the importance of having a place that truly feels like home.

So being able to help the Dawson family wasn’t just another project or television appearance. This one meant something to me personally.

At the same time, this experience also brought together two worlds I’ve always loved: the swimming pool industry and show business.

Long before many people knew me from pool industry classes and training events, I had a background in entertainment, comedy, and television. I’ve always loved making people laugh, teaching, performing, and finding ways to connect with an audience. Over the years, those passions somehow merged together into what I do now — helping educate pool professionals while still bringing some humor and personality. Water can be a very dry subject.

Military Makeover gave me a chance to blend both of those passions together in a way that felt natural and meaningful.

The partnership itself was something I felt genuinely grateful to be part of. Military Makeover has built a reputation for bringing together companies that truly want to make a difference in the lives of veteran families, and being able to represent HASA and Orenda in that environment was incredibly meaningful to me.

HASA has been serving the pool industry since 1964, and one of the things that makes the company different is that HASA has always focused heavily on education, service, safety, and supporting the pool professional. In an industry that sometimes becomes overly focused on products alone, HASA has always understood that relationships, training, and doing things the right way still matter.

That philosophy fit perfectly with the spirit of Military Makeover.

There was also a very real behind-the-scenes challenge that perfectly captured what pool professionals actually do.

During the middle of the makeover process, the backyard and pool area had become a full-scale construction zone. Between landscaping, crews, dust, debris, equipment, and nonstop activity, the pool had taken a serious hit. And as presentation day got closer, we realized we had about 48 hours to turn that water around and get the entire pool looking beautiful for the Dawson family reveal.

That’s where the real work began.

My HASA teammate Kyra, our pool professional and myself jumped into full recovery mode. Testing, balancing, cleanup, circulation checks, treatment plans — all hands on deck. It honestly reminded me a little bit of damage-control teamwork from my Navy days. Everybody had a job, everybody stayed focused, and the clock was ticking.

What I loved about that moment was that it showed exactly why experienced pool professionals matter. Homeowners often only see the finished result, but they don’t always see the knowledge, chemistry, timing, and effort it takes behind the scenes to recover water quickly and safely under difficult conditions.

Fortunately, the combination of hard work, great products, and a lot of teamwork did the trick.

By reveal day, the pool looked beautiful again and was ready to become part of the family’s fresh start. Being able to present the Dawsons with a year of professional pool service after seeing everything that went into getting that pool restored made the moment even more rewarding. It wasn’t about promoting products or appearing on television. It was about people coming together to support a family that has already given so much in service to this country.

That part really resonated with me because the backyard pool becomes part of the healing environment for a family. It becomes a place where the kids can play, where conversations happen, where stress levels come down, and where families can simply spend time together again.

And honestly, that matters more than most people realize.

A swimming pool can either become another source of stress… or it can become a place where a family reconnects, relaxes, heals, and spends time together.

That’s what good water care is really about.

One thing I always try to explain is that clear water is not always safe water. A pool can look beautiful and still have underlying chemistry issues if it’s not being properly maintained and tested.

That’s where having a qualified pool professional becomes incredibly valuable.

A good pool pro doesn’t just “clean a pool.” They help protect the equipment, the investment, the appearance of the water, and most importantly, the people swimming in it. They understand how to prevent problems before they happen and how to maintain a healthy swimming environment consistently over time.

For families like the Dawsons, having that peace of mind matters.

Yes, we talk about chlorine levels, circulation, pH, and water balance. We talk about preventing algae, protecting equipment, and maintaining safe swimming conditions.

But at the end of the day, we’re really taking care of people.

That’s why I was proud to stand there representing HASA and Orenda. Both companies genuinely care about education, prevention, and helping families enjoy their pools instead of constantly fighting water problems.

We also had the opportunity to highlight Crystal, the AI-powered pool assistant available through HASA and Orenda. Crystal helps pool owners and pool professionals better understand water chemistry, troubleshooting, and maintenance by making technical pool information easier to access and understand.

What I appreciate about Crystal is that it supports education instead of replacing the human side of the industry. Technology can be an incredible tool, but there’s still tremendous value in experienced pool professionals who understand how to apply that knowledge in the real world.

That balance between technology, education, and professional service is something I believe the pool industry is moving toward in a very positive way.

And yes… there were some fun behind-the-scenes moments too.

Television production always looks polished and effortless on screen, but behind the camera it’s organized chaos in the best possible way. Producers are counting down, microphones are getting clipped on at the last second, lighting crews are adjusting everything constantly, and somebody always seems to be carrying something heavy while moving very quickly.

At one point I remember standing there laughing to myself thinking:
“How exactly did a former Navy guy who now teaches pool chemistry end up under television lights talking about water balance?”

Life has a funny way of connecting all the chapters together.

And I have to admit, I genuinely enjoy that environment. I love the energy of production crews, the teamwork, the creativity, and the challenge of taking technical information and making it approachable for everyday homeowners.

What stayed with me most during this experience, though, was seeing how many people came together to help a deserving veteran family. Contractors, production teams, sponsors, volunteers, manufacturers — everybody played a role.

Honestly, it reminded me a lot of the Navy.

Everybody has their assignment.
Everybody has a responsibility.
And when people work together toward something meaningful, the results can be pretty groovy.

I’ve been fortunate through my involvement with Military Makeover and Designing Spaces to help represent the pool industry to the public. Most homeowners never really see the professionalism, education, and care that goes into maintaining healthy water and safe swimming environments.

They just see someone cleaning a pool.

But those of us in the industry know it’s much bigger than that.

Pool professionals help create spaces where families gather, kids grow up, memories happen, and people unwind from the pressures of life.

That’s something worth being proud of.

I’m grateful to HASA, Orenda, the Military Makeover team, and everyone involved for allowing me to be part of this project.

And to the Dawson family:

From one veteran to another, thank you for your service, your sacrifice, and your example.

It was an honor to help.

Watch the episode here: