One could say Donna and Craig Fishel’s romance was a match made in a water heaven.
Donna was living in an Atlanta suburb, working as a marketing and public relations professional for BioLab, a swimming pool and spa water care company, when she first met Craig at a dealer meeting in 1988. One of her friends who worked at the company auspiciously told her, “He’s single; you’re single. You need to meet him.”
Donna and Craig encountered each other again a year later, when Donna was producing a newsletter for BioLab’s dealers—one of whom was Craig’s company, Fishel Pools in Springfield. There was an immediate spark, and after a whirlwind six long-distance dates, the couple wed that very fall. Thirty-five years later, they have not only raised a successful family—son Ryan is vice president of Fishel Pools, and daughter, Lyndie, resides in Nashville with her husband—but they have built a community of customers turned friends and a legacy of giving back to the city they hold dear.
At the time of their wedding, Craig had already established Fishel Pools as a leading family-owned and operated luxury custom swimming pool company. Founded in 1976, Fishel Pools is about to mark its milestone 50 years in business. It all began when Craig, who had an engineering background and worked as a lifeguard in college, was offered a job upon his graduation from Missouri State University by the pool’s chemical supplier. “I worked for them for four years, until 1975. In 1976, I started Fishel Pools out of my home garage, designing and building pools,” he says. “I’ve had a policy since day one that the work must be right. We don’t cut corners. This has paid off in the long run.”
Craig says in the early days when he sold a pool and made over $10,000, he would “bring Champagne home.” Today, his legacy has ballooned to over 2,000 pools in Southwest Missouri. That’s a lot of Champagne.
Over the decades, Craig has committed to building pools that are aesthetically beautiful and meet all safety requirements and building codes; the company also holds multiple national awards for their designs, which range from infinity-edge to geometric-shaped pools. The company is known for its innovations — it was the first swimming pool builder in the area to introduce computer water analysis and implement computerized pool design, revolutionizing the industry — and its dedication to its customers, who today are mainly referrals.
Fishel Pools is a true family affair: Ryan has worked alongside his father since he was about 10. “He started out by earning a few bucks here and there, doing odd jobs and chores,” says Donna, who has taken on the financial helm at the company after retiring from her second career as a teacher in the Springfield Public School District. The family prides itself on taking care of customers and employees over the long term. “A lot of friends started as customers,” Craig says. “A pool needs love, care and maintenance. Once we build a pool, we commit to take care of it.”
In addition to a fully-stocked retail store offering a wide selection of chemicals, accessories and parts, trained and certified employees provide year-round service to ensure that the pools are in top condition.
“Some employees have been with us for over 20 years,” Donna notes. “Just like we believe in
creating relationships with our customers, we value our employees and treat them like family.”
The Fishels take pride in getting to know their customers. “We create high-end custom installations that will be unique and memorable; we get to know the customers and make the pool reflect the families,” Donna says. When asked about one of their most memorable projects, the couple answers immediately: A pool with a handicapped ramp and underwater treadmill designed for a young man who had been in a car accident. “This was the best way for him to exercise. Craig engineered it so that he could easily get into the pool and get physical exercise,” Donna says.
“We like to do this work because when we see a family enjoying their pool, and their children are
laughing and playing, we know that they’re making memories they’ll cherish forever. That’s Craig’s — our whole company’s — motivation.”
Giving back to the community that has been so supportive to Fishel Pools is important to the couple. Craig served on the city council from 2013 to 2018, when he won a seat as a state representative, where he served from 2019 to 2022. The company financially supports a number of local organizations and most notably supports Boy Scout Troop 24, where Craig once served as an adult leader, in their annual Christmas tree fundraiser. For the past 30 years, Fishel Pools have turned its retail location on Sunshine Street over to the Scouts to sell trees.
After over three decades in Springfield, Donna cannot imagine living anywhere else. “I like the pace. It was a great area to raise our kids. The family orientation here is strong. You get a chance to really build relationships with the local community, with neighbors and the friends you make with kids who are similar in age to your own,” she says.
As much as they love town, the Fishels also entertain wanderlust, recently returning from a three- week RV trip in their motor home. “We love to see places and experience cultures in other parts of the world,” Donna says. But if you’re looking for the couple around town, you can find them at Nearly Famous Deli and Pasta House in the Brentwood Center. “We just love their food,” Donna says. “It’s a great restaurant, and we’ve gotten to know the owner really well. She’s a good friend.”
After a half-century in business, the Fishel family certainly has a lot of friends in the area — and is
leaving an indelible mark on family life, one of fun and happy memories. Or, as Donna says, “The only thing Craig wants people to worry about when we leave is the kind of beverage they want to enjoy around their pool.”
Visit Fishel Pools at www.fishelpools.com.
Beyond the Blue Sidebar: Fishel Pools has a complete line of services for every pool need. Trained and certified service technicians can install pumps, heaters, and the like, as well as take care of any issues that arise. The company also offers weekly cleaning and maintenance and complete pool opening and closing services so that families can spend more of their time enjoying the pool and less of their time doing the work of a pool. For the Fishels, it's just another way to ensure a happy and lifelong customer.