This whole thing with hot tubs, pools and other recreational products was never meant to define Jim Loney’s life. But without it, he wouldn’t be running a thriving business, or even be with his wife.

“Yet here we are. Michelle and I continue to grow the business,” Loney says in wonder.

It’s been an eventful three decades.

Back in the late 1980s, Loney was a mechanic/welder for Powell Equipment. When an acquaintance suggested a venture renting hot tubs through his parents’ Winnipeg company, Jim welcomed the opportunity to make a little money on the side. Working nights and weekends, he would repair and deliver the rentals. Business was steady and Whitewater Recreation was born. But three years later, his partner got restless and moved home to Manitoba, with Jim buying the inventory.

Still working at Powell and running the business part-time, the next significant development came when he attended a trade show and met a woman who was working for a spa dealer in the U.S. The sparks flew and Jim and Michelle were an item, personally and professionally.

With the business renamed Coconut Bay Pool & Spa (there were too many “Whitewaters” out there, they had decided), Michelle added a tanning salon, later followed by pool tables and other games.

By the time Powell was bought out by Toromont in 2001, Jim was a sales rep. However, faced with a transfer out of the city and his wife wanting him to take a more active role in the business, something had to give.

“I was young enough to make a career change, even with 17 years with Powell under my belt,” he recalls. “I jumped into it with both feet, like I do most things.”

Jim and Michelle then immersed themselves in the technical side, learning about water chemistry, getting certified in in-ground and above-ground pool installations.

A leader in leisure products, Coconut Bay carries brands such as Arctic spas and Viking pools. They were also the first in the area to offer fibreglass pools, automated pool cleaning products, suspended wall above-ground pools and saltwater chlorination.

“When we make a move it’s not long before the competition follows us in some fashion,” Jim says.

At one time, Coconut Bay had 18 people on the payroll. Today, there’s a core of a half-dozen, including sales associates and service techicians.

“We’re a seasonal company,” Jim explains. “We really run hard from the middle of April till about Halloween.”

To fill that wintertime void, they have expanded their offerings. They are the Canada Billiards dealer for air and dome hockey tables, as well as foosball, darts and shuffle board.