Justin Bowie, owner of JMax Plumbing, has established his company as one of the premier pool plumbing firms in Arizona, specializing in both residential and commercial projects. Their rise to prominence has been marked by strategic partnerships and a willingness to take on the harder plumbing projects others won’t. In a recent interview, Bowie reflected on that, “When I first started my company, we would take anything that we could get, but I was very fortunate to connect with the right people.” Indicating that the trajectory his firm has taken has much to do with linking with today’s leading builders and exhibiting the type of “Can-Do” mentality that they’re looking for.
Working with renowned builders and designers such as Creative Environments, Red Rock Design Build, and California Pools, JMax Plumbing embraced complex, high-end projects that many plumbing professionals avoided. “The company that I worked for before, and most of our competitors, want to do the smaller stuff. They’re looking for the quick and easy stuff, and want to be in and out. Connecting with these types of companies, not saying no, and taking on the bigger projects has really elevated our company and pushed us into that spotlight of super high-end luxury pools.”
Tackling The High-End
The transition from production work to high-end projects came with its own set of challenges. Bowie highlights the technical and logistical difficulties: “First, technically speaking, those projects where you have those crazy features, they’re generally on hillsides. The projects are usually for high-end customers. So there is zero margin for error. Physically speaking, those types of projects are a lot tougher and a lot more work.”
“Like I said, nobody who’s in business to make money in this industry, wants to do the complicated big stuff. You’re much more liability exposed. It’s harder to invoice those jobs and it’s harder to make money, but we do it the right way, and I think that’s what really set our firm apart,” explained Bowie.
On Being a Distributor for Pul Products
Recently, Bowie’s firm has expanded into distribution, becoming an official distributor and installer of Pul Products. This partnership, Bowie says, is a testament to their commitment to promoting cutting-edge products they truly believe in. Pul is an Arizona-based firm owned by Jim Goettl, whose family has deep roots in the industry. Jim’s father worked with the Ghiz family to successfully bring the Paramount in-floor system to market many years ago, a collaboration that was successful for decades. “They’re a very special family with great connections here,” Bowie remarks. “We were fortunate to be connected to Jim through Buzz Ghiz and mutual friends.”
Pul Return LR1
One of the standout products JMax Plumbing distributes is the Pul Return LR1, a high-capacity return that blends seamlessly with pool or spa finishes. Bowie explains the significance of this product: “I’m super proud of that one. We had a big part in that product coming to life. But what makes it so different is there is no other product that does what it’s built to do. It’s built for high-volume return water.”
“The problem we’ve had as an industry has been that pools are getting overflow features now, where we want that to be really beautiful. Aesthetics is at the very top of the list. The only thing we could do before was use multiple returns, which would dot the pool floor like polka dots with all of these four-inch floor returns, or you would do booster sections in the wall. Not really aesthetically pleasing and they weren’t great at mitigating turbulence. Ideally, you want it to be glass-like when it overflows.”
The LR1 addresses the needs of modern pools with overflow features, providing a solution that didn’t previously exist. “The difference being, we’re trying to get a bunch of water back through our LR1 to facilitate overflow spas, overflow pools, vanishing edges, Lautner edges. Those simply just didn’t exist before. Today, they’re so common, that there’s a great need for this product. And again, it’s the only product that does what it does, and it does it beautifully, too, in my opinion,” said Bowie.
Despite its advanced features, the LR1 return is designed for straightforward installation and is competitively priced. Bowie notes, “It installs like any other sump drain or channel drain. The installation method is not very different at all.”
Pul Collekt LD1
Another noteworthy product distributed by JMax is the Pul Collekt LD1 debris removal drain. This drain stands out for its innovative design and functionality. Bowie highlights its unique features, “I think two things make this drain really unique. One is it doesn’t have a cover. If you look at any of the other products on the market, there’s always a cover you can remove. Well, this one doesn’t have a cover. All it has is a small service hatch. You don’t have that extra component that can fade or lose color or is even large. This is just a 1-inch by 34-inch slit.”
The LD1 also stands out for its intelligent design, eliminating the need for additional safety features. “It’s unblockable, so it doesn’t need a sidewall suction or another means of entrapment protection. If you look at some of the other products on the market, you’re still always pairing your sump drain with a sidewall suction as well,” said Bowie.
The LD1 drain offers significant aesthetic and functional advantages, making it a popular choice among pool builders and designers. Bowie explains, “If you’re doing pools and you’re trying to elevate the look of the pool, it’s a purpose-built, aesthetically pleasing drain. Most of the other drains are out there because they’re safe. They’re out there because they do debris collection, maybe. But this is a debris collecting, aesthetically beautiful drain. So it checks all the boxes.”
While the LR1 return and LD1 drain are designed with high-end luxury pools in mind, Bowie asserts that these products are versatile and can enhance pools of all levels. “I think these products look great in any pool. They’re not cost-prohibitive, and you could put them in your basic entry-level pool, all the way up to your very high end,” said Bowie.
Ready to Take a Deeper Dive?
Listen to our entire conversation with Justin Bowie on the Pool Magazine podcast.
Photo Credits: Justin Bowie / JMax Plumbing / Pul Products
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