Experience in schools inspires not one, but three businesses.
Former high school property manager Kris Morris-Vette has cleaned his share of toilets, halls and swimming pools. Now the Auckland entrepreneur is using his experience to run three successful businesses.
The biggest is Watershed. One of New Zealand's fastest growing companies on last year's Deloitte Fast50 Index - it grew by 169 per cent - it audits and consults to aquatic centres and private swimming pool facilities.
Among Watershed's long-term customers are Auckland's Sacred Heart College, commercial developer Neil Properties, Matamata-Piako District Council, Tauranga District Council, Auckland City Council, and listed retirement village owner Ryman Healthcare.
As auditors, says Morris-Vette, he and his team are "problem solvers". They assess the way a swimming pool facility is run and come up with improvements.
In some cases it means clashing with engineers, says Morris-Vette.
"But we always win," he laughs.
"An engineer will tell you what the best thing to do on paper is. But we see what's happening on the ground and so we demonstrate what's actually happening or what will actually happen, versus what people think."
The Auckland Council engaged Watershed to review plans for its refurbished Tepid Baths.
"The council had a mechanical engineer to design the pool system, but my team look at things from an operational point of view," Morris-Vette says.
"One change we suggested was to shift the facility's chlorine injection point to a spot where it would be more easily accessed. Another was to rearrange the plant-room [where filters, pumps and chlorine are handled] to make it easier for the operator to work in and create space where previously there wasn't any."
For Morris-Vette, the work is simply a case of applying the knowledge that he has accumulated over the years.
As property manager for Auckland's Sacred Heart College, he managed the school's aquatic centre (a public pool run in partnership with the Auckland City Council) and was in charge of ensuring the school complied with the myriad codes, regulations and laws set out by the Ministry of Education, Auckland City Council, Department of Labour and Standards NZ.
Auckland City Council asked him to review and report on chlorination options at downtown Auckland's Tepid Baths. That led to a feasibility study for a new learn-to-swim pool at another facility. Morris-Vette soon found himself working nights and weekends on various projects and, recognising a need for his services, he set up Watershed in 2006 while working part-time at the college. After 18 months the company had outgrown his spare-room office so he packed in the school job, found a bigger office and concentrated on Watershed.
Morris-Vette is confident of the need for Watershed's niche services, but says the company's biggest challenge is convincing customers they need him.
"We've got to convince them to spend money on us because down the track we'll save them money."
And Morris-Vette has a policy of never saying no to business opportunities.
"Once you say 'no' people remember that and won't come back. We say 'yes' and figure out a way to make it work."
His second business, Exceed, also stemmed from his school property management experiences. At Sacred Heart he'd fired three cleaning companies in 18 months for not doing a good enough job (which meant he had to do some of the cleaning).
Morris-Vette saw a need for a company that focused solely on cleaning schools, where the demand for cleaning changes from day to day. For example, on sports days and teacher-only days there might be less classroom cleaning required, while a school concert means the hall would need special attention.
Exceed employs 30 part-time cleaners and has contracts with three secondary schools, one primary school and a school hostel in Auckland. Cleaning can be a monotonous and lonely job, so to keep up morale, Exceed cleaners work in teams. Petrol is a large expense: Morris-Vette says the company spends between $2500 and $3000 a month filling cleaners' cars.
Morris-Vette's third business, set up six months ago, grew out of Watershed. In his reports he noticed he was often commenting on "bad advice" about chemicals that owners or managers had been given by pool shops. He feared if Watershed expanded into sales it could lose focus, so he set up Naked Pool to service pools and also sell chemicals. Morris-Vette says his knowledge about pool chemical mixes means he knows he's getting it right. Right now it's just "one man in a van" but he has plans to franchise the business.
So why Naked Pool? It's a bit of "personality", says Morris Vette, and lends itself well to franchising.
"And it shows we have nothing to hide."
