a character with character
Owner of Treat's Pools & Spas has zeal for life, business
“Eighty-five and still alive!” booms Ron Brauman, self-made entrepreneur and owner of Treat’s Pools & Spas in Uncasville, CT. A Korean War veteran and widower who also outfought a cancerous growth some years back, this affable gentleman is as spry and durable as a tough root. And he appears also to have touched upon that elusive formula for dealing with ‘Father Time’ … one that has granted him longevity and joy.
In his many years of doing the work he absolutely loves, while also reveling in the bliss of good old-fashioned fellowship with others, Brauman sums it all up rather plainly: “The key is not to ‘give in’ to anything, and to laugh a lot,” he said, sitting back in a cozy seat behind his stacked office desk. “Too many old people give up their own sense of recognition, like they’re just sitting around and waiting to die. Not me.”
Indeed, Brauman’s approach to life, and to his business, personifies the essence of a line from a short poem in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings … the ‘Riddle of Strider’:
“The old that is strong does not wither; deep roots are not reached by the frost...”
Sit down in his private office sometime and listen to the man as he engages you in a tour-de-force of fascinating yarns of yore, and you’ll agree that he’s like somebody out of a Tolkien or a Twain novel. It will prove to be a delight in the middle of your day you’ll not soon forget.
The conduit for maintaining that sort of strength throughout his lifetime has been
in the very business he has owned and operated for half a century, one that ties family and friends firmly together: a pair of commodities most precious to Ron Brauman.
“If you love what you’re doing, you don’t really ‘work’ a day in your entire life,” he said. A good deal has been written and spoken of the high quality of pools and spas that can be purchased at his 22 Avery Street property which is situated in a reclusive lot, nestled quietly behind a Chinese restaurant off Route 32.
Much also has been written previously – and in glowing terms – of the free delivery and spot-on maintenance and repairs offered by Treat’s Pools & Spas, along with the mass range of products and utilities needed to ensure a veritable lifetime of comfort and enjoyment of those purchases. Business is ever on the rise and Brauman is proud that so much of it is run by family – and by employees who practically wind up being considered family.
That outlook goes for customers too. And therein lies the crux of Brauman’s ongoing success. He has always sold what matters most to him: a product that brings family and friends together. It is expressed in his own words from a perspective piece he wrote years ago: “The pool becomes a part of their lives. A swimming pool is still the one thing a family can enjoy long after it’s been paid for. And it also keeps loved ones in the privacy of your own backyard.”
He believes firmly in the value of what he sells. And it is the enthusiasm with which he promotes it that transcends the traditional benefits attributed to swimming pools and spas, or the obvious relief derived from having them during steaming summer days. There is also the level of success that comes from his devotion to what he clearly believes to be the backbone of Americana ... the strength of the family unit and the value of dear friends.
Brauman feels he encourages a product that is ideal for mustering family and friends into comfortable communities. He believes there is very little that families cherish more than being gathered together happily in their own backyards … especially around a refreshing pool that is well-maintained and designed to enhance their comfort and camaraderie. In his eyes, it’s all about everyone reveling in the pure joy of a great sunny afternoon and living that day to its fullest. “We’re not here forever, so let’s enjoy each other while we’ve got the time to do it.”
That’s what this delightful old gent is really selling and it’s worth buying. It’s what’s kept him going all these years and likely for more to come. Pay him a visit and you’ll see for yourself. It will be an afternoon you’ll talk about long after you’ve left his office … and just maybe you’ll even wind up inviting him over after your own pool is installed. He’ll like that.
Treat’s Pools & Spas on 22 Avery Street, Uncasville, CT can be reached as follows: Phone: 860-848-1268 E-Mail: Treatspools@mac.com Website: https://www.treatspools.com/