Some who live by the motto “skate and destroy” grow up to build the very things they used to destroy.
Just ask Jon Temple. Skateboarding culture runs deep at his pool plastering firm in Jacksonville, Fla. Roughly half of his 60-person crew comes from a background building ramps and obstacles designed for riding. He’s found that skaters have a knack for crafting concrete bowls replicating the contours of kidney-shaped pools. They already know how to excavate, tie rebar, mix concrete and shoot and finish surfaces to perfection.
The president and owner of Tempool Inc. is happy to bring them on board.
“They’re perfect for the pool industry,” Temple says. “They’re incredible craftsmen for the stuff they’re building. Many of them are more of a craftsman than the guys just shooting shells.”
As he sees it, those plastering skate pools have more on the line. “You can’t hide deficiencies under water,” he says. Read more.
