Pettis Pools Entrepreneurship Award
Pettis Pools has endowed the Pettis Pools Entrepreneurship Awards to recognize business students who are interested in launching entrepreneurial ideas through their studies within the School of Business and Management at SUNY Brockport. The fund honors the memory of the company’s founders, Lawrence ’53 and Erma Ornce ’53 Pettis.
The couple married before their senior year at Brockport and taught in Hilton after graduation. In 1962, while considering summer work, they saw an ad for an in-ground pool dealer. They both liked the challenge and opportunity of entrepreneurship, and they decided to take a chance on selling swimming pools. With support from their families and using their backyard as a model, the couple sold six pools that first summer. The next summer, in addition to pools, they sold chlorine, vacuums, and other pool-related products. They operated from their garage for six years before opening a retail location. Erma managed the store and finances while Larry supervised installations.
The company grew from its original location, and the couple added a second store in East Rochester. They also increased their product lines to include outdoor furniture, hot tubs, and saunas as well as added a fleet of service vehicles. Although Larry Pettis passed away in 2003, and Erma Pettis passed in 2012, the company continues its operations with two of their three children, Julie and Steve, serving as vice presidents. In 2020, a third generation joined the business when Stephen’s daughter Abbey Pettis decided to come aboard. Abbey is a 2014 Brockport graduate with a degree in Health Care Administration and Psychology. She went on to obtain he master’s degree at Brockport in Public Administration in 2017.
Applicants who qualify for the Pettis Pool Entrepreneurial Awards are accepted into one of the majors within Brockport’s School of Business and Management, demonstrate academic proficiency, and have completed a business school-sponsored business-planning seminar. They also must complete all documents requested by the competition such as business plans, budgets, models, and technology requirements. Applicants may work independently or as part of a team. At least one member of the team or the individual, if a solo proposal, must be at least a rising junior. Applicants must be prepared to present their ideas to the School of Business and Management judging panel if selected as a finalist, to publicize selection of their project, and to provide follow-up information on the status of their idea.