Gold Medal Pools & Outdoor Living

With Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Texas Tech University and experience as Grandscape Project Manager with Gold Medal, Joey is well-equipped to manage the company’s extensive construction operations. He has been a member of the Gold Medal team since 2018.

Prior to joining Gold Medal, he worked for 11 years at Halliburton Energy Services, most recently as a Global Technology Manager.

Josh Sandler grew up in the swimming pool industry and has learned the business from the ground up. For years he worked on crews in every phase of the building process. With a background in construction and a degree from the University of Texas at Austin, he has the foundation to run the day-to-day operations for Gold Medal Pools and the business skills to lead the company’s many teams and broad scope of projects.

Family values, hard work, commitment, and attention to detail remain the core values in Gold Medal Pools’ operations, and Josh is committed to putting those into action every day and on every project – whether it’s a simple pool for a young family or a multi-million dollar commercial initiative.

Rodney grew up in  a construction family and comes to Gold Medal with extensive operations and financial experience. He is a 25- year veteran in construction accounting having held the position of Controller/CFO for a number of building product and home builder companies. His previous tenures include 15 years with Omni-Max International, Inc., 9 years with Signet Builders, Inc., and 5 years in the audit department of Coopers & Lybrand. Rodney holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting and Finance from Texas A&M.

From his first job mowing lawns at the age of 12 to a 26-year-long career in construction sales, marketing and estimating, Craig Kooda has spent his entire work life beautifying the landscape. He joined Gold Medal Pools in 2011 where he heads up commercial estimating and development and is instrumental in policy creation and resource building.

Craig earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree with a major in marketing from the Business School at the University of Texas in Austin

With a passion and love for the outdoors, Justin Barham, Director of Residential Construction for Gold Medal Pools was born in Houston, Texas in April 1977. After graduating from The University of Texas at Austin in 1999 with a degree in Business Economics, he moved to Dallas to start a career in construction sales and management. He soon realized that his true enjoyment was being hands on in the field and dealing face to face with the customer, helping them bring their dreams to reality.

Justin has 19 years’ experience in the construction industry, 12 years specializing in backyard living and 6 plus years with Gold Medal Pools. He, his wife and 3 teenage kids reside in Allen, TX and are Texans through and through and are here for life to serve and partner with families in the North Texas area.

A Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering degree from Texas Tech University helped to prepare Ridge for his position managing commercial projects of all sizes and components for Gold Medal Pools. Some of the high-profile projects he has spearheaded in the Dallas Metro area include The Crystal Lagoon, Texas Live fountains and pool, the David Building, Carpenter Park pool and the Gates of Prosper.

An avid sports enthusiast since his youth, Anthony is always up for a challenge. Right out of high school, he secured a job in the construction industry building custom homes, beginning as a laborer and working his way up to foreman. Sixteen years ago, he transitioned from home construction to commercial pool construction. Anthony was involved in building the 2008 and 2012 Olympic trial pools and has built over 20 elevated pools. His experience in hydraulics, plumbing, and other aspects of pool construction earned him his position as Senior Commercial Project Manager at Gold Medal.

Cody has spent his whole career at Gold Medal and has hands-on experience in all areas of operations. He has over 10 years specifically dedicated to construction operations, specializing in labor distribution and management.

A part-time high school job learning the basics of pool building and servicing became a career path for Geoffrey. After high school, he joined the Marine Corps and was deployed to Afghanistan post-911 for Operation Enduring Freedom, for which he was awarded the Naval Achievement Medal. In 2011, he joined Gold Medal as a Construction Yard Manager and worked his way up to his current position. He has been instrumental in developing the commercial construction department, manages multi-million-dollar projects, and forges and maintains relationships with clients.

A member of the Gold Medal team since 2007, Erik was born and raised in a small town in Northern California. The values of honesty, hard work and care for family and neighbors instilled in him during those early years made him the perfect fit for Gold Medal.

Erik holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Wildlife Management from Humboldt State University in Arcata, California, and began his professional life as a wildlife biologist and a Registered Professional Forester. His appreciation and care for the environment guides his thinking and actions in his current position with Gold Medal.

Nicole has both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Texas A&M University. She began her career at Halliburton Energy Services where she worked as a design engineer in the Testing & Subsea Department. In 2017, she began at Gold Medal as a commercial project estimator and now manages the Commercial Sales Department. Her team is responsible for all commercial estimating and pre-construction duties. Nicole has been instrumental in the growth of the Commercial Department and has helped to implement new policies and procedures.

Having always been mechanically inclined, Kevin pursued his passion for automotive performance and graduated from Motorcycle Mechanics Institute in 2002 and is certified by Honda and Suzuki. After his studies, Kevin became an integral part of a successful startup where he led every aspect of the business under the company’s president. His grassroots, hands-on experience in the construction and events fields landed Kevin a position in procurement and inventory management at Gold Medal in February 2020, where he ultimately secured his current role as Safety Coordinator.  Kevin puts his faith as his #1 priority in life and enjoys an active lifestyle including playing disc golf and hunting. He is a Proud Texan along with his wife and their son and daughter

Matt has been working in construction since his high school graduation. He began his career in residential remodeling and commercial framing before joining Gold Medal in 2011. Matt learned the technical details of pool construction by training on all aspects of the process, during which he worked his way up from crew leader and Residential Superintendent to Commercial General Superintendent. Managing all of the company’s superintendents, Matt provides oversight for all construction, including extensive multi-million-dollar projects.

Since joining Gold Medal Pools in 2015, Welcome has built and developed the company’s maintenance and service departments, both of which he now oversees. Having grown up in the pool business, he learned first-hand what is needed to keep residential and commercial pools operating at peak performance.

Welcome earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from the University of Texas Dallas.