About Us
Put a lifetime vacation in your backyard.
That's been the idea since 1984.
Our story
Water Way Pool & Spa was started by Steve and Sandy Menefee in 1984. For the first couple of years they ran the business out of a small strip mall in Portage — until Steve, a U.S. Army veteran who was as comfortable swinging a hammer as he was selling pools, decided he could just build a real store himself.
He did. The building you walk into at 6315 US Highway 6 is the one he built, on land the family still owns — including the warehouse behind the showroom, stacked floor-to-ceiling with the pools and hot tubs we sell every day.
Steve and Sandy ran Water Way for the rest of their lives. Sandy worked the business as hard as anyone — every day, every season — and Steve was still driving the warehouse forklift well into his later years. They've both since passed, but the work ethic and the values they built into this place haven't.
Today the business is owned and run by Stacey and Shelley — Steve and Sandy's daughters — who grew up in the showroom and now lead it into its second generation. Jen and Jennifer (yes, two Jens) manage the day-to-day, and the rest of our team has spent years learning what most pool stores never quite figure out: that what customers actually want is a straight answer.
What makes us different
We sell pools and hot tubs. We don't install them.
That's intentional. Installation is a different craft — best done by specialists who do it every day. We focus on what we're best at: knowing every spec on every product we carry, helping you pick the right pool or hot tub the first time, and making sure you have everything you need to keep it running for decades.
When you do need installation, we'll recommend a partner who's earned that trust with our customers.
The free water testing isn't a gimmick.
Bring us a sample. We'll test it on the spot — chlorine, pH, alkalinity, hardness, the works — and tell you exactly what to do. No appointment. No purchase required. We do this because the difference between a great pool season and a frustrating one usually comes down to chemistry, and most people don't get clear guidance anywhere else.
We actually have what you need in stock.
That warehouse behind the showroom isn't for show. We're an authorized dealer for Doughboy, Embassy, DreamMaker, and Hayward — and we keep real inventory, not catalog pictures. If we tell you a pool can be at your house next week, it's because it's already at ours.