Mahwah Business Named One of the Best in the US

A pool builder based in Mahwah has been named one of the best in the nation.

Cipriano Landscape Design, which specializes in custom pool designs, was ranked by Pool and Spa News as one of the Top 50 Pool Builders in the country.

According to a release from the trade magazine, Cipriano, which ranked 14th on the list, is the only swimming pool company from northern NJ to be included in the ranking.

Company founder and owner Chris Cipriano, who lives in the township with his wife and kids, said he was “proud,” of the ranking, especially since 2013 marks the first year his business has been included on the list.

He said factors like a very informative website, active social media presence (the small business has over 9,500 Facebook likes), and involvement in the community, likely set the company apart.

Cipriano is known for an annual $10,000 donation to a Rutgers scholarship fund, and various other community service projects in and around Mahwah.

Cipriano, who also owns Cipriano Farm on Darlington Avenue, started the company in 1989 as a landscaping company. After noticing a “problem in the industry,” Cipriano begn incorporating pool design and construction into his business 13 years ago.

“There was a lot of frustration over how the industry was being run, with pool companies sub-contracting out every piece of the pool construction,” Cipriano said. “Details were falling through the cracks, and the customers were often suffering because of it.”

So, Cipriano decided to launch a business model in which all aspects of the pool’s design and construction were handled by his company.

“That way, there is no finger-pointing,” he said.

Cipriano and his 30 employees now install an average of six to 10 pools a year. The unique pools they specialize in include components like fiber optic light strands lining pool bottoms and river-flow pools that owners can kayak on. The company is even currently working on a pool shaped like a giant violin.

“The biggest gift I’ve been given is having customers who really allow us to be creative with what we do,” Cipriano said. “I love coming to work everyday.”