Having been on the swimming teams at Seymour High School and University of Kentucky, Dwight Hendrix saw success in the water.

Once he decided to start his own business in 1984, it involved swimming pools. This time, though, he wasn’t in the water. He was the one installing the pools.

“I worked for a contractor in 1979, and the housing market was down then, and he had built a pool in his backyard,” Hendrix said. “There were people begging him to build pools, so I helped him build three or four that summer when the housing market was down, and I just thought, ‘That’s kind of cool.’”

Hendrix said he borrowed money from his dad and put a display pool in at his home, and he hosted an open house. He sold six pools off of that and installed them.

His father and uncle both retired from Cummins Inc. and worked for him at Hendrix Pool & Patio for a period of time, but throughout his 40 years in business, Hendrix said it has mostly been him putting in pools.

“I’m still out with (his crew of employees) 90% of the time on the jobs,” he said. “We do opening, closing and service of pools. Used to, a long time ago, it was kind of a seasonal business because there wasn’t the amount of pools that there is now, so you had to find something in the wintertime to do, so we built a house or an apartment building or something for some of my friends and then hopefully be done with that by spring.”

Now, it consumes the whole year.

“The fiberglass market, we’ve jumped into that in the last five years pretty hot and heavy, and that has changed what we can do in the wintertime because we don’t have liners to deal with in the winter, so we can actually put a pool in and have it done in the wintertime,” Hendrix said. “We can do a couple in January, a couple in February and it just helps us get through the rest of the season.”

When asked what has kept him in the business for 40 years, Hendrix said pride. Despite some challenges over the years, he has been able to keep the business going strong.

“It has been one of those things where if something didn’t work this year, you just had to reinvent the wheel and start figuring out a way to make more money or to make the same amount of money because you’ve got employees you’ve got to take care of,” he said.

The pool shop opened at Brown and Tipton streets on the west side of Seymour before moving a block away to Community Drive and Tipton Street, where it remained for nearly 15 years. It has now been at 495 Burkart Boulevard since 2000.

To kick off Hendrix’s celebration of 40 years in business, the shop is hosting the inaugural Arctic Plunge to benefit a local cause, Special Olympics Indiana Jackson County.

The event from noon to 3 p.m. Feb. 10 will include a foam pool party, live music, food trucks, an above-ground pool raffle and a ribbon cutting. At 2 p.m., anyone interested in jumping into the 5-foot-deep in-ground pool in front of the shop may do so.

All money raised will go to the local Special Olympics program, which provides year-round sports training and competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for individuals with intellectual disabilities ages 8 and up.

“I actually want this to be the biggest party Seymour has ever seen,” Hendrix said. “It’s a celebration for me to turn 40 years here, and it’s a chance to give back to the community. … I just want it to be so intense to build a lot of excitement not only for Special Olympics but just so it soaks into my head that you’ve been in business for 40 years.”

Anyone interested in being an arctic plunger should stop by the shop to pick up an information packet, call 812-522-7387 or email Frances Prentice at [email protected].

Pool raffle tickets are $5 for one or $20 for five and may be purchased in advance at the shop or on the day of the event. The winner will receive an 18-foot round above-ground pool with one season worth of chemicals.

The shop also is taking orders for event T-shirts, which are $25 and come in three colors. Look for the post online at facebook.com/hendrixpools to place your order.

Hendrix is expecting a group from the shop’s chemical company, BioGuard, and the trainer of the year in the pool industry to be at the event. Plus, his son Carter’s soccer teammates from Indiana University Columbus plan to take the plunge.

This event benefiting Special Olympics was Carter’s idea, stemming from his involvement with Unified track and field when he was a student at Seymour High School. The collaborative effort between the Indiana High School Athletic Association and Special Olympics Indiana provides sports training and competition in an inclusive environment that allows friendships to form.

“My kids have a soft spot for that,” Dwight said. “There’s a couple of them that have done Unified track.”

On the day of the event, he said they prefer to accept cash for donations, shirts and the raffle, and checks may be made payable to Special Olympics Indiana Jackson County.

“We’ve contacted a lot of people that are going to help us get this thing big,” Dwight said. “The next thing we need is just donations for Special Olympics. Realistically, we’re trying to raise $10,000.”

As the 40-year anniversary celebration continues in 2024, he said to stay tuned for other special events planned that also will provide opportunities to support local charities.

Any groups interested in benefiting should call the pool shop.

“It’s to give back,” Hendrix said of the yearlong celebration. “For 40 years, the community has supported me, and we’re going to give back.”

He also said the Arctic Plunge may wind up being an annual event.

If you go

What: 40th anniversary celebration kickoff featuring the inaugural Arctic Plunge

When: Noon to 3 p.m. Feb. 10

Where: Hendrix Pool & Patio Inc., 495 Burkart Blvd., Seymour

Who: The public is invited

Details: Foam pool party, live music, food trucks, above-ground pool raffle, ribbon cutting and Arctic Plunge

Proceeds: Special Olympics Indiana Jackson County

How to help: Anyone interested in being an arctic plunger should stop by the shop to pick up an information packet, call 812-522-7387 or email Frances Prentice at [email protected]. Pool raffle tickets are $5 for one or $20 for five and may be purchased in advance at the shop or on the day of the event. Event T-shirts are $25 and come in three colors. Look for the post online at facebook.com/hendrixpools to place your order.