The ASP – America’s Swimming Pool Co. Franchise of the Year Award is a prestigious honor presented to franchise owners who exemplify outstanding dedication and performance. Recipients are recognized for their work on developing their teams, refining their processes, and driving sustained growth. The award highlights leaders who focus on growing their business strategically, rather than simply managing day-to-day operations.
We are proud to honor Justin and Kimberly Retzlaff of ASP of Northwest Tucson, AZ, as the recipients of the 2025 Award.
Since opening in August 2021, the franchise has rapidly established a reputation for quality and innovation. Their engagement includes Justin serving on the Franchise Advisory Council (FAC) for the last two years, where he contributes to the brand's ongoing success and development.
Through leadership, dedication, and involvement, Justin and Kimberly have shown that excellence in franchising comes from innovation, teamwork, and a steadfast pursuit of excellence.
Following the award recognition, we spoke with Justin and Kimberly to hear more about their experience as franchise owners with ASP. Check out the Q&A below to hear more from them.
How many years have you been a franchise owner with your brand?
4.5
What was your professional background before becoming a franchise owner?
Justin was a construction manager in franchise development for national brands, and Kimberly worked in editorial strategy and management in scientific and medical publishing.
What do you feel has been the biggest benefit of being part of a franchise?
The people and connections that we've made have been the biggest benefit. Having other people to talk to who work through the same types of challenges and can really understand what we're dealing with is incredibly helpful. From the ASP Franchising team to the other owners and our vendor and supplier partners, we feel very lucky to have the support that being part of this franchise facilitates so that we can perform at the highest level possible.
What support from Authority Brands has been most impactful to your business?
Again, it goes back to connections. We are in touch with a group of Authority Brands owners in the Tucson area, and we get together to talk about business and the Tucson market specifically. We do our best to support each other and refer to one another, and we hire each other for home services, too!
What do you credit your success to?
Our success is certainly in large part due to our partnership as a husband-and-wife team. Our strengths complement each other well, where Justin is the visionary who excels in business development and operations, and Kimberly is the integrator whose strength is in keeping track of the details. We also both have (probably unhealthy) amounts of tenacity that keeps us pushing ourselves to do better every day.
What advice would you give to someone considering joining a franchise?
Take advantage of the connections you have. There are so many other owners, vendor partners, and contacts at the franchise office, and they all have valuable knowledge and experience. These connections are the value in buying into a franchise network. You can learn from their experience and grow much more quickly than if you go at it alone.
What do you enjoy doing outside of work?
We love live music and go to shows whenever we can, and we travel to see our favorite bands if they aren't coming to our city. Red Rocks in Colorado is a favorite venue and is always worth the visit. Other than that, we enjoy scuba diving and traveling with friends, and we hope to find more time for those activities in the near future!
Follow the links below to learn more about ASP – America’s Swimming Pool Company:
