Dover Pools is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2026, marking five decades of serving pool and spa customers throughout the Delmarva Peninsula.
The family-owned company was founded in 1976 by Randy Anderson, father of current co-owners Chris and Nichole Anderson. While traveling from Albany, N.Y., to Delaware on a sales call for a pool construction company, Randy Anderson encountered 80-degree weather in March and saw an opportunity. He relocated to Delaware and opened what would become Dover Pools.
The business initially focused on inground pool construction, with only a small selection of supplies available for purchase. As the industry changed, Dover Pools changed with it. Hot tubs became an increasingly important part of the business during the 1980s and '90s, and the company expanded its cash-and-carry supply offerings in the 2000s.
In 2004, Dover Pools stopped building inground pools and shifted its focus to aboveground pools, hot tubs, spas, saunas, supplies, service and consulting. From its original Camden location, the company has grown to five stores across Delmarva: north Dover, south Dover, Milford and Seaford, Del., and Salisbury, Md.
That ability to evolve has long been part of the company's success. When AQUA Magazine recognized Dover Pools as a 2021 AQUA 100 winner, the company credited its family values, teamwork and commitment to customer service as important pieces of the business. Many employees had been with Dover Pools for more than 20 years, and the company had built a loyal customer base that stretched across generations.
According to Chris Anderson, his father's approach to business also established a strong foundation for the company's longevity. Randy Anderson built the company without debt, reinvesting earnings back into the business and its properties. The family has also placed a strong emphasis on hiring employees with the right attitude and retaining longtime team members.
Today, a third generation of the Anderson family is beginning to become involved in the business. Chris' son works for the company, while Nichole's children have worked in the stores during summer breaks.
Dover Pools officially commemorated its golden anniversary this spring with a ribbon-cutting ceremony hosted by the Central Delaware Chamber of Commerce. Chamber members, local dignitaries, friends and employees joined Chris and Nichole Anderson and the Dover Pools team to celebrate the milestone.
The company has maintained close ties to the communities it serves throughout its history, supporting organizations including Central Delaware Habitat for Humanity, the CenDel Foundation, Meals on Wheels and the Food Bank of Delaware, along with local schools, churches, sports organizations and military families.
After 50 years, the company's history can also be seen in the customers who continue walking through its doors.
"People that put in their first pools in the '80s still come into the store," Chris Anderson says.
For the Anderson family, the anniversary is both a celebration of what Dover Pools has become and of the business their father built.
"We are so grateful to our father for the legacy he left us," Nichole Anderson says.
