Kirk Jenkins — 30 Under 40 2026

When Kirk Jenkins became an owner of Watertree in 2023, he took on the responsibility for a business that dates to 1939.

Jenkins began on the retail side as a sales specialist at The Pool and Spa Center in Rapid City, South Dakota. After three years, he left for the wine and spirits industry, gaining a different perspective on sales and corporate business before eventually returning.

Back at The Pool and Spa Center, Jenkins became sales manager and later general manager. In 2023, he, his wife Becky Jenkins and partner Aaron Nease purchased the family business. After the purchase, the new owners rebranded The Pool and Spa Center as Watertree.

“Becoming the third generation to own and operate a family business that began in 1939 is the biggest accomplishment thus far,” Jenkins says.

Ownership brought the difficulty of modernizing an 80-plus-year-old company without damaging what made it successful in the first place.

“The most challenging moment is knowing you have to grow and evolve the business without destroying the legacy that was left for us,” Jenkins says.

Technology has been one of the biggest changes. Jenkins and his partners have introduced tools designed to make the organization more efficient and effective, but getting there has required leadership, patience and employee buy-in.

At the same time, Jenkins has held tightly to something decidedly old-fashioned: knowing his customers.

He says he recognizes a large portion of Watertree’s customers by name and considers solving their problems one of the most gratifying parts of his work.

That emphasis on service informs his view of what the larger industry could improve. Jenkins regularly encounters customers who have had mediocre experiences elsewhere and believes retailers and service providers have a responsibility to do better, including admitting when they make a mistake.

“Keep it simple, give customers the absolute best experience regardless if you gain from it,” he says.

His long-term plan circles back to the history he inherited. Jenkins wants to strengthen the company so another generation has the opportunity to step into it.

Outside Watertree, Jenkins coaches his children’s sports teams, golfs with his wife and camps with his family in South Dakota’s Black Hills.

Locations refer to company headquarters; honorees may work remotely or live elsewhere.