Aquascape Academy:
How to Succeed with Water Features

Want to start your own water feature business or expand your current landscaping or lawn care services with profitable water feature installations and products? We’ll help you succeed – every step of the way!
2023 Academy Dates
Jan 9 - Jan 11
Jan 30 - Feb 1
Feb 27 - Mar 1
Mar 1 - Mar 3
Aquascape Academy is a 48-hour, in-person training course that will take you step-by-step through the process of opening and operating your very own Aquascape business.
In 1991, I launched Aquascape Designs the world’s first water feature installation business. Over three decades, Aquascape Designs evolved into Aquascape, Inc. – the industry’s leading manufacturer of water gardening products and the ONLY manufacturer to design, install, and maintain more water features than any company in the world.
Whether you are searching for a completely new and exciting career, or you have an existing green industry business and are looking to add water features to your list of services quickly and easily, this course will take you through the A-to-Z process of successfully doing just that!
Here’s what we’ll cover during our two days together:
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- Our revolutionary 20 steps, 20 products construction process. You’ll witness the entire water feature construction process first-hand as our installation crew creates an Aquascape ecosystem pond from start to finish in just ONE day!
- How to promote and market your business to get new customers and turn existing clients into water feature owners.
- The streamlined process to properly design and sell the right water feature for any property and any budget.
- The step-by-step process to becoming a Certified Aquascape Contractor
- The top 10 dos and don’ts of every successful water feature business.
Thirty years ago, I started this business from scratch in my garage. I took my hobbyist roots and launched Aquascape while still in college. No one gave me the formula. I had to figure it out through trial and error along the way!
I am personally conducting this training course along with Brian Helfrich who leads our design, construction, maintenance, and retail operations. Combined, Brian and I have 57 years of experience that we want to give to you! This course is not theory; it is first-hand knowledge and real-world application. We will share the best practices we’ve developed and give you a blueprint for success laid out in easy-to-follow steps! You will leave with a winning game plan to execute.
This interactive, practical, fun-filled, two-day, and two-night experience is designed to prepare YOU to succeed!!! There has never been a better time to get into the water feature business than right now! Consumer demand for water features is the greatest we’ve seen in 30 years!!!
Are you ready to say “I ❤️ MY JOB!” with as much enthusiasm as I do? Are you willing and able to follow a step-by-step process for launching a profitable decorative water feature business? If you’re answering “YES,” then Aquascape Academy is designed especially for you!
Carpe Diem,

Aquascape Academy 2023
Multiple Dates Available
Location: Aqualand – Aquascape, Inc. Corporate Headquarters: 901 Aqualand Way, St. Charles, IL
Attendees: Open to all aspiring pond builders
Whether you have an existing green industry business and are looking to quickly and easily add water features to your list of services or you are looking for a completely new and exciting career – this course is for you!
Aquascape Academy
At Aquascape, our first goal is to help you succeed at designing, building, and selling water features. This course will take you through the step-by-step process to do just that!
Here’s what we will cover during our two days together:
- The revolutionary Aquascape 20 steps, 20 products construction process. You’ll witness the entire construction process first-hand as our installation crew creates an Aquascape ecosystem pond from start to finish in just ONE day!
- How to promote and market your business to get new customers and turn existing clients into water feature owners.
- The streamlined process to properly design and sell the right water feature for any property at any budget.
- The systematic, paint-by-numbers, blueprint formula broken down for you to follow on your path to becoming a Certified Aquascape Contractor.
- The top 10 dos and don’ts of every successful water feature business.
Price per person is $399 USD which includes training and meals
Pre-Event
Day 1
Day 2
What to Pack
To join us for a game of wally-ball, soccer, or to use our fitness center (which includes a cold plunge, hot tub, steam room, and sauna), please pack athletic wear, sneakers, and a swimsuit.
Holiday Inn Express & Suites Chicago West – St. Charles
155 38th Ave, St. Charles, IL 60174
Click here to book your room at our discounted rate $95 USD
A complementary shuttle service will be provided to and from the hotel and Aqualand

Why a Pond Company is the Best Contracting Business Model Out There
Seven years ago, I went to a pond conference (yes, they have them) and it was super impactful – if you wanted it to be. At that conference, my dad was awarded “top company” in the nation. What I didn’t realize at the time was the strength of the pond company business model. Here’s three (of many) reasons why pond companies succeed:
- Competition is low, so it’s easier to gain market share. Because pond building is a specialized industry, there aren’t a ton of companies in each geographic area that specialize in it. When compared to some of the more common contracting industries, such as remodeling, landscaping, painting, etc., competition is minimal.
- Pond builders don’t have to create a ‘need’ for what they do for people’s homes. The most common call Premier Ponds gets is from someone who just moved into a house that has an unsightly and dysfunctional pond that needs attention. In the home remodeling industry, homeowners have to create a reason why their current kitchen/bathroom/basement isn’t working for them. In the pond world, new homeowners inherited a problem that needs to be dealt with – usually immediately.
- There’s recurring revenue which creates consistency within the pond business. It’s hard enough making strategic business decisions. It’s even harder when you don’t know how much money will be in your bank account three months from now. In the pond world, ongoing water feature maintenance is a huge revenue stream with great margins. Once pond owners get onto a maintenance plan they stick with it for years – and providing maintenance as a service doesn’t require hiring people that have 10 years of pond building experience. Plus, it allows pond companies to grow during an economic recession. That’s how Premier Ponds survived in 2007, 2008, and 2009.
There are a lot of other lessons I’ve learned about the pond business from my father, but man – it’s a great business model when the right person is in charge.
– Logan Shinholser, Premier Ponds
