Fitz’s Fish Ponds Recap: Water Garden Expo 2025
Apr 3rd 2025
Fitz’s Fish Ponds recently sent a team of 12 dedicated employees to the annual Water Garden Expo in Shawnee, Oklahoma—a premier industry event bringing together pond professionals from across the country for hands-on training, product demos, and networking opportunities. The Expo is an essential opportunity for our team to stay up to date with innovations in the industry, expand their knowledge, and build meaningful connections with peers, vendors, and educators. At Fitz’s Fish Ponds, we place a strong emphasis on learning, training, and development for every department, and this trip was a perfect example of that commitment in action.
Value for Every Department
With representatives from our marketing, retail, service, and construction departments, each attendee came away with new tools and insights tailored to their unique roles:
- The marketing team connected with industry leaders and vendors to explore new strategies, branding trends, and ways to elevate our digital presence.
- Our retail team learned about the latest products and merchandising ideas to improve the in-store experience and better serve our customers.
- The service and construction teams participated in advanced training sessions focused on installation techniques, troubleshooting, and the latest in pond and water feature technologies.
These takeaways not only benefit the individual departments but also strengthen our team as a whole—bringing a higher level of service, efficiency, and innovation to everything we do.
Fitz Shares His Story on the Pond Digger Podcast
One of the highlights of the Expo was Brian Fitzsimmons’ live interview with Eric Triplett on The Pond Digger Podcast. During the session, Brian shared the story of how he scaled and grew Fitz’s Fish Ponds from the ground up, offering actionable advice to fellow pond contractors and professionals in the audience. His number one piece of advice? Explore your strengths and weaknesses—then find good people to support the areas where you’re not as strong. He emphasized that building a strong, collaborative team is the key to long-term success. Additionally, Brian shared a powerful growth mindset strategy: Examine what’s working well in your business and do more of it. By focusing on strengths and repeating successful actions, businesses can drive sustainable growth.
Celebrating a Major Milestone
Another exciting moment during the trip was the announcement that our very own Lauren Nolan has been named the new Publisher of POND Trade Magazine. This respected publication serves pond professionals across the nation, delivering essential content on trends, techniques, and success stories from within the industry. Lauren will be collaborating with talented Graphic Designer Rae Cauley to bring fresh energy and valuable content to readers and support the pond community at large. We couldn’t be more proud of Lauren for taking on this leadership role in the industry.
A Message from Our CEO
"Events like the Water Garden Expo are critical to our mission of growing not just as a business, but as a team of professionals dedicated to excellence in every aspect of what we do," said Brian Fitzsimmons, CEO and Owner of Fitz’s Fish Ponds. "Seeing each department walk away with new skills and connections—makes me proud of how far we’ve come and excited for what’s next."
Looking Ahead
The Water Garden Expo 2025 was an unforgettable experience that empowered our team with new knowledge, expanded networks, and renewed inspiration. We’re excited to apply what we’ve learned and continue growing—not just as individuals, but as a united force at Fitz’s Fish Ponds. Our commitment to training and development ensures that we remain leaders in the pond and water feature industry, now and into the future.
