Name and location: Randy Beard, Pure Water Pool, Costa Mesa, Calif.
How you know a project is truly great: "When somebody else is inspired by that project. Every project has the ability to be truly great, regardless of the price, regardless of where it's built and regardless of who builds it."
Specialty: Understanding his clients, getting inside their heads and figuring out what their visions are.
Signature look: "Pools with attitude. no two pools are the same - every pool is different. I refuse to do the same thing twice."
Inspiration: Nature and its harmony, whether it's an extraordinary tree, a lake or a geographical feature.
Favorite materials: Stone and glass.
Proudest Moment: "When Skip Phillips looked at a picture of a pool I'd done and said, 'Wow,' that rocked. When you're judged by your peers to have done good work, that's huge."