Life, Values & Legacy: Our Chat with Brian Hoover

We recently had the chance to connect with Brian Hoover and have shared our conversation below.

Brian, we’re thrilled to have you with us today. Before we jump into your intro and the heart of the interview, let’s start with a bit of an ice breaker: What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
Work keeps me very busy but I always find time to coach my son’s sports teams. I have coached 7 years of baseball, 3 years of flag football, and we are in our 3rd season of tackle football. It has been so cool to watch my son grow along with all his friends from the different teams. I can’t wait to follow those kids through their high school, college and professional sports careers. Coaching has allowed me to take a break from the stresses of my work life. Seeing kids that I help coach improve their skills and fall in love with the game gives me more joy than a paycheck most of the time. Don’t get me wrong, everyone loves big paydays but watching kids playing games and having fun is hard to beat.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Brian Hoover and my company is Aquatic Contractors. We are an aquarium design, build, and service company based in Southern California. This company was created with a few buckets and a competitive attitude in my parent’s garage in 2001. My accountant told me the only way he sees this working for a career is to be the Dr. Phil of aquariums. I took it as a challenge and set on my wild ride of building and maintaining aquariums for some of the biggest name clients on the planet. Over the past two decades our work has been seen worldwide through various publications, TV commercials, as well as Animal Planets reality show, Tanked. Our company is so unique because of the location we provide service, as well as our extensive clientele. We have built or maintained aquariums from your average person to worldwide superstars. Most of our clients come organically from clients of the past and present. Everyday I wake up for work, I have a hard time processing what wild adventure I will be on with these clients during my day. The moments I have with them, the people I meet day in and day out is mind-blowing and does not feel like real life.  Most of the projects we come across are very far from your average gold fish bowl.  In the past few months, I built an aquarium for a very funny and famous comedians son,  delivered an octopus to a client who is working on creating an AI program to communicate with the Octopus and I am in the process of putting the final touches on a coral reef tank in a 40 million dollar house.

Okay, so here’s a deep one: Who taught you the most about work?
I would say my parents, family friends, as well as my coaches throughout my sports career. My parents showed me what hard work is and to appreciate everything in life. Family friends let me see all the different career paths available. My coaches instilled not letting failure stop you. Playing high school football in the late 90s was pushing the edge of death daily through hard work at practices. I learned to never give up, learn from your failures, and keep moving forward.

If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
I would tell my younger self to buckle up and hold on tight. The road in front of you is rocky and not easy but you are going to have the time of your life.

Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
The biggest lie in the aquarium service industry is “I know how to do that and I will charge you less”. Fish tanks done wrong or mickey moused together will always fail. Social media has amplified that with photoshopped tanks and click bait. They say it takes 10,000 hrs to become an expert in something and I have over 50,000 hrs under my belt and wouldn’t call myself an expert since I am currently learning and adapting daily . When Tanked hit prime time television, a lot of individuals appeared with a bucket and a net thinking they could handle it. My mustache has been inside more aquariums than the hands of some of these fish guys. Potential clients need to do extensive research before hiring someone to create high-end living art.

Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?
I believe I am doing what I am born to do. I am outside, working with people bringing joy to families and offices. The only things that were told to me were follow your dreams, and you better find a job that can handle your expensive lifestyle.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://aquatic-contractors.com
• Instagram: aquaticcontractors