Terry Ostrom said his decision to launch Precision Pools & Spas in 1991 led him down a path to the freedom that comes from self-employment — a journey he now hopes to share with his sons.

“I was working for a condominium management company as a maintenance director, and that just got old after a certain amount of time,” Ostrom recalls. “I thought that if I’m going to work this hard, I’m going to do it for myself.”

At the time, Ostrom toyed with the idea of starting his own property management company or maybe a landscaping business, but as part of the roles he held with two local management companies he took care of 20 pools and spas in the Steamboat Spring area — and had a firm grasp on what he needed to do to run a business.

He went on to run Precision Pools & Spas for more than 30 years often taking his sons Tyler and Lance with him to jobs, teaching them the business and hoping to start a tradition of business ownership. Both of his boys left Steamboat Springs after graduation, but have since returned.

Tyler, a 2008 Steamboat Springs High School graduate, went to the University of Wyoming where he earned his degree before taking a job with Kroenke Sports and Entertainment handling sales for the Denver Nuggets, Colorado Avalanche and Colorado Mammoth. Lance, a 2012 Steamboat Springs High School graduate, lived in Longmont for a couple of years after college.

“They both worked for other people for a while,” Terry said. “They were not completely thrilled, and were not making the money they wanted, or doing the things they wanted to do, and had no free time that was theirs.”

Tyler returned in 2016 and took over Precision Pools & Spas when his father made the decision to retire in 2023. Lance also returned to the Yampa Valley, starting Ostrom Enterprises, a handyman business. But Lance remains connected to Precision working with cold tubs and saunas.

“Lance approached me to talk about the cold tubs and the wellness side of cold tubs that I didn’t quite understand, nor did I want to jump into a cold tub all the time,” Tyler said.

At the time, Arctic Spas, a brand that Precision works with, was offering dealers a chance to sell their cold tubs, and Lance was eager to take on the task.

“Arctic Spas was offering (to make us a dealer) that sells their cold tubs,” Tyler said. “They’ve been doing that for 20 years, but they just offered that to all the dealers, so Lance approached me and now we work hand-in-hand, but we are separate companies.”

Today Precision Pools & Spas, and the Ostroms, continue to serve the community where Tyler and Lance were raised. Precision sells hot tubs, cold tubs, saunas (including portable units) while offering repairs and installations.

Terry said he is thrilled his sons have elected to follow his path as they move into the future, and that the lessons he had hoped to teach them hopefully have inspired them to take on the challenges and rewards of owning their own businesses.

“I never expected to be doing hot tubs and to be doing Precision Pools, but I did expect to own my own business and be where I wanted to live,” Tyler said. “That was something (our family) instilled in both of us … This was a great opportunity to run my own business, be where I wanted to live and have a little bit of the freedom that comes from ownership.”

Lance echoed his brother’s feelings, and celebrated his own success running Ostrom Enterprises, which placed second in the 2025 Best of the Boat contest and serves customers in Steamboat Springs.

“Owning your own business is not as glamorous as people make it sound, but at least you get to control the things you want to control most of the time,” Lance said. “That part, to me, that was definitely instilled in me by my father and family is that you definitely want to work for yourself, to try to create the life you want.”