Putting the DMV on the Map: Beltway Pools Achieves Prestigious GENESIS Master Certification

Something remarkable just happened in the DMV pool industry — and we couldn’t be more proud to share it. Rob Moore and Dragan Kostadinovic, two of our own here at Beltway Pools, have officially become the first pool professionals in the entire DC Metropolitan Region to earn the GENESIS Master Certified Builder and Designer Certification, the highest-level credential offered through the Pool & Hot Tub Alliance (PHTA).

On behalf of the entire Beltway Pools team — every project manager, technician, office staff member, and crew member who shows up every day to serve our Virginia, Maryland, and DC clients — we are incredibly proud of what Rob and Dragan have accomplished. The whole team is beaming with pride. This is a milestone earned through decades of hands-on dedication, and it raises the bar for what every homeowner across the DMV can expect from a pool builder.

What Is the GENESIS Master Certification?

The GENESIS Certification program is widely regarded as the gold standard in professional pool education. Administered by the Pool & Hot Tub Alliance, GENESIS was developed to push experienced pool professionals well beyond basic licensing requirements and into a deeper mastery of construction science, hydraulic engineering, design principles, and client-centered service.

What sets GENESIS apart from any other credential is the caliber of its instructors. Courses are taught by engineers, architects, and some of the most accomplished builders and designers in the world. The curriculum isn’t theoretical — it draws on real-world expertise and decades of accumulated industry knowledge, delivered by professionals who helped define what modern pool construction looks like.

The Master Certified Builder and Designer designation is the pinnacle of the GENESIS program. To earn it, candidates must complete hundreds of hours of advanced coursework, pass comprehensive examinations, and demonstrate high-level competency across multiple disciplines — from structural engineering and hydraulics to design aesthetics and renovation science.

As of today, only a small and exclusive group of professionals worldwide hold this designation. Beltway Pools is proud to count two of them among our team.

A Historic First for the DC Metropolitan Region

When Rob Moore and Dragan Kostadinovic completed the GENESIS Master program, they didn’t just earn a credential — they made history for the DMV. They are the first pool professionals in the entire DC Metropolitan Region to hold this designation, representing Northern Virginia, Maryland, and Washington DC.

That means homeowners across Fairfax County, Prince William County, Montgomery County, and the broader DMV area now have something they’ve never had before: GENESIS Master Certified pool builders right in their own community. For a region as large and well-developed as the DC Metro area, that’s a genuinely remarkable achievement — and one that benefits every homeowner who chooses to build or renovate with Beltway Pools.

Rob Moore, Vice President of Operations at Beltway Pools, reflected on what the program meant to him:

“The GENESIS experience broadened our perspective and deepened our technical knowledge. Every instructor — from engineers and architects to world-renowned builders and designers — brought a level of expertise that allowed us to elevate our craft. We’re grateful to the PHTA for offering this kind of top-tier education.”

With a combined 30 years of hands-on experience in pool construction and renovation, Rob and Dragan brought a deep foundation of real-world knowledge into the program. The GENESIS certification didn’t create their expertise — it sharpened, expanded, and formally validated it at the highest level in the global pool and spa industry.

Straight from the Source: Rob and Dragan in Their Own Words

Both Rob and Dragan have spoken openly about how the GENESIS program reshaped their perspective as builders and designers. Their words speak directly to what this achievement means — not just for them personally, but for every client who trusts Beltway Pools with their project.

Dragan Kostadinovic, Founder and President of Beltway Pools, shared this:

“We feel honored to join the small group of individuals who represent this level of merit in the industry. And we highly recommend the GENESIS program to anyone in the pool and spa field — regardless of experience level. It pushes you to think bigger, design better, and serve your clients with more confidence.”

Rob Moore added:

“This certification is not just a personal milestone — it’s a promise to our customers. Whether you’re building a brand-new pool or updating an existing one, you deserve a team with proven training and hundreds of hours of advanced education behind every recommendation and design decision.”

That final point says everything. A certification at this level isn’t a trophy to display on a shelf — it’s a direct, daily benefit to every homeowner who chooses Beltway Pools for their next project.

What the GENESIS Program Actually Covers

It’s worth understanding exactly what Rob and Dragan studied and mastered, because it goes considerably deeper than the material covered by standard contractor licensing in Virginia and Maryland. The GENESIS Master program curriculum includes:

• Advanced pool hydraulics: In-depth training on water flow, pressure calculations, and pump system engineering — well beyond what state licensing exams require.
• Structural design principles: How pools must be engineered for specific soil conditions, load factors, and water pressure. This is critically important in Northern Virginia and parts of Maryland, where clay-heavy soils are common and can stress pool structures over time if not properly accounted for during design.
• Custom water features and specialty installations: Vanishing edges, raised spas, grottos, fire-and-water features, and deck-integrated designs — all of which require advanced technical knowledge to execute safely and beautifully.
• Renovation and resurfacing standards: Advanced techniques for assessing, planning, and executing pool renovations, from plaster and tile work to gunite and fiberglass resurfacing, with a focus on doing it right the first time.
• Client-centered design methodology: How to translate a homeowner’s vision into a design that is structurally sound, code-compliant, and budget-realistic for their specific property and backyard conditions.
• Professional and project management standards: Best practices in client communication, project execution, quality control, and scheduling throughout the entire build or renovation process.

Each of these areas directly influences the quality of the pools Beltway Pools builds and renovates across the DMV. When our team makes a recommendation about structure, materials, or design, that guidance is now backed by the most rigorous pool education available anywhere in the industry.

Why Professional Certification Matters When Choosing a Pool Builder

Building a pool is one of the largest home improvement decisions a homeowner in Virginia or Maryland will ever make. A new inground pool in the DMV area typically ranges from $65,000 to $150,000 or more, depending on size, materials, features, and site conditions. At that level of investment, the credentials of your builder are not a minor detail — they’re central to how well the finished product performs and holds up over time.

Here’s why choosing a GENESIS Master Certified builder makes a real, measurable difference:

• Depth of knowledge beyond the minimum: A licensed contractor meets the legal minimum to build pools in their state. A GENESIS Master Certified builder has voluntarily completed hundreds of additional hours of education, because they understand that the minimum standard isn’t enough to produce truly excellent work.
• Permit and code accuracy from day one: Pool construction in Fairfax, Loudoun, Prince William, Montgomery, and Prince George’s counties involves detailed permit applications, health codes, and HOA requirements. Advanced training makes it significantly more likely those requirements are addressed accurately from the very start.
• Superior design outcomes: The GENESIS design curriculum means your pool is engineered not just to hold water safely, but to complement your backyard, fit the way your family actually uses outdoor space, and remain visually compelling for decades to come.
• Renovation intelligence: If you’re considering updating an older pool, a GENESIS-certified professional can accurately identify what’s worth saving, what genuinely needs replacing, and how to modernize your pool efficiently — without pushing unnecessary work you don’t need.
• Long-term reliability: Pools built to GENESIS standards tend to require fewer emergency repairs, maintain their structural integrity longer, and hold their property value better than pools built to lower standards.

Our pool construction and design team brings this standard of expertise to every new build in the DMV, and our renovation specialists apply the same high bar to every update and remodel we take on.

The Whole Team Is Proud — and This Is a Team Milestone

Beltway Pools is more than Rob and Dragan — it’s an entire team of dedicated people who care deeply about their work and about the clients they serve across Northern Virginia, Maryland, and Washington DC. And when Rob and Dragan earned this certification, every single person at Beltway Pools celebrated with them.

Every project completed together, every problem solved on-site, every pool delivered with care and precision over the years — all of it contributed to the experience and perspective that made this achievement possible. This is their accomplishment, and it belongs to all of us. The whole team is genuinely, deeply proud of what Rob and Dragan have done, and incredibly grateful to work alongside people who push themselves this hard for the sake of doing the job right.

This recognition also matters to the homeowners we serve. Clients across Fairfax County, Prince William County, Montgomery County, and throughout the DMV deserve to know that when they choose Beltway Pools, they’re working with a company whose leadership holds the most advanced certification available in the pool and spa industry. That’s not something we take lightly — it’s a standard we’re committed to honoring on every single project we take on.

This milestone raises the bar for all of us. And we embrace that fully, because the families who trust us with their backyards deserve our very best.

What This Means for Your Next Pool Project

Whether you’re planning a brand-new custom pool or thinking about refreshing an older one, the GENESIS Master Certification has direct, practical benefits for every Beltway Pools client. Here’s what it means in real terms:

• More accurate planning: Advanced training leads to fewer surprises during construction, more realistic timelines, and better upfront cost estimates — saving you frustration and money down the road.
• Better design options: Rob and Dragan’s expanded design knowledge means more creative, property-specific solutions for your backyard — not a catalog of standard shapes applied without thought to your site.
• Confidence on complex builds: Unusual lot shapes, challenging soil conditions in Northern Virginia, proximity to mature trees or foundations, custom water features, or tight HOA specifications — these are exactly the situations where GENESIS-level training produces meaningfully better outcomes.
• Honest renovation assessments: Thinking about resurfacing, retiling, or expanding your existing pool? Our team can give you a genuinely accurate picture of what your pool needs — based on real technical knowledge, not sales pressure.

To explore what a Beltway Pools custom build looks like, visit our pool construction and design page. If you’re considering an update, see what’s possible on our pool renovation page.

Frequently Asked Questions About the GENESIS Master Certification

What is the GENESIS Master Certified Builder and Designer Certification?

The GENESIS Master Certified Builder and Designer is the highest professional credential offered through the Pool & Hot Tub Alliance (PHTA). It requires completing hundreds of hours of advanced education in pool construction, hydraulics, structural design, renovation techniques, and client-centered design — all taught by top engineers, architects, and globally recognized pool professionals. Candidates must also pass rigorous examinations before the designation is awarded.

Are Rob Moore and Dragan Kostadinovic the only GENESIS Masters in the DMV?

Yes. As of this article, Rob Moore and Dragan Kostadinovic of Beltway Pools are the first and only pool professionals in the DC Metropolitan Region — covering Northern Virginia, Maryland, and Washington DC — to hold the GENESIS Master Certified Builder and Designer designation.

How does the GENESIS certification compare to a standard pool contractor’s license?

A contractor’s license confirms that a builder meets the legal minimum required to perform pool construction in a given state. The GENESIS Master Certification goes far beyond that — it reflects hundreds of voluntarily completed hours of advanced education, a rigorous examination process, and formal recognition from the global pool industry’s leading professional organization. It’s the difference between meeting the minimum standard and reaching the very top of the profession.

Does this certification affect the cost of building a pool with Beltway Pools?

The GENESIS certification doesn’t automatically change Beltway Pools’ pricing. What it does change is the quality of planning, design, and execution you receive. Better upfront planning often reduces costly mid-project surprises, and superior design produces pools that perform better and hold their value longer — making the investment worthwhile for projects of any size.

How do I get started on a pool project with Beltway Pools?

The simplest way is to request a free quote on our website. Our team will reach out to discuss your vision, assess your property’s unique conditions, and put together a detailed project plan. Whether you’re building from scratch or renovating, you’ll be working with the most credentialed pool building team in the entire DMV.

Ready to Build with the DMV’s First GENESIS Master Certified Pool Team?

There’s never been a better time to choose Beltway Pools for your next project. With Rob Moore and Dragan Kostadinovic now holding the highest certification in the pool and spa industry — and with the full support of a proud, dedicated team behind them — Beltway Pools is better equipped than ever to bring your vision to life. Whether you’re building a new custom pool or transforming an existing one, you deserve a builder whose credentials are as strong as their workmanship.

Get a free quote from Beltway Pools today and see what a GENESIS Master Certified team can do for your Northern Virginia or Maryland backyard.