We had the good fortune of connecting with Rene Nowell and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Rene, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I came from a swim background while growing up and into my adulthood. I decided to teach swim lesson out of my backyard pool to friends and family. Over the next 25 years my cliental grew exponentially just by word of mouth. All while raising my small children. I could no longer accommodate the number of swimmers (over 127 per day, 6 days a week) coming to me in my backyard pool. Our neighborhood/street also could not accommodate the parking for the parents.

What should our readers know about your business?
I started my career as a swim instructor in 1986 at the age of 15 with a main goal of providing quality swim lessons and water safety rules to babies, toddlers, children, and young adults. I believe that all lives are precious and learning how to swim along with water safety is a big step in the prevention of unnecessary drownings.

Some challenges we have overcome in our rise to where we are today consisting of growing quicker than we were ready for and opening during a very inopportune time, but in the same breath being blessed with the thousands of children’s lives we’ve impacted. With the challenges of growing pains, we’ve learned how to accommodate 300 plus kids in a day and the addition of being able to help the specific needs community in the area. We’ve also been able to open a non-profit in order to help the underserved community. Even with opening our new doors during covid we have been able to continue helping every individual we can. This was only made capable by maintaining the quality that I started in the back yard from the beginning, and having my families support along the way.

The lessons I’ve learned along the way is keep working no matter how many Nos you get, the right yes is just around the corner.

I want the world to know that no matter what, I won’t take no for an answer, I will always continue to do what I love. That’s saving children by teaching them how to swim and be safe in and around water.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
First stop would be Downtown Upland, where there are festivals, great restaurants, breweries, bars, and fun shopping boutiques. Also, on the agenda would be visiting the Huntington Library in Pasadena, and the many art museums in LA. Also close by are beaches in one direction and the mountains in the opposite. Upland is a very Versatile community with lots of great things to do.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My husband Dave, my son Noah, my daughter Sage.

Website: https://rslaquatics.com/about/

Instagram: rslaquatics

Facebook: RSL Aquatics

Yelp: RSL Aquatics

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutLA is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.