Our Team

Hank Thompson was born to build amazing pools. As a 12-year-old, he watched with fascination while his neighbors built an intricate custom pool—and fell in love with the way the backyard was transformed. As he watched, he copied their construction phases in his own yard and built a small pond for his ducks. Then, while studying business at Texas State University, he worked construction to put himself through school and learned the fundamentals of building in the unique Hill Country landscape. When he finished school, he and his soon-to-be wife Theresa started Cascade Custom Pools, and it’s been his passion ever since.

In the last 40 years of serving Austin and the surrounding area, Hank has been hands-on with his clients, personally checking each step of construction to ensure the highest level of quality. His goal is for every pool—from the smallest to the grandest—to enrich the lives of the family using it. He has a special talent for some of the most challenging designs, including hillside construction and other difficult build sites.

Hank is grateful to be able to spend his time working in the pool industry with his wife and son, TJ. When not building pools, he enjoys his time managing wildlife on his Hill Country ranch, listening to country music and riding his Harley-Davidson.

From the moment he could toddle, TJ Thompson was immersed in the world of pool construction, a legacy inherited as the son of Cascade’s founders. Growing up amidst the rhythmic hum of machinery and the splash of water, TJ’s childhood playgrounds were job sites, where he imbibed the essence of creativity and meticulous attention to detail that would shape his illustrious career.

For the past 20 years, TJ has carved a name for himself as a virtuoso in designing awe-inspiring pools and enchanting waterscapes. His portfolio boasts an array of projects that have received international acclaim through numerous prestigious awards. From the outset of his career, TJ’s trajectory has been nothing short of meteoric, as he ascended from the trenches of construction work during college summers to the zenith of project management, design, and sales.

From kindergarten to high school, he traversed the halls of Lake Travis schools, ingraining himself in the fabric of this Austin, TX community. After pursuing higher education in Colorado, TJ returned to his roots, infusing Cascade with a breath of innovation by introducing 3D pool design—a testament to his unwavering commitment to push the boundaries of the industry.

In his relentless pursuit of mastery, TJ has become a perennial student of the pool industry, perpetually seeking to unravel its nuances and stay abreast of the latest trends in construction and design. His quest for excellence culminated in earning coveted certifications, including a Master CBP (Certified Building Professional), a Watershape Designer designation from the esteemed Genesis School and accreditation as a Verified Watershape Professional from Water Shape University. Additionally, TJ boasts a plethora of certifications from leading manufacturers, underscoring his dedication to maintaining the highest standards of craftsmanship. TJ is one of the few pool builders in the United States to hold both the GENESIS Master Pool Builder & Design Professional certification and International Watershape Institute (IWI) credentials.

These designations represent the highest levels of education in swimming-pool engineering, construction, and watershape design, requiring hundreds of hours of advanced training in hydraulics, structural engineering, materials science, and architectural design.

Beyond the confines of his professional endeavors, TJ’s zest for life finds expression in his passions beyond the pool. An ardent music lover, he attends frequents concerts. He spends much of his time with his fiance Caitlan and their young daughter Rowan. TJ often embraces the great outdoors, indulging in adrenaline-fueled water sports on the lake. 

I was born and raised right here in Austin, Texas, and I serve as the Senior Project Manager at Cascade Custom Pools. I am a Master Certified Pool Builder & Design Professional (MCBP) as well as a Certified Pool Inspector (CPI) through GENESIS and the Pool & Hot Tub Alliance, and decorated combat Veteran. I have known the Thompson family for more than 30 years (truly amazing people – I consider them family), and I joined the Cascade team back in 2012 after wrapping up my military career in the United States Army.

My professional passion is turning ambitious backyard concepts into well-executed realities. I work closely with homeowners, builders, designers, engineers, subcontractors, and suppliers to solve the day-to-day challenges that can slow down or compromise custom construction. Whether that means resolving field conflicts, protecting schedule momentum, coordinating specialty trades, or catching critical details before they become costly problems, I approach every project with a practical, detail-driven mindset and a strong sense of accountability.

Before my time in construction management, I served in the United States Army as a Combat Infantry Dismount Team Leader with the 3rd Infantry Division and completed a 15-month deployment in Baghdad, Iraq, during 2007–2008. During that deployment, I was awarded the Combat Infantryman’s Badge, the Army Commendation Medal (2x), and the Army Achievement Medal. That chapter of my life shaped the way I lead, communicate, and perform under pressure.

Outside of work, I have been happily married to my wife Jess since 2022, and together we have two dogs, Lena and Hank. My Christian faith is fundamental to my day-to-day life and plays a fundamental role in how I carry myself, treat people, and lead with integrity. In both my personal life and my work, I strive to be dependable, steady, and committed to excellence in everything I do.

sAustin Olsen is a native to the Austin area and a natural in the pool industry. Over the last eight years, he’s worked his way up through the system, from pool maintenance technician to sales to construction. Austin now oversees several complex projects with a passion for quality, construction, and satisfied clients.

It’s not an accident that Austin loves pool construction. He’s an avid outdoorsman and enjoys hunting, fishing, and anything else even remotely related to nature and water. He even spent three years in Costa Rica serving as a kayak and fishing guide to get more in touch with water.

A native of Guatemala and a lifelong passion for drawing, sketching, art and the pursuit of creativity combined with decades of exposure to computers and CAD programs, Carlos knows the in’s and out’s of 2D drafting & 3D modelling in various Computer Aided Programs. Bilingual in language and multilingual in CAD. After earning his degree in Industrial Design from the accredited Universidad Rafael Landívar, he wasted no time packing up his bags to pursue a better life than his native Spanish speaking home could offer him.

After taking a detour in HVAC Drafting, MEP Engineering CAD coordination and Controls Automation Design in family run and corporate settings, Carlos finally found his way into his lifelong passion: DESIGN.

With a unique blend of skills, abilities and experience, you could say he is the perfect fit for pool design:

CAD Expert + Design Enthusiast x HVAC Mechanics + Controls Automation/Spanish x English = Perfect Fit

When not expressing himself through Pools and CAD, you can find him expressing himself on the mats at the best Martial Arts Academy you can find in Austin.

Margaret McVay brings over 40 years of pool company experience to her role as Cascade’s accounting manager. In her nine years at Cascade, she has helped to streamline processes while ensuring that every client is taken care of as if their pool was the only one being built.

Before moving to Austin, Margaret and her husband owned a swimming pool company in Dallas, where she learned the ins and outs of running a family-owned business. Additionally, she has experience in custom home construction and has owned two retail businesses. When her husband passed away, she joined Cascade to stay with a family-owned operation. When she’s not at work, she’s usually on the dance floor, either dancing socially or refining her skills in classes.