Page 43 - BusinessWest February 21, 2022

settings ranging from swimming-pool industry conferences to local schools, Hebert said his goal in speaking is not to motivate, necessarily, but to inspire others to succeed in their lives.
“I always share with the audience that I used to stutter and that I still battle insecurity and low self-esteem,” he told BusinessWest. “All of a sudden, people connect with you because many of them are facing similar struggles.”
During his college years, Hebert spent his summers as a subcontractor working day and night on installing swimming pools — he literally
“Sure, we’ve had our challenges, but it’s like being in a boxing ring. You take your punches, you get kno”cked down, and then you get back up.
worked at night with spotlights to finish some installations. It’s hard to believe now, but Hebert’s career in swimming pools almost didn’t happen.
After attending Holyoke Community College (where he is currently a trustee), then Springfield Technical Community College, Hebert completed his degree at Worcester State College, and then committed himself (sort of) to continuing a family legacy; 11 generations of Heberts, before his father, were doctors.
Ted had studied pre-med and had above- average scores on his medical boards. He applied to 15 medical schools and received 14 rejections. The University of Southern California extended
an invitation only after another candidate dropped out. But Hebert had conflicted emotions about leaving for Los Angeles.
“I had started a little business, I had a girlfriend, and I had planned to travel the country,” he said. The decision became clearer one day, while working at a friend’s house, when he received a call that his mother had been taken to the hospital with an aneurysm.
“I never left, and I have no regrets,” he said.
Like George Bailey, Hebert put off his dreams of traveling to take care of family matters. As
his business outgrew the carport, Hebert rented space in a former car wash on Memorial Avenue in Chicopee. When the owner was foreclosed upon, Hebert then bought a vacant building
on East Street that once housed a Studebaker dealership back in the 1940s. Today, customers from all over Western Mass., as well as parts of Connecticut and Vermont, know the East Street location as Teddy Bear Pools and Spas.
Since the pandemic hit, homeowners have invested much more in their backyards, which often means adding a swimming pool or hot tub. Business at Teddy Bear has skyrocketed with Hebert’s main challenges, which involve a lack of products due to supply issues and finding installers for all the orders when they arrive.
Though his business is booming, Hebert is quick to empathize with the many businesses that have struggled to survive in the COVID era. “We’ve been blessed to be buried with business,” he said.
It’s easy to look at Hebert’s success today without appreciating the many challenges he faced along the way. Most notably, back in the 1980s, several employees embezzled more than $1 million dollars from the business in two
separate incidents. Experiences like this can leave a person cold and cynical, but not Hebert.
“Sure, we’ve had our challenges, but it’s like being in a boxing ring. You take your punches, you get knocked down, and then you get back up.”
For Hebert, it all starts with a belief that, if you have faith, then you can find hope. “I don’t necessarily mean religious faith, but a belief that there is something bigger than us.”
He called being chosen as a Difference Maker one of the more important honors he has received.
“In some ways, Difference Makers brings together all the community efforts Barbara and I have been involved in,” he said. “As much as we appreciate it, we don’t do this for recognition, but because we feel it’s our responsibility as people in our community.”
The Deep End
Among the inspirational sayings posted in Hebert’s office is one that reads: “Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.”
From the busboy who battled his stutter to the successful businessperson and community leader, Ted Hebert exemplifies the ability to make a new ending and reflects the spirit of a Difference Maker.
“I know it’s a cliché,” he said, “but I believe, as long as you are a good person and treat others like you want to be treated, how can you go wrong?”
Yes, he does sound a whole lot like George Bailey. And he has had a wonderful life. u
DIFFERENCE
Congratulations
MAKERS
to HCC Trustee Ted Hebert and all the
2022 DIFFERENCE MAKERS
Difference Makers of 2022. Thank you for all you do for our community!
BusinessWest
FEBRUARY 21, 2022 43