Pool Magazine · October 2025
Awards, speaking and press.
Every award, speaking engagement and press feature below is sourced from the awarding organization or publication.
Headline awards.
Coverings Installation & Design Awards, 2026
Special Recognition — Glass Tile Pool Design
The Legend of Driftwood Hollow, Driftwood, Texas
Southwest Pool & Spa Show, 2026
Gold — Technical & Engineering Achievement
GB IV Designs
Coverings Installation & Design Awards, 2025
Special Recognition — Residential Ceramic Tile Installation
Hill Country Glamour, Dripping Springs, Texas
Association of Pool & Spa Professionals, 2018
Young Professional of the Year
George "Bo" Barnett IV
Coverings CID Awards 2026Coverings CID Awards 2025Southwest Pool & Spa Show — GoldPHTA Certified Building ProfessionalWatershape UniversityGENESIS
23 category awards in two years.
2026: 1 Gold, 6 Silver, 3 Bronze, 5 Merit. 2025: 2 Gold, 3 Silver, 1 Bronze, 2 Merit. From the organizer’s published winner lists.
| Year | Category | Recognition |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Technical & Engineering Achievement | 1 Gold |
| 2026 | Concrete pools $200,000–$500,000 — vanishing edge | 2 Silver |
| 2026 | Concrete pools under $200,000 — geometric | 1 Silver · 1 Bronze |
| 2026 | Concrete pools under $200,000 — vanishing edge | 1 Merit |
| 2026 | Perimeter-overflow pools | 1 Merit |
| 2026 | Concrete spas attached to a pool | 1 Silver · 1 Bronze · 2 Merit |
| 2026 | Outdoor living over $70,000 with a pool build | 1 Silver |
| 2026 | Outdoor living under $70,000 with a pool build | 1 Silver · 1 Bronze · 1 Merit |
| 2025 | Perimeter-overflow pools | 1 Gold |
| 2025 | Concrete pools $150,000 and over — freeform, 600 sq ft or less | 1 Gold |
| 2025 | Concrete pools $150,000 and over — geometric, 600 sq ft or less | 1 Silver |
| 2025 | Concrete pools $150,000 and over — geometric, 601 sq ft or more | 1 Merit |
| 2025 | Concrete spas attached to a pool | 1 Silver · 1 Bronze · 1 Merit |
| 2025 | Outdoor living under $70,000 with a pool build | 1 Silver |
Earlier awards as KB Custom Pools.
Bo Barnett co-founded KB Custom Pools in Austin in 2007 and built it into a nationally ranked Top 50 builder with international project awards before founding GB IV Designs in 2020. The recognition below was earned under that name.
| 2023 | Southwest Pool & Spa Show | Best of Show and Gold — Residential Pool Renovation |
| 2021 | UK Pool & Spa Awards | Overseas Residential Pool of the Year — Molander project |
| 2021 | Pool & Spa News | Top 50 Builders — ranked no. 43 |
| 2020 | UK Pool & Spa Awards | Gold Standard — Overseas Pool Project of the Year |
| 2020–2023 | Southwest Pool & Spa Show | 19 category awards (Gold, Silver, Bronze and Merit) plus Best of Show |
Speaking and teaching.
George "Bo" Barnett IV presents at Coverings — the largest tile and stone exhibition in North America — and teaches for Watershape University.
Coverings 2026 · Las Vegas
Panelist — "From Ordinary to Extraordinary: Tile & Stone in Outdoor Spaces" (with Jimmy Reed; moderated by Martin Brookes)
April 1, 2026
Watershape University
Guest educator — "Up Your Tile Game" webinar on tile, stone and glass installation products (with Jimmy Reed and Curt Rapp)
June 24, 2026
Coverings 2025 · Orlando
Presenter — "Making Waves: Case Studies in Pool Installations with Large-Format Gauged Porcelain Tile"
April 30, 2025
Coverings 2025 · Orlando
Panelist — "Picture-Perfect Projects: Crafting Magazine-Worthy Exterior Living Spaces"
April 30, 2025
Coverings 2024 · Atlanta
Panelist — "Mastering Outdoor Design and Installations with Tile: From Chilly Nights to Scorching Summers"
April 24, 2024
Southwest Pool & Spa Show
Industry speaker and educator
Annual
Press and publications.
Coverings · 2026
2026 CID Awards — design special recognitions ↗
Coverings · 2025
2025 CID Awards — residential special recognitions ↗
Up Your Tile Game podcast · 2024
Episode 6 — Cersaie, Bologna (with Jimmy Reed; produced by The Tile Doctor)
Credentials: CPO, CBP and ACBP (Pool & Hot Tub Alliance). Board member at large, PHTA Central Texas Chapter. Member, National Tile Contractors Association and National Plasterers Council.
