HOME DESIGN | Aquascape In St. Charles Installs a Water Feature for NBA Legend Shaquille O'Neal

PERFECTLY BUILT, RIGHT NEXT TO HIS CUSTOM-BUILT TREEHOUSE

Aquascape Inc. and Aquascape Artists of the Year Install a Water Feature for NBA Legend Shaquille O’Neal in Atlanta, GA

A team of Aquascape Inc. employees and Aquascape Artists of the Year installed a 22-by-50-foot ecosystem pond with a 70-foot stream for NBA Hall of Famer, Shaquille O’Neal. Over three days, the Aquascape team transformed the big man’s front yard into an oasis. The newly installed water feature occupies Shaq’s home in Atlanta right next to his custom-built treehouse.

Aquascape Artists of the Year collaborated on the design of the pond. The water feature project required 85-tons of moss rock and 35-tons of river rock. The pond is 3 feet in depth and pushes 25,000 gallons of water per hour. Standout features of the pond include a 25-inch architectural block wall with a gas fire pit, and three Stacked Slate Sphere fountains flowing into the waterfalls and stream. One fountain sports a Superman symbol as an homage to one of Shaq’s many nicknames.

“This Dream Team of the best water feature builders on the planet came together from all over North America. We shared a singular goal in mind, to build a one-of-a-kind creation worthy of the front entranceway for the family compound of the man, the myth, and the legend himself, Shaquille O’Neal,” said Greg Wittstock, founder and CEO of Aquascape Inc. “Shaq was great to work with. We are both kids at heart and it was gracious of him to talk with one of our contractor’s sons who plays high school basketball.”

For this build, Yancey Bros., the oldest Cat Dealer contributed onsite to provide excavation equipment, including a 289D3 compact track loader, 308, and 305.5 E2 mini excavators. “Aquascape and their Certified Aquascape Contractors provide professional installation and do a great job taking care of their customers’ needs. We were happy to participate in this build,” said Ian Carroll, building construction products manager for Yancey Bros. Co.

SEMCO and Illinois Brick Company also took part in the build by partnering together to supply two trucks with 48-tons of stone for the project. "We are very excited to have the opportunity to work with Brian, Ed, Chris, and Greg to supply stone for Shaquille O'Neal's custom water feature in Atlanta. I have been working with Aquascape for many years now and every project turns out amazing! They are a great group to work with," said Joel Miller, sales representative for Illinois Brick Company.

Aquascape Inc. team members who participated in the Shaquille O’Neal project include Founder and CEO, Greg Wittstock, Wayne, IL; Vice President of Field Research and Contractor Development, Ed Beaulieu, Sugar Grove, IL; Vice President of Construction, Brian Helfrich, Downers Grove, IL; Lead Foreman, Chris Hanson, Warrenville, IL; Construction Foreman, Nick Streicher, St. Charles, IL. Aquascape Artist of the Year participants include Alan Decker of Decker Pondscapes in Pattersonville, NY; Jaak Harju of Atlantis Water Gardens in Morris Plains, NJ; John Adams of Modern Design Aquascaping in Friendsville, TN; Chris Siewing of Nature’s Re-Creations in Arnold, MO; Dan Harp of Mark The Pond Guy in Puyallup, WA; Weston Zimmerman of Tussey Landscaping in Hollidaysburg, PA; Joey Genovese of Genoscape Inc. Landscaping & Design Services in Markham, ON. Other participants include Aquascape Conservationist of the year, Bernie Kerkvliet of Skyline Ponds in Lake Arrowhead, CA; John Magyar of Universal Aquatics in Lawrenceville, GA.

To watch the Shaq build in its entirety, visit the following Aquascape YouTube channels:

TEAM Aquascape, Ed The Pond Professor and Greg Wittstock, The Pond Guy. Additional videos can be found on the YouTube channels managed by Aquascape Artists of the Year.

For more information about Aquascape and its products, visit aquascapeinc.com or call 866-877-6637 (US) or 866-766-3426 (CAN).

Aquascape is North America’s leading innovator in the water gardening industry. Aquascape invented the low-maintenance, naturally balanced ecosystem pond that is the # 1 contractor-installed water garden. The St. Charles, Illinois headquarters, dubbed “Aqualand,” received Silver-Level recognition in the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating system in 2006. At Aquascape, our mission is to connect people to water the way nature intended. Aquascape and its vast network of authorized distributors sell exclusively to contractors and retailers. Founded in 1991, Aquascape made the Inc. 500 list of fastest growing private companies four years in a row. In 2005, founder and CEO Greg Wittstock was named one of America’s Best Bosses by FORTUNE Small Business Magazine and Winning Workplaces™.

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