How Friendship Sparked a Once-in-a Lifetime Build
People see the machinery, the 20-foot waterfall, the 400,000 gallons—and they assume the story begins with blueprints. It didn’t. It began with a sales lead that didn’t close, a bottle of wine, and a friendship. This is the story of the Vaynerchuk pond.
The Origin of a 400,000-Gallon Idea
About three and a half years ago, Sasha Vaynerchuk came in as a prospect for a natural pond renovation. My proposal was more than he wanted to spend, so he planned to use a local excavation company. In most cases, that’s the end of the file. Instead, we kept talking. I invited Sasha to Koi Fest; he came—and then he kept coming. Quick check-ins turned into 30-minute calls about business, family, and the rollercoaster we both know as entrepreneurship.
Sasha gave it to me straight. He critiqued my Green Brook, New Jersey store signage and pushed me toward online sales, drawing parallels to decades of lessons at Wine Library. He wasn’t a consultant; he was a friend who cared enough to tell me the truth—and introduce me to his son, Gary.
I met Gary at a backyard barbecue that somehow became a full-court, four-on-four basketball game. I can now confirm that he’s as competitive as advertised. By the end of the day, my teammate AJ and I had a new nickname from the Vaynerchuks: “The Koi Boys.” Since then we’ve crossed paths at dinners, events, and even at Gary’s Flyfish Club over the next year. What’s remained constant is the mutual respect in that family—especially around Sasha’s passions, like koi.
For months we talked about his dream: a body of water that feels like a lake but lives like a world-class koi pond. When the dates finally aligned, the only slot that worked for the family happened to also be the week leading up to Koi Fest 2025—our biggest weekend of the year. Naturally, I said yes anyway.
My Vice President of Fitz’s Fish Ponds, and I mapped out the entire effort on a flight to Vegas. By the time we landed we had a press release written, web content developed, a logo concept, partners and a schedule ready to bring to our team. We knew this would be a big undertaking— for our team, our friends and our vendors, but the bet was simple: friendship plus craftsmanship equals a once-in-a-lifetime platform for our industry.
Assembling the Dream Team
them some industry specific marketing advice.
Big builds demand big partnerships. Atlantic Oase donated all equipment and materials and sent leadership on site—Jeff Weemhoff, Tyler Fisher, Andrew Bell, Patrick Bell, and filtration mastermind Demi Fortuna. We invited Eric Triplett (The Pond Digger, CA)—who brought Kathy Jo and Austin from his team—plus Shane Hemphill and Heath Webb (Art of the Yard, CO) to collaborate with our FFP crews. Rounding out the core were Larry Carnes (Reflections Water Gardens, IL), Dan Johansen (Focal Point Features, TX), Eric Twigg (MidWest Aquatics & Landscaping, IA), and the entire FFP construction team.
Toward the finish, Pond Professionals Alliance (PPA) co-founders, Ana Arntson and Craig McBride jumped in. The whole build was documented beginning-to-end by Yvo de Wal (The Koi Partner), and industry friends Tim Waddington and Mark McKinney flew in from across the pond to witness the project and attend Koi Fest.
The goal of this project, in addition to providing the Vaynerchuk family with a beautiful pond to enjoy for years to come, was to raise the bar for what a natural koi environment can be at residential scale.
I wanted to assemble a team that would leave smarter than they arrived and keep the learning public so the whole industry would benefit. I didn’t want a circus of 30 contractors; I wanted a tight circle of 7–10 people I’d happily grill a steak with in my backyard—pros who would both teach and learn. FFP made a six-figure commitment as a company; participants invested to be on-site; and Atlantic Oase backed us with gear and leadership. We handpicked seasoned builders, a precision crane operator, and a best-in-class filtration brain trust, working shoulder-to-shoulder with our construction crew.
The entire process was documented for the community. Although we were small on headcount, we were huge on value—the exact room we wanted around this project, built to deepen the client’s love for koi and give the trade a clear playbook.
Building with Clay and Stone
Sasha’s property gave us a gift: a natural clay bottom. Rather than disturb the seal, we laid geotextile fabric over the clay to control particulates, then armored with stone, logs, and fish habitat. That’s how you get clarity in a clay pond without ruining the clay.
The stonework came from the land itself. We harvested hundreds of tons of boulders from Sasha’s forest—many over 20 tons—so the pond would appear natural with the property and the land. The signature piece—quickly dubbed “Sasha’s Rock”—was a jagged, ~30-ton monster that snapped brand-new lifting straps before we solved the pick with more straps and a better angle.
Filtration at Mega Scale
Demi Fortuna (Atlantic Oase) designed a wetlands (bog) filter sized by flow, not square footage—critical at this scale:
Target flow: ~40,000 GPH through the bog
Eco-Blocks: 80 Atlantic Eco-Blocks
Velocity principle: Slow the water to ~100 GPH per sq. in. (≈ 350–375 GPH per Eco-Block) so all sediment drops out
Serviceability: 4 intake bays with valves for regular “flushes” that send organics to the woods—no buried sludge, no teardown cleans
On the draw side, we built two double intake bays (instead of four singles) to protect the clay and simplify hydraulics. Each bay houses Oase Eco Expert pumps. We re-oriented the volutes to vertical for vault use; long runs (150+ ft) transition from 3-inch to 4-inch to minimize loss; Fernco unions allow fast pump swaps. Each pump can deliver 10,000–11,500 GPH while remaining energy-efficient.
Heavy Iron, Heavier Lifts
Then it rained.
Clay slopes went slick the day the big machine arrived. Eric Twigg (Mid West Aquatics) piloted an 80,000-lb excavator down narrow, fresh access with bucket-down braking and careful counter-rotation so we didn’t scar the clay “bathtub.”
To keep momentum, the team pre-strapped boulders in the woods; spotters ran hand signals; picks were slow and surgical. “Sasha’s Rock” alone burned through straps rated to 46,000 lbs (basket) until a three-strap configuration and new pick point did the trick.
In the original pond, the old spillway faced away from the home, which offered limited visibility for Sasha and his family. To offer a more appealing design, we carved a major cut into the hillside and re-graded so the falls would now present to the house and drive. The result ended up being a ~20-foot-wide waterfall that can run ~36,000 GPH—a sightline you feel from the porch.
Sasha, in his Own Words
Edited from an on-site conversation recorded for The Pond Digger podcast
“Quite honestly, I did not envision the scale. I had an idea, but not this. It’s pretty impressive—and you guys are doing a great job.
All the rock came off my property. Hundreds of tons from the forest—logs too—so it blends with the woods. I’ve set a lot of stone here over the years; I like to be in the hole, looking at the faces, making sure a big boulder lands right. Larry’s a pro, and the collaboration Brian put together is amazing—people came from all over.
With plants in, it’s going to be beautiful. I’ve got deer, so we’ll be smart about where things go. On the utilities, they just raised electric; maybe we run part of the system in winter or look at solar.
This property started as a piece of a structure and a lot of trees—I’ve been developing it for years. My wife’s favorite part is that every rock came from here and was reconfigured into something special. If my health allows, I’d love to go to Japan with the FFP crew one day.”
Beyond the Build
People will remember the drone shots and the waterfall. I’ll remember the why.
This project happened because a prospect became a friend. Because Sasha picked up the phone to push me on signage, to nudge me toward e-commerce, to invite me to sit with his family and talk business and life. Because Gary, with minutes scheduled like gold, still shows up for the people who matter to him—and made space for a pond that means something to his dad.
For my team, the Vaynerchuk pond was a chance to collaborate at the edge of our craft, to prove we can execute under pressure, and to show a broader audience what responsible, naturalistic, serviceable pond design looks like at residential scale. For Sasha, it’s a living legacy: grandkids on the shoreline, koi gliding under ledges, a glass of wine by the water at day’s end.
We moved rock and water. But what we really built was a testament to friendship, trust, and the belief that our industry can aim higher—together.
More Photos from the Build
