‘He wanted to basically sit back and collect money’: Former Cascade pool employees describe experiences working for company
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WBTW) — Former employees of a local pool company at the center of a News13 investigation have come forward to share what it was like to work for Cascade Custom Pools and its owner Chris Harrington.
Tim Deaner said he was hired to work at Harrington’s Cascade Hauling company last July. He said he and others were laid off just a few months later.
“It was for no reason at all,” Deaner said.
News13 talked to another former employee who didn’t want to be identified.
“Whenever we get further into the build, the inability to acquire the necessary components for the plumbing due to, bills not being paid and obligations not being met was a constant,” the former employee of Cascade Custom Pools said.
Both former employees listed complaints that were similar to those of more than 30 customers who have contacted News13. They include complaints about massive delays in construction timelines and overstretched resources and crews.
“There would be a tremendous amount of projects taken on at once,” the former employee said.
However, the issue both former employees found the most frustrating was the lack of communication from Harrington.
“Everybody was kept in the dark about, a whole lot of stuff,” Deaner said. “No return phone calls, never returned texts. It was a mess over there,” Deaner said.
The other former employee agreed.
“It’s not an exaggeration,” the person said. “99% of the time, he was unavailable. That was to his workers, as well as the customers. The customers it was closer to 100%.”
Deaner raised concerns about a lack of safety protocols, insurance and property vehicle maintenance not being followed at Cascade Hauling.
“The whole onboarding process was barely even a process,” he said.”All I did was give them my license, my DOT card, and just filled out a W-2. I didn’t go through any of the DOT regulations, just took a drug test. That’s all, a surprise he didn’t get shut down for that.”
The anonymous former employee raised concerns about a lack of knowledge of those hired by Harrington on the pool side of operations.
“The workers were good workers, but they didn’t have a thorough understanding of properly running the pipes to where the pump station would be,” he said.
Both former employees suggest a pattern of prioritizing personal expenses over business operations.
“He wanted to basically sit back and collect money,” the anonymous former employee said. “I truly believe he spent money in a luxurious manner, buying multiple vehicles, trading them in and getting more vehicles regularly.”
Deaner said he also noticed a similar pattern.
“When I when I first started there, he had a brand-new BMW, and then he had a Ram TRX, which is a top-dollar Ram pickup truck,” he said. “He was also selling vehicles for the Cascade side. He was selling his company fleet and then he would show up in a brand new F-450.”
According to the Horry County Treasurer’s office, Cascade Custom Pools currently owes more than $10,000 in delinquent taxes for vehicle, personal, and property taxes.
Deaner told News13 he even had issues getting his W-2 to file his own taxes this year.
“He (Harrington) said he had to get a hold of his accountant,” Deaner said. “That was the last time I heard of anything about my W-2. I’ve contacted the state about contacting IRS.”
News13 reached out to Harrington again this week after emailing, calling and texting him last week but has not heard back.
Count on updates as this investigation continues.
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Savannah Denton joined News 13 in July 2023 as a reporter and producer. Savannah is from Atlanta, Georgia, and is a graduate of the University of Alabama. Follow Savannah on X, formerly Twitter, and read more of her work here.
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