EAST BRUNSWICK — The newest business in the township is also, in some ways, among the oldest and most experienced.

At Home Recreation is set to open at 233 Route 18 south, but its ownership and staff go way back in the backyard recreation business. Kevin Ventrice, president of the company, formerly owned Branch Book Co., a well-known New Jersey home recreation business that his family founded in 1938. Ventrice sold the business in 2005 and took a five-year hiatus before deciding to go into business again.

Ventrice said the primary reason he wanted to return to the field was because he was able to assemble most of his former staff.

“I found that these very talented and experienced people were anxious to jump back into a business they always enjoyed,” he said. “In my past life, the people that worked with me made my former company a success. In addition to getting a great customeroriented staff together, I felt there is no other retailer delivering the quality of service, pricing and quality we have to offer.”

Ventrice did more than go into business, he did so in three locations. In addition to East Brunswick, At Home Recreation has also just opened 40,000-square-foot stores in Manahawkin and Ocean Township.

“We picked locations in areas where we felt had our type of family-oriented customers,” he said.

The stores sell above-ground swimming pools in a large variety of sizes and styles. The pools range from 12 feet round to the largest oval, which measures 18 feet wide and 45 feet long. The business also offers patio furniture, spas and hot tubs, pool tables and game room furniture.

Experience in the business is key, and according to Ventrice, each of his staff swimming pool staff members has an average of 13 years’ experience in the sales and service of the company’s products. He and the staff, he said, have sold an estimated 75,000 above-ground swimming pools in the past 30 years.

Ventrice said the company is able to stay competitive and save the customer money because it owns the factory that manufactures the swimming pools. Swim N Play Inc., located in Rahway, has been making pools since 1975, he said.

“We have the ability to ensure the quality of the swimming pools we sell by owning the factory,” he said. “We also have a real drive to ensure the customer the best possible experience in buying their pool. We do not just want to sell them their pool, we want our customer to come back for their supplies and needs for years to come.”

While Ventrice represents the third generation of his family business, he already has the fourth generation heavily involved. Three of his four children are working in the business. Kevin Jr. is in sales and is “keeping the company’s customer service up to the fourth-generation values and traditions.” His oldest daughter, Kimberly Mulligan, is busy working in the Ocean Township store, getting ready for the summer rush. And his youngest daughter, Theresia Tirado, is working in the back office, keeping the piles of paperwork flowing.

The family theme is one Ventrice takes pride in. He wants customers to know At Home Recreation is “no big corporation, just hard-working people from New Jersey.”

The store, located in the Loehmann’s shopping center, is scheduled to have its soft opening on April 11, and is planning its grand opening on April 18. For more information, visit the website at www.AtHome- Recreation.net or call 732-955-8284.