If you’d had told Robert Macklin a few years ago that he would launch a pool service company in Nokomis Florida by October of 2022, he might not have believed you. Today Robert is growing his Bluwave Pool Services Co. into an exceptional and uniquely qualified business.
How it all happened is a testament to his resilience and his passion for entrepreneurship.
Robert trained as an electrical engineer while serving in the US Air Force and he continued in that profession for many years. Ultimately, he was working for CHI Engineering in New Hampshire when his life took an unexpected turn. In 2021 he visited Nokomis, Florida with his significant other, Audrey. They fell in love with the area, purchased a new home, and relocated here. Audrey, a nurse, even landed a great job at Sarasota Memorial Hospital.
His journey to becoming a pool service company owner began when he had a problem with his pool cage. First, the repair person put the idea into his head. Later, the owner of his own pool service company had health issues and sold the business to Robert. Since then, he’s been all about providing the best services possible to his clients.
Having an electrical engineering background gives Robert a business advantage. For one, fixing pool machinery and instrumentation comes naturally. “A lot of pool companies only clean the pool. I repair and rebuild equipment,” he says. Plus, his experience treating power plant wastewater transposes to having an expertise in using chemicals and machinery for pool cleaning.
At 60 years old, Robert is full of energy for the business. “Normally people my age start to slow down. I decided to speed up," he says. Having grown up on an island in New England, and also being a Pisces, he's powered by a love of bodies of water, he explains. “My happy place is seeing the pristine blue waters of the Bahamas,” he says.
Believe it or not, Robert never had a swimming pool before now. He never even saw a resort-style pool until about 15 years ago. "The water reminded me of the Bahamas. Taking care of pools like that now, my objective is to see the light reflecting off a cool blue swimming pool that is perfectly clean.”
Robert's most challenging job so far was after Hurricane Ian. One of his clients didn’t have a pool cage, and it completely filled up with branches and leaves. The client entreated Robert to get his pool back in service. “I learned from my mistakes cleaning this pool, but in the end, I got everything, even the smallest dust particles, cleaned up,” he says, adding that now the client tells everyone that Robert saved his pool.
Making sure the job gets done right, along with customer service that's embedded in building lasting relationships with clients, is what makes Bluwave an exceptional company.
In conclusion, Robert Macklin's journey to starting Bluwave Pool is a testament to his determination, hard work, and passion for his craft. His love for water and the ocean inspired him to start his own pool service company, and his engineering background has given him a unique perspective on pool maintenance.