Passion for Product Development Leads to Career Pivot
With more than 30 years of experience in pool construction and pool product development, I found myself looking for something more fulfilling that would make a positive impact in local communities and help improve personal wellness and sustainable agricultural practices. I founded Aquavida Pools over sixteen years ago and built it into a successful and well-recognized pool construction and renovation business that completed the renovations at the iconic Taliesen West, which Frank Lloyd Wright designed. Over the past ten years, I began focusing on a new passion for developing DIY pool repair products to empower homeowners to maintain and fix their pools themselves without relying on big corporations. Pool Patch opened up a whole new level of understanding for me and what I truly wanted to do. I not only enjoy but have developed a comprehensive knowledge of taking an idea from its conception all the way to bringing it to market and the numerous challenges and obstacles that these endeavors present. Throughout this time, I developed skills and knowledge that have allowed me to reach the #1 rank on Amazon for numerous products.
After escaping the urban landscape for the beauty of the mountains of Jerome, I found myself looking for something that could give back to this small but vibrant town. I was also able to take a deep dive into holistic wellness without the daily grind of running a pool construction company that was booming amid the 2020 pandemic and discovered that the rigors of the industry no longer aligned with my personal values and goals.
So I began exploring the benefits of hemp protein and found it was something of a superfood that also promoted sustainable agricultural practices. By incorporating protein powder into my diet, I began to notice the positive effects immediately. It’s a complete plant-based source of protein that also contains numerous other beneficial nutrients, vitamins, and minerals.
After years of serving customers that could afford to have pools renovated, I wanted something more fulfilling that benefited everyone in the community and wasn’t entirely focused on profits and the bottom line. My experience in developing products inspired me to create a line of hemp-based food products as well as a proprietary hemp clay mask that naturally detoxifies and cleanses pores. That was when Jerome Hemp began, and we believe in providing the highest-quality hemp products that are USDA Organic, Cruelty-Free, Vegan, and Non-GMO. I partner with heritage grain farmers to source wheat and corn that revitalizes soils and hemp producers whose plants are shown to increase biodiversity. We’re trying to do what small part we can to help in the fight against climate change which has become apparent in my home state. Our hemp products promote comprehensive wellness, and I’m inspired to bring these products to local communities by my own experience with their natural benefits.
I don’t regret my experience in the pool industry, and it taught me many valuable lessons about litigation as well as patent law and how to bring a product to fruition. As I look forward to this next chapter, I am grateful for the few kind people I’ve known in the pool industry and to leave the rest in the rearview mirror. I’m also ready to embrace producing products that I believe in and can actually benefit society at every level instead of focusing on the relative mundanity that comes from working on holes with shotcrete and water for money.
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