Blue Waters Wealth Advisors Origin Story
So, why Blue Waters Wealth Advisors?
Born in a small town that had twice as many dedicated ice hockey rinks (six) as city halls (three) it was destined that I would be on skates within a few months of learning to walk. With additional energy to spare, I started swimming lessons shortly thereafter and even had to be pulled out of the pool when my mother went into labor with my younger sister, so we could head to the hospital.
Starting competitive swimming at five, it took until age 12 to realize that I should hang up my skates and cleats and stick to my Speedo. At the end of that year (and at the start of a ten-inch growth spurt), I was the top ranked swimmer in the country in my best two events. Continuing through the Junior National then Senior National ranks, I started competing nationally, then internationally.
My first Junior trip was to Scotland (at 15) followed by Senior trips to the Pan American Games (Indianapolis), the World Cup Tour (Russia, Sweden, England, and the finals in Palma de Majorca), Pan Pacific Games (Tokyo, Edmonton, Kobe), Commonwealth Games (Victoria) and the highest level of our sport - the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain. 
Using my athletic skills to help further my education, I accepted a full ride to the University of Tennessee where I competed on the men's swimming and diving team. While at Tennessee, I had an unexpected appearance as the Sports Illustrated inside cover during my freshman year from the NCAA competition, as well as being voted team captain during my Junior and Senior seasons. I graduated with honors from Tennessee with a MS in Accounting and a Masters in Accounting (MAcc).
I retired from the sport in 1994 (after 11 years on the National team) and started working for what is now Accenture and landed in a position that had me relocate to Atlanta, GA – the site of the 1996 Olympic Games. Retirement lasted less than a year as I saw the surrounding community buzzing with the excitement of a host city up close. At Olympic Trials I ended up third – one spot shy of a second Games.
Not wanting to move away from Atlanta as the Olympics approached, I requested a transfer to another project where on the first day, was hosted to an on-site tour by Amanda who would become my wife slightly more than a year later.
Three years and a job change to one of the most successful smaller hedge funds (less than $1 billion), we found ourselves living on the beautiful Caribbean island of St. Croix, living in Christiansted, part of the US Virgin Islands. Surrounded by the blue Caribbean ocean we spent time snorkeling, scuba diving, sailing and lounging on the pristine sandy beaches for slightly more than six years.
The siren call of family pulled us (with our than three-year-old daughter and one-year-old son) back to Ohio to settle just off the banks of Lake Erie – trading one body of water for another.
With the change in location, I made the decision to focus working with individuals and small business owners in all areas of financial planning and move away from solely institutional money management. Passing the financial planning industry’s most prestigious designation – becoming a CFP® (CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™) practitioner – in 2010 was another step in deepening my commitment to clients and their financial planning needs.
From my earliest days in the industry, I have always envisioned operating a firm that would fully embody the core values that I have constantly tried to exhibit on behalf of my clients: integrity and transparency, fanatical attention to consistency and detail, and continuous improvement. Since that has now largely come to fruition, it seemed the ideal time to re-brand the business with a new name that would have a more meaningful connection to who I am personally and professionally.
Blue Waters Wealth Advisors pays tribute to my swimming background, my time living in the Caribbean, residing just off the shores of Lake Erie, but most importantly, the commitment to clients to address and help manage all aspects of your financial life as a true wealth advisor.
We look forward to showing off our new office retreat and introducing you to the inhabitants of our fish tank and answering any questions you might have.
