Retired USAF Fighter Pilot Changes Gears from High Speed Aerial Tactics to Underwater Adventures

Buying a Scuba Diving shop seemed like an unlikely fit for a retiring fighter pilot, but there was a certain sense of adventure in the air!

Niceville, FL (PRWEB) August 26, 2010

Transitioning from a fighter cockpit to running a business sounds like a quantum leap, but the transition was much easier than it might seem. Specific job skills to carry out the mission couldn’t be on further ends of the spectrum, but the attention to detail and problem solving aspects are really just the same old game played on a different field.

After the acquisition of the existing dive shop, there was work to be done in the technology department, and the most exciting aspect of running a family business was to see what heights could be achieved with a few tech toys and a broader vision. Introducing ProDiveScuba.com was an obvious way to achieve a quick objective of growth, as it brought the market area from the county lines out to the corners of the continent. Selling dive gear in the Florida Panhandle is a seasonal proposition. Expanding horizons meant finding out what divers 3,000 mile northwest of ProDiveScuba headquarters were interested in. It also meant finding out how to steer the techie population across the website’s cyber doorstep.

Much of this would be left to the tech pros, but one thing was certain...Bob would stay true to the purpose he defined for his new dive shop and website...provide quality products and service at competitive prices in a quality environment for customers. This might have been a purpose-driven objective filling a void from a previous lifestyle, or maybe the product of an inherently competitive nature. Either way, it helped define the final product.

Online dive gear at ProDiveScuba.com is hand-selected for quality and bang for the buck. In fact, all the pricing is set exactly at the minimum allowed by manufacturers, so the e-commerce site is tied for the "blue ribbon" on best pricing against any legitimate online dealer! Not bad for a rookie.

While 20 years of military experience as an officer and fighter pilot is uniquely specialized, the lessons of leadership and service translate well to a business ownership model…staying true to a purpose and fostering an organization that holds a line on its commitment to those it serves. “I challenge myself and my employees to keep that purpose in focus every day, and it’s been working great so far!”

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