We had the good fortune of connecting with Garrett Stigall and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Garrett, every day, we about how much execution matters, but we think ideas matter as well. How did you come up with the idea for your business?
I have been in the pool business as a pool technician since I was 14. I have cleaned people’s pools and constantly witnessed algae flare-ups occurring every week in their pools. In the Summer of 2021, the largest chlorine factory blew up and caused chlorine prices to skyrocket, resulting in expensive algae clean-ups for pools. Pool owners had to spend around $1400 each summer just dealing with algae maintenance. I found this disturbing, so I began to explore other ways to eliminate algae, especially methods that are environmentally friendly. After 2 years of research and development, we were able to create S.A.M., the ultrasonic algae-killing machine for residential pools, which reduces the need for chemicals in pools by up to 70%

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
So my business, Pool Protection Technologies, is a business that is founded on making pool life easy again for pool owners. Our aim is to provide pool owners with a non-chemical treatment for their constant battle against algae, in a way that will require little to no maintenance from the pool owner. We are the only ones that are currently in the market that offer pool owners a non-chemical treatment for algae problems inside of residential and commercial pools.

We were able to get to where we are due to the support we have from the UGA Entrepreneurship/Innovation District. The mentors that are involved in this system have helped push me into exploring, expanding, and developing all of my ideas and testing them out to see if they are viable businesses. Pool Protection Technologies will be my 3rd business that I have developed and managed and the mentors have been vital in establishing and managing each. With each business, another learning curve had to be faced, tons of challenges that had to be overcome, but the experience and knowledge gained have been fruitful. By having amazing mentors and peers in my corner along my journey, I have been able to prosper in my life in ways I never imagined.

I want the world to know that my ideas are crazy. They don’t make sense to the majority of people I tell them too, but that doesn’t make the ideas less valuable. I continue to innovate and push the companies I manage to bring innovate ideas to the consumer market to make life better for society. I do all of this while acknowledging that the progress I made, could not have been done with out the support circle I have built around me.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I live in between Athens and Atlanta, so if a friend came to visit, we would have to explore both cities. Throughout the week, we will probably be spending the time in Atlanta to explore the mainstream attractions Atlanta has like the Atlanta Zoo, the Georgia Aquarium, and the World of Coke. For dinners we will go to some of my favorites like The Vortex, Zocalo, Atwood’s, or the Azotea Cantina. If they came in on the one of the fall weekends, I would take them to the best atmosphere in the entire world, a UGA Football game. There is nothing more special, than a Saturday in Athens to see the Dawgs play some of the best football that we have ever seen.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would like to give a shoutout to the Boy Scouts of America, with a special mention of my Troop in Richmond Hill, Troop 400. There has not been a single organization that has had as profound an impact on my life as BSA has. I earned my Eagle Scout rank with this troop, and despite all my other achievements, I still consider the Eagle Scout honor as my most esteemed award. The knowledge I acquired from participating in BSA activities, the leadership skills I developed from leading the troop in high adventure activities, and the guidance I received from the adult volunteers are invaluable.

In particular, I want to extend my gratitude to the adult leaders who guided me through the BSA program and imparted the valuable life lessons that I continue to apply every day. Therefore, I extend my heartfelt thanks to Scott Schell, Doug Falls, and Dave Johnson for their instrumental role in shaping me into the person I am today!

Website: poolprotectiontechnologies.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/poolprotectiontechnologies/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/PoolProtection

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100092196198475

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