Getting To Know Dave Ballard, Sales Manager/Field Design Engineer
Since June of 2018, Dave Ballard has worked with Symbiont Service Corp in Englewood, Florida. He started his career with them as a field engineer and now oversees the sales team in his role of sales manager. Although, once a field design engineer always a field design engineer and that is a benefit for the clients Symbiont Service Corp works with.
In a recent phone interview I asked Dave:
What do you do/have you done in your roles with Symbiont?
As a field design engineer, I look at complicated projects and make certain we are providing what the customer needs.
- Are we installing the correct number of heaters?
- What are the flow rates?
- What is needed to convert an existing pool from gas or another form of heating to the most economical and environmentally friendly geothermal?
As a sales manager, Dave hires sales associates, prepares budgets, monitors sales and plans and directs the marketing of various programs. “I look at my role as a way to aid the sales team and help them be successful.”
Getting To Know Dave Ballard, Sales Manager/Field Design Engineer
Who is an ideal customer for Symbiont Service?
A customer with a swimming pool who wants to heat the pool in a more economically feasible way. We work with anyone from city pools, YMCAs, colleges, condos, hotels and residential pool owners. “We do serve anyone who has a pool that they heat and who is looking for an upgrade. We specialize in commercial swimming pools.”
Why do you believe so strongly in geothermal?
Dave said, “It’s the most efficient way to heat – or cool — a pool.” With a geothermal system, you’re transferring heat from the earth’s crust into the pool thru the A/C system, which can heat or cool the pool. “Geothermal,” he said, “is the most reliable and efficient way to heat a pool.”
He explained that if a swimming pool is heated using an air source heat pump, that heater is impacted by the ambient air and it will stop working when the outside air temperatures hit falls into the mid-40s. If someone wants to heat a swimming pool and the outside temperatures dip their heat pump won’t work. Geothermal works regardless of the outside ambient air temperatures.
“The temperatures beneath the earth average around 75 degrees – year round,” he said. “That makes our geothermal systems 30% more efficient than air-source heat pumps and 80-90% more efficient than gas heaters.” He also explained that when you use geothermal you don’t have to worry about staining the pool with copper as can occur when you heat your pool with gas.
“Gas heaters can stain a pool, but our geothermal heat exchangers are built with titanium coils and are impervious to staining.”
What do you love about your job?
“I love the diversity and the fact that every day is something new and different. No two jobs are ever the same and that brings interesting engineering challenges to solve,” he said. The people I work with are great, too and that makes for a great work environment.”
Dave also loves working with property owners and helping them get an updated system that brings them up-to-date with automation like LED lights or a salt system for cleaning. This is important with the continued shortage of chlorine
Sandy King, President of Symbiont Service said, “With Dave’s extensive 35+ years of pool industry experience, he completes our company package of delivering expertise to our customers. He provides exceptional leadership and education for our sales team, and SSC is fortunate to have Dave as a long-term member of our Symbiont Work Family!”
In addition to your engineering background, what other experience do you bring to the job?
“I’ve been in the pool industry for more than thirty-five years,” he said. “I have a degree in mechanical engineering from FAU and when I approach a commercial pool project I come at it from an engineering standpoint by looking at the efficiencies and variables.”
Other experiences in Dave’s past includes being the EIC (engineer in charge) for the production of a pneumatic bone dissecting drill used by ENT and Neurosurgeons.
Are there other reasons geothermal should be the heating and cooling option people turn to?
“We have heard of customers who heat their pools with gas and they keep lowering the temperature because the price of gas is so high. If they want to stay within their budgets this winter, the water temps will be lower and that just might not be ideal for the people who use those commercial pools,” he said. “The price of natural gas has doubled and propane is also outrageously priced for heating a pool.”
A geothermal system does cost more, upfront, than other systems. What is the return on investment?
“If you’re heating and cooling a pool with an air source heat pump, a geothermal system will pay for itself in about eight years. If you’re heating with propane, you could be looking at payback in a little over a year,” he explained. “A switch from gas to geothermal can see a customer seeing ROI in about three years.”
Let’s get to know you a little bit outside of the office! What do you do for fun?
“I live on the Myakka River and love spending time on the river,” he said. “The river is beautiful and natural and reminds me of ‘old Florida.’ There is no development here and I can fish, canoe or go out on wave runners and just spend the day on and around the water.”
We educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to geothermal HVAC systems). For information, click here to download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
Symbiont Service Corp. serves Englewood, Florida and the surrounding areas. To get started, check out our website.
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