Episode S3:15: Aguaculture Technologies
Nick Szabo, Founder, Aguaculture Technologies
Mike Elfenbein, Conservation Chair, Izaak Walton League - National Conservation Organization
“We are all here to assist each other in reaching our full potential.”
Nick Szabo
Nick Szabo Founder of AguaCulture, husband and father of 4 children, grew up on a hog farm in Ontario, Canada where his love for Agriculture began.
In 1992, he ventured into the fertilizer business where he set an industry precedent by designing equipment which resulted in 300% increased efficiency.
In 2008, Nicholas crossed over the border and began working with North America’s Largest farms converting what most saw as a waste. He sold over $1 million worth of fertilizer in the form of manure to local crop farmers, bridging neighbors and big farms together by applying millions of gallons of wastewater/manure/biosolids successfully.
Utilizing his experience, he turned his talents towards cleaning water and restoring agriculture to its rightful place in the economy, simultaneously. Thus AguaCulture was born.
Mike Elfenbein
Mike Elfenbein was born and raised in Miami and now lives on the SW Florida coast with his wife and two children. Mike currently serves as chairman on the Charlotte County Soil and Water Conservation District dealing with legislative affairs and working with NRCS and the agriculture community to improve conservation efforts in Charlotte county.
He began his conservation efforts after years in the charter fishing industry. Having been appointed under Governor Rick Scott to the South Florida Water Management Districts Water Resources Analysis Coalition, he provided valuable input on water and conservation issues throughout the region from 2016 to 2019. Mikes previous service on the board and as executive director of the Fishing and Conservation Trust as well as a delegate for the Everglades Coordinating Council, provided a valuable perspective from the sportsmen community. The 730,000 Big Cypress National Preserve has always been a driving force for his landscape wide conservation efforts. Those efforts were recognized by an appointment as Conservation Chair of the Cypress Chapter of the Izaak Walton League, a 100 year old conservation organization.
Among other responsibilities he currently serves on the board of the Future of Hunting in Florida and is a member of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Deer Management Technical Advisory Group. He is an avid outdoorsman spending his free time in the wilds of Florida with his family, a consummate conservationist. Mike can be contacted at mikeelf96@aol.com.