Bob Chew grew up in Barrington, Rhode Island, spending summers exploring and fishing the surrounding waters. After obtaining a BA in Environmental Science from New England College, he followed his father as a boat builder before starting several companies engaged in eco-friendly building. Quickly becoming acquainted with the environmental threats to their new Florida retirement home, Bob and his wife Lisbeth joined the efforts of local groups working to restore the Mosquito and Indian River Lagoons to health.