Crain's Tampa Bay: Blaine Cardinale Elaborates on Military Life Lessons and Impact on Business Ownership

Before co-owning a growing business with Mosquito Joe in the Tampa Bay area, Blaine Cardinale experienced some tough life lessons after attending the U.S. Naval Academy on the road to becoming a pilot that led him to success.

Cardinale told Crain's Tampa Bay that the lessons he learned through his time in flight school impacted his future greatly.

"I’d ridden in fast jets and I knew that's what I was meant to do and wanted to do. And I could tell you where every bolt was located on those planes," Cardinale told Crain's Tampa Bay. "But when I got to flight school, other things took priority over studying and doing well."

He explained that instead of getting the grades he needed to be eligible to fly jets, he ended up choosing a focus on helicopter training and was able to get winged and become a helicopter pilot.

"I've been in the military, going on 17 years now, and I've never had to fire a shot," Cardinale said. "I've been able to help thousands of people. And really, at the end of the day, that's such a great feeling. I feel that God had a plan for me, and my failure turned into one of the things that I’m most proud of in my life."