[3] After ventures in car sales and real estate, Merrell found his passion in 2012 and started one of the first United States Flyboard rental companies, Power Up Watersports, located in the panhandle city of Destin, Florida.
After a summer of Flyboard performances, a competitor company, X-Jetpacks, contacted Merrell in August 2014 about trying out a new Hydro flight product they called the Jet blade.
His endorsement of the Jet blade created a firestorm of controversy in the Flyboard community, that has ultimately taken Hydro flight Sports to a greater level of competition.
Collaborating alongside a team of experienced Hydro flight professionals, Merrell played a crucial role in developing impartial and uniform guidelines for the judging process, a subject of contention in other competitions.
They incorporated the first “Flytronics-safe-fall” technology into their wireless remote control throttle, which enables the Hydroflier to be lowered into the water, much like an elevator ride, if signal should be lost.