Our Staff

Bob Ledbetter 

Bob was born and grew up in Chattanooga Tennessee. He started free diving and spear fishing on family vacations as an early teen. He spent 4 years in the US Army in the late 1960s, with his final tour of duty on Okinawa where he learned to Scuba dive. After his discharge he attended the University of Tennessee in Knoxville Tennessee and received a BS in Business Administration. While in Knoxville he became interested in cave diving and took the NACD cave diving course. Bob took a job at the Aquatic Center as an assistant instructor, was active in the Scuba business and became a NAUI instructor. After graduating he worked in the Research and Test Department of Southern Railway for three years before moving to Florida to become the Sherwood sales representative in 1977. 

Bob has been involved with product development and testing for many of the manufacturers he has represented over the years. He is one of the patent holders on the DAD 1st stage for the Genesis 2000 regulator. Bob was one of the first sales representatives in the diving business to computerize their offices. Early on he saw that he needed help to do the job properly, and has had a full time office manager since l980. 

Bob and his wife Silvia have been active divers for their entire careers. They have been lucky to be able to dive in many of the best diving locations around the world. They are still active divers and make 20 to 40 dives each year and hope to be able to do more as time allows in the future.

Silvia Ledbetter

Silvia grew up in Tide Water Virginia and spent her summers on the beach in Morehead City, North Carolina where she worked as a lifeguard. She attended the University of Tennessee in Knoxville and received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. She met Bob in 1972 at UT while taking a Scuba course he was teaching. They started dating after the course and spent many vacations diving around the state of Florida. After graduation Silvia and Bob married and moved to Alexandria Virginia where Bob was employed. Silvia worked as a nurse in critical care and cardiac intensive care units.

Bob and Silvia moved to Gainesville Florida in 1977 when Bob was hired as the Sherwood Sales Rep. Silvia supported Bob by working at Shands Hospital in intensive care, the emergency room, and the burn unit as he was starting his repping business. After 4 years the business had grown to the point where Bob needed help servicing his accounts, and he convinced her to retire to the life of leisure as a sales rep on the road.

Silvia is a true partner in Ledbetter Sales. She not only travels and makes sales calls on diving accounts across the state, but handles almost all of the accounting. I addition she must keep the house in order and Bob under control. Silvia is an accomplished diver.