April 15, 2007 — Anyone who attends meetings about economic issues on St. Croix will find the face of Bob Merwin familiar.
Merwin, 76, has played a huge part in St. Croix business and social life for the past 50 years. He attends the meetings of more than 20 different organizations and says going to meetings is still one of his favorite things to do after decades working with his family's business.
"My life has really been with the Merwin Company," he says. "My grandfather started the company in 1892. It has survived its ups and downs."
A charter member of the Rotary Club of St. Croix, Merwin was also a founding member of St. Croix Landmarks Society, where he is chairman emeritus. He has been the president of the St. Croix Chamber of Commerce and the Community Hospital Association.
Merwin is presently a commissioner on the Coastal Zone Management Commission. He was a founding member and current trustee of Our Town Frederiksted. He is a member of the V.I. Police Department Community Integration Team and a founding member of the St. Croix Jobs Partnership.
His family business dates back to the late 19th Century.
"The company of Rob’t L. Merwin & Co. was founded in 1892 and incorporated in 1921," Merwin says. "In the early years, it began as a general importer and exporter, importing goods such as lumber and building supplies and exporting sugar, rum and other local products. The company provided cargo-handling services for the ships that would come to the port of Frederiksted."
Merwin & Co. moved in multiple directions in the 20th Century.
"The company was appointed agents for Lloyd’s of London in 1894, and provided insurance and survey services," Merwin says. "In the late 1920s and 1930s, there was a power plant, ice plant, ice cream parlor. During the years of expansion in the 1960s and 1970s, the company diversified into trucking, heavy-equipment rental and marine construction."
In recent years, Merwin & Co. has scaled back considerably.
"As the economy slowed, the company liquidated its various divisions," Merwin says. "The company is currently operating a small commercial-property-management business. The company has responded to changing with the times and business opportunities on St. Croix."
Merwin speaks enthusiastically of the book about the company he published two years ago called The History of Rob't. L. Merwin & Co., 1892 to 2005. The book was published on behalf of the Landmarks society and underwritten by the Merwin Foundation. The Merwin Foundation was created by Miles Merwin in 1967 to benefit religious, charitable and educational organizations.
Merwin was born Robert L. Merwin on Oct. 9, 1930, at Estate Sprat Hall, Frederiksted, St. Croix, and baptized in the town's St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. He is the son of Miles and Marguerite Fleming Merwin. His early schooling was with the family tutor. Merwin recalls being paid five cents a day as a child to work with the cattlemen while living at Sprat Hall.
One of Merwin's fondest memories is a pet monkey he had. The monkey was very clever and would torment dogs by jumping on their backs and going for a ride, and by throwing mespals at them from a tree.
In 1940, Merwin's family moved from St. Croix to Milford, Conn. While growing up in New England, Merwin built his paper route from 60 to 125 customers at age 11. He started working at a hardware store the next year and then a Western Auto store a year later, where he learned all about auto parts, changing tires and batteries. According to Merwin, his father, a merchant, was a major influence.
In his youth he also enjoyed sailing. At 16, Merwin was the youngest member of the Milford Yacht Club to win the trophy for snipe class in sailboat racing.
He attended Milford Grammar School, Admiral Farragut Academy in St. Petersburg and Milford Prep School, where he graduated in 1950. Merwin attended Westminster College, New Wilmington, Penn., from which he graduated in 1954 with a degree in business administration.
After graduation on June 12, 1954, he married Jean Wick of Pittsburgh, whom he had met at Westminster College. The joke was that they graduated on Monday, Merwin received a commission in the U.S. Marine Corps on Tuesday and they got married on Saturday.
Merwin served two years of active duty as a 2nd Lieutenant in the U. S. Marine Corps Reserve. His present rank is Captain USMCR Retired.
He returned to St. Croix in 1956. Moving to St. Croix was a major adjustment for Jean, having grown up in Pittsburgh. According to her husband, she grew to love the island and enjoyed an array of friends. After raising two daughters, she became an accomplished artist. Their daughters are Robin Benda, who has two young daughters and currently lives in Richmond, Va., and Rebecca Merwin, who has two grown daughters and currently divides her time between St. Croix and Washington, D.C.
In 1956, Merwin started working for the family company. In 1960, he established Merwin Hardware, which later merged with Rob’t. L. Merwin & Co. He was appointed manager in 1958 and elected president and managing director in 1962.
Merwin's achievements have garnered him honors over the years. In 1966, he received the Manager of the Year award from the College of the Virgin Islands, Division of Business Administration. In January 1991, the V.I. Business Journal recognized him as one of the 10 outstanding V.I. Business Persons of the Year.
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