Julien Brice was a key contributor to Loyola's sprint freestyle and relay events during his four years with the swimming and diving program. Brice ranked fifth in team history in the 50 free and fourth in the 200 free relay at the time of his graduation in 2014. As a senior, he scored individually in the 50 free and contributed to three top-eight relays at the 2014 Patriot League Championships.

A mechanical engineering major and mathematics minor, Brice returned to his home country of Saint Lucia after leaving Loyola. Not long after, he began working for Myrtha Pools, an opportunity which has taken him to over 40 countries across the world and allowed him to help a team build from scratch two pools in Omaha, Nebraska for the 2016 U.S. Olympic trials.

Learn more about Julien's work below in this week's Alum Spotlight presented by Fence Masters!


What have you been up to since graduation?

I was lucky enough to start my job with Myrtha Pools right after Graduation. This August marks my 6th year with the Company. Myrtha Pools is the world's largest swimming pool manufacturer based out of Italy with offices in Florida and now St Lucia.  These pools are a little different because they are made up of marine grade stainless steel. Why stainless steel? It is lighter and more robust than concrete (which is typically more common) and we are able to adjust the pool elevations and dimensions to the millimeter (roughly 1/25^th of an inch). This is why we are the best at making competition pools world-wide and a partner of the governing body of swimming FINA (the NFL of swimming) and USA Swimming. 

I have been a part of many roles with this company, from site inspections, construction management, warranty inspections and pool design. All of which have built me up to my current position as head of Myrtha's Caribbean Division.

What goes into the making of a pool? How long of a process is it and how many people are involved throughout?

To most people, and even myself as a former competitive swimmer who spent hours in the pool each day, pools appear to be a hole in the ground with water. I have come to learn that they are much more than that. They are designed individually based on what they will be used for, space available, design, bathing load (how many people will use the pool), ect. 

Let's use an Olympic sized competition pool as an example since this is what Myrtha specializes in. The first step is to engage a geotechnical engineer to test the soil conditions of the pool. For a 50m competition pool, with the weight of close to a million gallons of water once filled (that is the weight of 24 adult sized blue whales), it is important to know how the ground below will react. Once a geotechnical report has been produced, the pool's foundations can be designed by a structural engineer accordingly. 

The next step requires coordination between an architect and an aquatic designer (these are mostly mechanical engineers) in order to decide on the design and size of the pool. Once the pool is designed, the aquatic consultant will determine how the pool operates based on the standards of the country or region the pool is being built in. This will determine the type of filtration system, size and number of pumps, length and size of piping all guided by the turnover rate of the pool (the amount of time it will take for every drop of water in the pool to go through the filtration system and back to the pool). 



Now that the pool is designed and the aquatic consult has specified which equipment to be used to safely operate the pool per national standards, the construction of the pool can begin. That requires a contractor to excavate the area for the pool, build the pool, run all the plumbing, backfill around the pool and install the mechanical equipment. Lastly, civil engineers and landscape architects design all of the spaces, deck and buildings around the pool. 

To summarize, it takes approximately four different type of engineers, two types of architects, a contractor with a team of 50-60 people, a ton of logistics and shipping and a solid administration team of people to make all the moving parts work.  

How did you first get involved in your line of work?

I was competing for my home country St. Lucia at the World Championships in Istanbul, Turkey. Myrtha Pools had built the temporary pool at that venue and I was lucky enough to meet with the CEO of the company. He asked me what I was studying at Loyola and I told him I was a mechanical engineering sophomore. His response was, "why don't you come work for me."  Fast forward two years - I reached out, and they hired me!  

I also worked for Event Services during my time at Loyola. Being part that team translated pretty easily to me being part of large events like the US Olympic Trials and ISL.

What is the most interesting project you have been involved with since joining Myrtha?

I would have to say the U.S. Olympic Trials in 2016. We built two Olympic sized 50m pools inside of a concert hall in just seven days (time lapse of the project). Some interesting stats: 

• 15,000 man hours of work, 
• 1.7 million gallons of water, 
• 10 days total to TV ready crystal clear water  
• Pump power of 120 HP 
• 5000 linear ft of plumbing 
• 12,500 bolts 
• 40 tons of total Myrtha Steel components 

Also worthy of mention is the ISL finals in Las Vegas where we built two 25m pools in the convention center of the Mandalay Bay (time lapse of the project). This pool was the first of its kind and had a 25m long glass wall. 



What are some other interesting places that you've had the opportunity to visit, either through your job or personal life?

Swimming and my job have allowed me to travel to more than 43 countries around the world. 
The most interesting destination for work was Papua New Guinea where I spent 5 months building the pools for the Pacific Games. This was just 4 months after I had gotten hired. 
Personally, New Zealand where I did study abroad as a junior at Loyola was by far my favorite.



How did you originally get into swimming, and growing up in St. Lucia what was it that drew you to Loyola?

Strangely enough, how I got into swimming was similar to how I got my job. I went to a swim meet in St Lucia and asked a coach for an autograph. He asked me if I played any sports (which I didn't) and he then signed my autograph book saying, "why not try swimming." I started the next week and continued for 17 years after that when I graduated from Loyola in 2014. 

What drew me to Loyola was its balance. It offered me a great education (incase I ever got injured and could not swim any more), a great swim team and coach, and it was really close to my cousins in DC where I spent most holidays or visited any time I wanted to feel like I was home again. Although I had been to the US many times before, attending Loyola presented many cultural differences to what I knew back in St Lucia. That being said, it was great to teach people about where I am from and in turn learn more about them.

What are your favorite memories (athletics or in general) from your time on campus?

My favorite memories were most definitely from my senior year. I was captain of the swim team and had my best swim performance at the conference championships. I really enjoyed Baltimore, and once swimming was over I got to experience campus in many ways in which I had previously not had time for. 

Do you still swim on a regular basis, either competitively or on a recreational basis?

I travel quite a bit for my job which sometimes makes it hard to swim regularly. But I do miss competition and try to get a practice in every so often to stay in shape. I know I build the pools, but they do not always have water when I get to a chance to inspect them unfortunately.

Is there any message you would like to give to the current team as they attend Loyola during the COVID-19 era?

I would remind them that tough times will always be present and this is no different. Take some time to ensure that you are able to grasp as much as you can from the current situation and be hungry and ready to get right back in as soon as it ends.