Robin Erwin is originally from Syracuse, NY where she attended college at Rochester Institute of Technology. She graduated in 1992 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree and intended to pursue a career in advertising and graphic design.

Robin moved to Florida in 1993 and took a position as PrePress Manager for a printing company in Clearwater, FL. During this time, her husband was working as an electrician, which lead the couple to start Erwin Electric in 1996.

For the first year, Erwin Electric was a very tiny business run entirely out of their house with no other employees. The decision was quickly made to set the company up with Robin as 51% owner so that they could take advantage of being a woman-owned business. However, it became apparent early on that unless she was the license holder, it would not be possible to get certified.

With her previous experience and newly pursued Master’s degree, Robin was able expand the business by renting an official space, adding several employees, and growing steadily over the next few years. Her role in the company shifted from office manager to estimating and project management.

The Erwins had opportunities to bid on state and federally funded projects and knew that a Woman Owned Business Certification would be really impactful, so in 2009 Robin studied and passed the exam to become a State of Florida Licensed Master Electrician. 

Her license enabled Erwin Electric to become certified by the State of Florida and local governments as a Woman Owned Business. Currently Erwin Electric has 100 employees, including their oldest son, Ryan, who is an estimator. The company does commercial, residential, industrial, and service projects.

Robin’s duties have shifted away from estimating and project management to focus on being a business owner. She is working to solidify Erwin Tech’s leadership team so that she and her husband, Doug, can spend less time at the office and enjoy being semi-retired.