Owner, Jennifer Nies, started the business in high school with the vision of building an aquarium maintenance company based on a strong foundation of passion, knowledge and reliability. In 2002, New Wave Aquaria Inc. was featured at the Global Student Entrepreneur Awards in Washington D.C. as one of the fourteen most recognized student businesses in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. That same year, the St. Cloud Times highlighted Jennifer in the MONEY section, focusing on successful women in business. Shortly after, in September of 2003, Jennifer Nies co-authored her first book, Student Entrepreneurs: 14 Undergraduate All-Stars Tell Their Stories, which is aimed at inspiring other young people across the globe to achieve their entrepreneurial goals.