Graham Compton, the local owner of Gulf Soft Wash, comes from a long bloodline of entrepreneurs and veterans.

By his estimation, his family has thrived on the Mississippi Gulf Coast for around 125 years.

His great, great grandfather, J.W. Compton, fought in the Civil War, migrated down to Biloxi from Meridian around 1900, and every ensuing generation has lived there since.

“My grandfather, John Wesley Compton, was in the United States Navy during World War Two. He was a gunner’s mate on a destroyer. After returning to Biloxi, he became a pioneer in the charter island tourism industry,” Compton said. “To my knowledge, he was the first to take people out to Chandeleur Island in search of speckled trout redfish on two- and three- day trips. The name of his charter boat was Happy Landing.”

Graham went on to say that his father, Mark Compton, entered the family business as a very small child, growing up on excursions out to Chandeleur Island, learning the business. John Compton retired in the early 1970s and Mark assumed the full mantle of family ownership. In the late 1980’s he bought another 65-foot boat called the Silver King Three, successfully expanding into a two-vessel operation.

In 1990, Graham was born, growing up in St. Martin.

“My dad continued that business for another 12 years, but wanted to be home more as I grew up to not miss out on my activities.” Graham said.

“One of the fondest memories I have with him was out on the boat. I was seven years old, we were inside Monkey Bayou at Chandeleur Island, and it was lunchtime. I was hungry, and he said we are going to McDonald's. He then reached into the water and scooped up fresh oysters. We probably ate three dozen. ‘Bon Appetite’ he said.”

When old enough to earn money, and outside of working for his father, Graham labored in the summers during high school as a deckhand on local Biloxi-based charter boats, going out on fishing trips targeting red drum sharks and Spanish mackerel.

“You're there checking the main engine oil, making sure the tackle is prepped, and there is fresh bait & ice ready to go for the day's trips for a full day of fishing.” Compton said.

After graduating from St. Martin High School in 2009, Graham continued to work in the same role, but nascent goals were forming in his mind that focused on the horizon.

Perhaps partly due to the desire for more self-discipline, and follow a family tradition of military service, Compton enlisted in the Marine Corps and shipped off to Parris Island in 2012.

“After basic I went to a Marine Corps Combat Training in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. I was a crew chief on a Huey helicopter. That involved basic maintenance of rotor blades, engine, and fuel system.” Compton said.

“When we flew on missions, I served as an extra set of eyes for the pilot, manning the machine gun on combat patrols, stationed at both Cherry Point and New River North Carolina. I was honorably discharged in 2016.” he continued.

After completing military service, Compton moved back to the Mississippi Gulf Coast, obtained his 100-ton masters captain’s license and ran fishing trips for his father and freelanced for other charter companies.

An avid fan of podcasts and YouTube “how to” videos, as well as a proponent of self-education, the seeds behind Compton’s current business venture initially formulated in 2019.

“One day I just saw the video about soft washing. It is vastly different from pressure washing. People think of pressure washing as cleaning homes, that's not what cleans them. Pressure destroys if you get too close to it, and it will 100% destroy any vinyl siding, aluminum siding, wood.” Graham said.

Compton’s attention to the technical aspects of the soft wash services is self-evident. He went on to describe in detail how the process works. This, in turn, illuminates his passion for the profession.    

“The dirtiness of the home decides how potent a mixture will be applied to the exterior of the property. Soft washing uses detergent in this industry. Blending the surfactant, sodium hypochlorite and water yields a mixture that kills algae and lichen that grows on your house. If left untreated, it can destroy your properties roof, siding and paint it if not eliminated on a regular basis. When removing it, maintenance costs and power bills go down.” he said.

Compton also emphasized the importance of proper training involved in the soft wash process.

“This really is a trade, and you must have knowledge of what to do, or you could damage property. One thing I would stress to anyone getting into this business for themselves, do your homework. Property protection is number one above all else. Taking precautions eats up a little more time but sets him apart from the competition.” he said.

Opening his company at the beginning of this year, and primarily servicing the Mississippi Gulf Coast, Graham has seen spectacular success. He attributes the fast start to having developed a savvy marketing campaign, and outstanding customer service.

“Like any new business starting out, the quickest way to reach people and have instant results in my opinion is through Facebook. It gets your name out there. People are always scrolling on their phone. It’s the day and age we live in. I would say currently 70% of my business is generated through Facebook, probably 20% through cold calls and the rest through referrals,” Graham said.

“Business has been phenomenal. I couldn't have imagined this great of a start. We won't be the lowest bid, but I can promise that your property will look better. We will go to the ends of the earth to make sure that you're satisfied.”

For questions are comments about this article, contact Graham at (228) 369-9363 or gulfsoftwash@gmail.com