One of the newest members of the Canadian Water Quality Association family is a true family operation. Pristine Water Solutions was conceived by Bill Marr, and developed by his family, Sebastian (son), David and Mason (sons-in-law). Officially incorporated in April of 2021 and opening in July of 2021, the business operates in Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario.
Owning and running a family business is something that Bill had some experience with by working in his family wholesale distribution business for many years. He saw the value of having a strong family bond which ultimately created a strong business.
Purchasing a rural property in Manitoba which came with some water quality issues, had him reaching out to friends that had what he considered, ‘Pristine’ water. His friend suggested the Hague brand of water treatment equipment, and in researching where he could buy this equipment found that the supplier was more than 500 km away. The lightbulb went on immediately and the concept of starting, developing and building a family water treatment business in Manitoba was the result.
Hague Quality Water is the longest standing water treatment manufacturer in the United States. They are international but headquarters are in USA. Their flagship product, the WaterMax®, is the world’s most comprehensive, most efficient home water treatment system on the market today. Their goal is to always deliver the most durable and effective water treatment systems in the market, giving customers the softest, cleanest water, every time. This resonated with Bill and family, and they have built their water treatment business to improve peoples lives through providing water quality for all.
Pristine Water Solutions operates predominately within a 100 km radius of Winnipeg, but they don’t shy away from tackling water issues farther afield. Their main focus is on residential applications, and their preference is focusing on rural water issues. Their first challenge was nasty bacteria and iron, and their suppliers, Hague and Luminor assisted them in the application and their customers Jenn and Kevin are extremely happy and feel safe drinking their well water now.
When asked why they joined the CWQA, it was a simple answer for Bill. His involvement in many other associations through his love of soccer and through his family business with the National Marine Distributors Association, he knows the importance of networking, gaining industry knowledge and how it helps to build credibility in the industry.
We always want to know what the CWQA can do to help the members, and Bill is excited about having the CWQA Education Consultant mentor and guide his team, whether that is through the CWQA webinars, or some of the new education opportunities that are being developed.
He knows the biggest challenge he faces for his business, is not from starting it during a pandemic, it is in developing a brand recognition and trust from consumers. Using testimonials will be key in building that brand and loyalty. The easiest part to his business is knowing and trusting his business partners and having a strong family unit with similar values go a long way to success.
The long-term plan is to build brand, build trust, build integrity while offering excellent family values and ethics to every job they do. They are all about education, obtaining it through the CWQA and other partners, passing it along to the consumers to help improve lives through excellent quality water.
