November 2004 Client of the Month

Doug Easton
Easton's Water Conditioning, Inc
West Union, IA

"Hey Culligan Man!"

When you hear this slogan, you probably don't think of a small franchise establishment in northeast rural Iowa; a franchise that is owned and operated by an entrepreneur that recognizes a balanced importance in his customers and his employees. However, Doug Easton, of Easton's Water Conditioning, Inc., fits this bill.

Doug is owner and operator of a Culligan franchise located in West Union, Iowa that specializes in the sale, leasing, and servicing of water softeners, filters, reverse osmosis, Culligan-brand bottled water and coolers, salt sales, delivery, and occasional solutions to plumbing problems.

The difference between Doug's business and other similar dealers is that Easton's focuses on efficiently serving a smaller area. Doug stays on top of industry trends in order to "assimilate them into [the] business prior to their franchisor even giving them consideration"; and, although Easton's is a Culligan franchise, they try to differentiate themselves from the "Big Guy" by encompassing the family's name and values into the business brand and by hiring "highly qualified employees that take ownership in their daily activities within the business.

Doug Easton's interest in owning a business developed throughout high school and college while he worked in the Culligan business that his parents purchased in 1962 in West Union. Doug, in turn, purchased it from them on a contract in 1977 after graduating from Iowa State University. In the time since Doug purchased the business, he has seen many new and exciting developments in water treatment technology, he only wishes that "these innovations had been available back in 1977 when [he] bought the business". Doug continued, "Even the new technology that aids in our business productivity would have been great to have. I cannot believe we functioned without cell phones, fax, email and a second phone line."

For Doug, there are many rewards to being a successful business owner, including a reasonable income, the pride taken in a job well done, and the ability to watch the business grow. Easton's was originally located in a 2000 square foot building, but in 1999 the business expanded into a newly built, 6000 square foot facility. Doug believes that "success is a choice"; therefore, he is confident that the business will continue to be successful.

Doug enrolled in the Fast Trac entrepreneurial course offered by the UNI RBC-SBDC to acquire additional entrepreneurial skills and new perspectives in the business's operations and outlook. He took advantage of the opportunity to bounce business ideas off of the other Fast Trac participants and of RBC counselor, Mike Hahn. Doug's advice to the potential entrepreneur is to be "willing to put in the extra hours to make a business go and grow". He continued, "New-venture entrepreneurs must also determine whether or not they have the resources available to offset the lower income they will experience for a period of time while the business grows and establishes a cash flow".

Easton's Water Conditioning, located in West Union, is open from 7:30 a.m.-6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, and they are generally available on Saturdays. To learn more about Doug Easton and his Culligan franchise, contact the UNI RBC-SBDC at 319-236-8123.

Doug Easton
Easton's Water Conditioning, Inc.
P.O. Box 533
610 Central Ave.
West Union, Iowa 52175

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