Water Well Journal
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/692787
acquired several subsidiaries in various industries. It eventually divested itself of its ac- quisitions and turned its focus back to "moving water" in the 1970s when the Masco Corp. purchased a controlling interest in the company. Under Masco, Flint & Walling continued to sell more than 900 models of pumps worldwide. Flint & Walling today The company returned to its roots as a privately-owned company when the family-owned Zoeller Co. purchased Flint & Walling from Masco in 2000. Since purchasing the company, Zoeller has helped Flint & Walling re- invest in Kendallville by purchasing new equipment, adding more personnel, and funding product development. In 2004, Zoeller funded the develop- ment of Flint & Walling's own 4-inch submersible motor. The Flint & Walling 4-inch submersible motor and con- trollers were introduced in 2014 after three years of development and seven years of field testing throughout North America. "Sometimes the payback is not always a one- or two-year payback," F&W president Lechner says. "But it's really refreshing to work for a company that says it's the right thing to do for the long-term interest of the company, so let's go ahead and do it." The launch was successful, with more than 70% of the company's cus- tomers purchasing the Flint & Walling –branded motor. In the coming years, Lechner sees Flint & Walling continuing to change with the industry by focusing more on technology and the ability to control water through variable speed drives and controllers. Although he's not sure what the next 150 years will look like for the pumping industry, he's confident you can count on Flint & Walling to be there for it. "Everybody is always going to need water and Flint & Walling will also always be a company that helps provide water," he says. "Who knows what the next 150 years will hold, but I do know Flint & Walling will continue to change and evolve with it." WWJ Jennifer Strawn was the associate editor of Water Well Journal from 2004 to 2007. She is currently in the internal communications department at Nationwide in Columbus, Ohio. She can be reached at strawnj2@gmail.com. Among products produced today are a variety of submersible motors. 2215 SOUTH VAN BUREN · ENID, OKLAHOMA, USA 73703 · PHONE 580.234.4141 āGRPVDOHV#JHIFRFRPāLQWVDOHV#JHIFRFRP ·ZZZJHIFRFRP *()&2,1&DQ$VWHF,QGXVWULHV&RPSDQ\ WWJ July 2016 37 Twitter @WaterWellJournl