Water Well Journal

Danfoss has named Lars Rasmussen as vice president of its heat exchanger business. Rasmussen will focus on continuing to grow and de- velop Danfoss' heat exchanger product portfolio, research and development efforts, and on contributing to the growth of heat exchangers for refrig- eration and air-conditioning applications worldwide. Prior to joining Danfoss, he was general manager of the indus- trial solutions sector of Moog, a designer, manufacturer, and integrator of precision control components and solutions for military and commercial aircraft, satellites and space vehicles, launch vehicles, missiles, automated industrial machinery, wind turbines, ma- rine and medical equipment. Wilo USA, a provider of pumps and pump solutions for building services, water management, and groundwa- ter, announced Gary Mannus took on the role of president of the Americas region on January 1. Mannus is re- sponsible for overseeing the operations of Wilo for both North and South America. He brings more than 20 years of experience in Wilo's in- dustry to his new position as president, having previously worked more than 14 years in the HVAC industry, includ- ing six years managing all company commercial matters worldwide. Sulzer is building a new, state-of-the-art pump services facility in Pasadena, Texas, to expand its increasing network in North America. Adjacent to the existing service center for electro-mechanical services, the new service center will be the new regional headquarter for pump services in the Americas and will provide increased pump maintenance capacity as well as additional technical support. Construction began with a groundbreaking cere- mony on January 13 and the facility is due to open in late fall of 2017. The aim of the project is to expand the network of service centers in order to help minimize lead times for pump services, maintenance, repair, and refurbishment. Wilo USA also announced its expanded groundwater range and NSF-certified prod- ucts, along with the Dealer Expert Program. The full of- fering of Wilo 4-inch motors and TWI and TWU pump ends are now NSF/ANSI 61 certified, which is required for products to be used in drink- ing water or low lead applica- tions. Wilo also covers the full range of 4- to 10-inch stain- less steel submersible pumps with additional model, mate- rial, and motor configurations in sizes up to 24 inches. McElroy, a global producer of pipe fusion machines, and Netafim, a global irrigation company, have joined forces to meet the demand for high- density polyethylene (HDPE) pipeline solutions serving the irrigation industry and the growing opportunities in potable water and natural gas. Partridge Well Drilling Co. Inc. in Jacksonville, Florida, is celebrating its 125-year anni- versary in 2017. The company celebrated the anniversary in conjunction with its Christmas party in 2016. Partridge Well Drilling was founded in 1892 and has been passed down in the same family since its establishment. Pat Par- tridge is current president and the fifth generation to manage the company. Merritt Partridge, CVCLD, and his brother, Lance, are in management roles and represent the sixth genera- tion of the company. It currently employs 42 people and specializes in water wells, geothermal, en- vironmental drilling, septic installation/service, pump installation/service, and water treatment. Partridge Well Drilling runs 12 rigs and 12 service trucks. Many employees have worked at the company for more than 30 years and a few for more than 40 years. The photo is from a well in Jacksonville in 1934. The two older men are Partridge em- ployees and the child is Mer- ritt and Lance's grandfather, Don Partridge Sr., who passed away in November 2016. Merritt currently serves on the National Ground Water Association Board of Direc- tors and was president of the Florida Ground Water Associ- ation in 2016. Industry NEWSMAKERS PROMOTION NEW ADDITION Gary Mannus Lars Rasmussen BUSINESS GROWTH ANNIVERSARY waterwelljournal.com 64 March 2017 WWJ Howard "Porky" Cutter, 80, passed away on January 15 in Virginia Beach, Vir- ginia. Cutter was active in the South At- lantic Jubilee, the Virginia Water Well Association, and participated in the NGWA Voluntary Certifica- tion Program. He was a reg- ular contributing writer for National Driller with his column titled "Porky's Hole Thoughts." His two sons Randall and Chris "Piglet" followed in his footsteps of working in the water well industry. His sons helped Howard train drillers and troubleshoot drilling jobs in foreign countries, including Haiti. Richard "Dick" Vaughn, 84, passed away on January 22 in Sanger, California. Vaughn was well known in the water well video camera indus- try as he invented the sin- gle-conductor technology that many camera manu- facturers still use today. He started his own business, VAC Electronics, in 1970, which turned into Central California Video (CCV) in 1973 in Fresno, California, before later becoming CCV Engineering and Manufac- turing. He built CCV into a successful electronic design and manufacturing business developing and producing video cameras for the in- spection of water wells and sewer lines. CCV had cus- tomers all over the world. He owned CCV until he sold it to Aries Industries Co. in 2000. Howard "Porky" Cutter Richard "Dick" Vaughn IN MEMORIAM

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