Water Well Journal
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/643500
Franklin Electric's technical service hotline receives on av- erage 35,000 phone calls each year. Nearly 20% of those calls are from homeowners, ranchers, and farmers—certainly not the case years ago. The Internet created this trend as end users can find the phone number online. The Internet is the first place homeowners go if their private well system is not work- ing. A little more than 40% of the calls come from contractors, while 37% are from distributors. A more educated consumer disrupted the automobile in- dustry where it's not uncommon for a car buyer to know more than the salesperson. It wasn't always that way; it flipped due to the Internet. "Our industry is not there yet," Reeder says, "but the fact of the matter is consumers are going to the Internet first thing. Having said that, I travel quite a bit and I'm amazed at how little the average person knows about water wells and ground- water." Reeder wants the average consumer to understand more about groundwater, including: • If the bottled water one drinks is spring water, it likely came from groundwater. • The city of Indianapolis, as an example, has five 6-inch wells that provide a significant amount of water to city res- idents. Consumers in other cities may be on well water too and don't know it. • Only 2.5% of freshwater is from lakes, rivers, and streams. The rest is from groundwater. Reeder believes an opportunity exists for the industry to do a better job of educating the homeowner. "Most people have no idea groundwater is that essential to us," Reeder says. "The more education we can do to educate the homeowner, nothing but good things will come from it." 7. Demographics of the contractor base No doubt a demographic shift is taking place in the indus- try as a result of: • A mature contractor base • Replacements are not keeping pace with retirements • Multi-generational family drilling businesses are decreas- ing/no succession plans • Small family-owned drilling/pump companies that are consolidating. Reeder believes the younger generation is not entering the industry because of their misguided perception of it. He thinks they don't believe the industry is a high-tech one with growth opportunities. "If you're in the groundwater industry, you're involved with geology, chemistry, hydraulics, electricity, electronics, to name a few," Reeder says. "What better way to bring four years of engineering school into an exciting industry? There are some huge opportunities in this industry. Somehow we've got to figure out a way to make this industry more attractive and articulate the opportunity we truly have in it." In addition, those in the industry are providing life-sustain- ing water to consumers, which is easily forgotten but brings immense satisfaction. The opportunity to be in support of is- sues and policies critical to the protection, use, and manage- ment of groundwater is another incentive to join the industry. "It seems like you can get your fingers on almost every- thing," Reeder says. Burgess Water Wells in Mayfield, Kentucky, has found it more difficult than ever to find younger help due to the hard labor that comes working in this industry. Burgess has a five- man crew that is in their late 20s and early 30s to help him drill, mostly in western Kentucky. The 62-year-old is confident in the personnel coming up to take over his business, but if Burgess has anything to do with it, that won't happen anytime soon. "I'm going to stay at it until they put me in the ground," he says. "It gets into your blood and you can't get away from it. I enjoy it. I enjoy the people and really enjoy my employees, teaching them and seeing them grow." SEVEN TRENDS from page 23 Tell Us What You Think What are your thoughts on these seven trends? WWJ wants to know. Send your thoughts to WWJ Editor Thad Plumley at tplumley@ngwa.org. Mike Price is the senior editor of Water Well Journal. In addition to his WWJ responsibilities, Price produces NGWA's newsletter and con- tributes to the Association's quarterly scientific publication. He can be reached at mprice @ngwa.org. WWJ 24 March 2016 WWJ waterwelljournal.com R C N CTERIA! 096 2 . ORE, ALER! USH + WELL Jr. Blvd. • Lubbock, TX 79404 747.2096 • coteychemical.com N BA FOR CHOICE WEAPONS R W 806 7 U A M 7 4410 MLK 806.7