THE HISTORY OF HAFERMAN WATER CONDITIONING
Haferman Water Conditioning is a full service water treatment company located in the south metro of the Twin Cities. We service all makes of water softeners, filters and reverse osmosis drinking water systems. With more than 52 years of experience in the water quality improvement industry, we offer rentals, sales and service.
We specialize in residential and light commercial sales, service and installation. This includes complete well water treatment of rusty, hard water and smelly water. We offer complete home systems for both private well and municipal water customers. We pride ourselves on our excellent customer service, and installations provided by our licensed installers. Satisfaction is always guaranteed.
IN THE BEGINNING …
Most companies come from humble beginnings, and Haferman Water Conditioning is no exception. In 1966, Mr. Haferman started at Lindsay Water Conditioning, located in the heart of downtown Prior Lake. In 1972 he started out on his own as Lindsay Water Conditioning Suburban South, Inc. and moved to Cedar Ave. & Diffley Road in Eagan (the old Cedar Ave. is now Nichols Road). They had four employees – a salesman – Mr. Haferman, bookkeeper – Mrs. Haferman, an office receptionist, and a service technician / installer.
In those days, sales came from referrals, newspaper ads, the Dakota County Fair and mostly door-to-door knocking. Mr. Haferman worked from sunrise to sunset six days a week. He was a member of the Lindsay President’s Club six years in a row – meaning he was the number one salesperson in the United States.
JOINING WITH KINETICO
In 1979, the office moved to a larger location on Riverwood Drive in Burnsville. By this time, there were six employees. Another big change was on the horizon. After 13 years of dedicated Lindsay sales, a start-up water treatment company called Kinetico came along. Kinetico is unique for 3 reasons:
1. It uses no electricity.
2. It has two softening tanks for an unlimited supply of softened water.
3. It regenerates with softened water based on demand, or gallons of water used.
It turned out it wasn’t a gimmick. Two engineers in Ohio, Bill Prior and Jim Kewley, designed a new water conditioning valve that used no electricity, there were no adjustments that had to be made to the softener once installed, and it used very little salt and water when it regenerated. The softener model was called the UKI, and it used 9 gallons of water, 1 lb. of salt, and regenerated in 11 minutes! He began to sell and install Kinetico products, because it was the 1970s and efficiency and conservation was a big deal. Mr. Haferman also had a side business selling and installing solar panels for hot water inside the home.
Haferman Water Conditioning and Kinetico Water Systems
Lindsay / Ecowater told Mr. Haferman he couldn’t sell both brands and he had to choose one. So, he decided he would go with the system that, in his opinion, was not only the superior water conditioner, but also the most family-friendly water treatment company: Kinetico. So he rebranded as Haferman Water Conditioning, Inc. It was a good decision. Kinetico is now a worldwide company, and carries premium products unique to the industry, due to their extensive research and development. They have a worldwide dealer network, and offer both residential and commercial equipment.
THE HAFERMAN WATER CONDITIONING STAFF
Mr. and Mrs. Haferman have two sons that work in the family business. Haferman Water Conditioning now has 14 employees and is the authorized Kinetico dealer for Dakota, Scott, Hennepin, Carver, Sibley, Wright, Rice, and McLeod counties. The Hafermans have studied the fundamentals of water treatment for many years, and are certified water specialists by the Water Quality Association. They carry a license from the State of Minnesota. Their number one priority is solving water problems with attention to the customer’s needs. They’ve earned their reputation as an honest, Christian-based, family business.
How Can we help?
