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Zach & Emily -
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By Jenny Kirk Zach McFarland understands the importance of providing access to high quality water conditioning and drinking water systems. He spent nearly 10 years working for Denny Beers at Culligan in Slayton before starting his own business in 2007. And while the new venture was more of a small side job as McFarland worked fulltime elsewhere, his EZ Water Conditioning business has really been ramping up recently.
“I think the first year, I did one sale,” McFarland said. “Last year, I did 25-30, and I’ve already done that this year. It’s really taken off.”
The recent business success isn’t a fluke. It’s now an intentional effort to promote EZ Water Conditioning. “The business is new but not new,” McFarland said. “I’ve been doing it as a side business since I left Culligan in 2007ish. I always told Denny I would never be competition. But now he’s gone.”
After serving the Slayton, Tracy and Marshall areas for more than 45 years, Denny Beers sold Culligan to new owners in the fall of 2021. Now that he’s fulfilled his promise to Beers, McFarland sees huge opportunities in the future. “I think we’re set to make a decent jump,” McFarland said. “I’ve been sells is Aqua Magic from Frakco in Luverne. Frakco builds and distributes water conditioning equipment for residential and commercial use.
While quality equipment is vital, McFarland knows that good service is equally important. “Service is almost more important than the sale itself,” he said. “The thing you have to love around here is people love local. That’s the big thing.”
EZ Water Conditioning — the Z is for Zach and the E is for his wife, Emily, who is in charge of billing and tax compliance — recently transitioned to its new home located inside the “Pioneer building” at 1900 Engebretson Street in Slayton. “I’ve been doing the business out of my garage, but we moved everything over there around the beginning of the year” McFarland said. “We’re just getting ready for our first semi load of salt for our delivery routes. My nephews, Cameron and Jordan, who are 19 and 21, are going to be the ones hauling salts.”
The “Pioneer building” also houses Boerboom Seed and Consulting and Ultimate Lawns. “It’s nice being in there because someone is always around and can help if a customer is picking up salt or filters and I’m not there,” said McFarland, who still works fulltime as the head custodian at Murray County Central.
While it currently works out well to divide his time between both jobs — McFarland is at the school at 5 a.m. — there could come a time when the EZ Water Conditioning business demands that he pick one or the other. If the recent Farm and Home Show in Slayton is any indicator, it could be sooner rather than later. “It went way better than I thought it would considering the bad weather,” he said. “We sold eight softeners and five drinking systems.”
One of those customers posted a very positive message on Facebook. “I thought that was really nice,” McFarland said. Until just recently, advertising wasn’t something McFarland had done. “It was just word of mouth,” he said.
As technology continues to advance, so will the products and services EZ Water Conditioning offers. “Everything is much more efficient now,” he said. “Minnesota passed a law a year or two ago that you can’t sell a time-clock softener. It has to be a metered softener. Even the regeneration process is so much more efficient. It’s better for everyone. There’s a lot less waste.”
Due to the significant up-front expenses, McFarland isn’t offering rentals or 5-gallon jugs yet. “I’m not quite there yet, but I keep plugging away,” he said. “I’m in talks with the company about getting 5-gallon jugs. It’s a lot of money up front.”
Regardless of the pace it happens, McFarland is optimistic about future business growth. “Looking out five years, I’d like to have three or four people working with me, or working for me,” he said.
For more information, McFarland can be reached at 507227-2265 or at ezwc2324@gmail.com. There is also a Facebook page for EZ Water Conditioning.
