Keeping clear: Oxygen Ozone Inc. designs and installs water purification systems.Air and water are the building blocks of life. But for William Wendling they re the elements of a successful business. The owner and founder of Oxygen Ozone Inc. has enjoyed triple-digit growth designing air and water purification systems for green-conscious homes and businesses. Since he founded Oxygen Ozone in 1998, Wendling has sold more than 1,400 filtration systems, from Montana all the way to Malaysia. In an industry dominated by large commercial names such as Culligan and US Filter, he's carved out a niche not only with personalized service but high-quality breakthrough products. "William takes purification a few steps beyond the rest of the industry," notes Ellen Strickland of Livingreen, who sells Oxygen Ozone products in her sustainable design stores in Culver City and Santa Barbara. "He comes at it from a health and wellness perspective, layered by technical knowledge." Wendling has spent years perfecting a nine-stage process that uses carbon filters, reverse osmosis reverse osmosis n. The movement of a solvent in the opposite direction from osmosis in such a manner that the solvent moves from a solution of greater concentration through a membrane to a solution of lesser concentration. , de-ionization, and natural ocean coral to clean and re-invigorate water with essential minerals. Competitor LifeSource Water Systems Inc., of Pasadena, uses carbon filters in combination with its own proprietary conditioning treatment. In a Wendling system, levels of TDS TDS total dissolved solids. (total dissolved solids Total dissolved solids (often abbreviated TDS) is an expression for the combined content of all inorganic and organic substances contained in a liquid which are present in a molecular, ionized or micro-granular (colloidal sol) suspended form. ) contaminants usually caused by ground runoff and pesticides are reduced to zero parts per million parts per million mg/kg or ml/l; see ppm. . Environmental Protection Agency Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), independent agency of the U.S. government, with headquarters in Washington, D.C. It was established in 1970 to reduce and control air and water pollution, noise pollution, and radiation and to ensure the safe handling and guidelines cite TDS levels in excess of 1,000 ppm as unfit for drinking. Piped-in municipal water has a TDS level of 100-600 ppm. He also offers everything from a $500 low-voltage heating, ventilating ventilating Natural or mechanically induced movement of fresh air into or through an enclosed space. The hazards of poor ventilation were not clearly understood until the early 20th century. Expired air may be laden with odors, heat, gases, or dust. and air-conditioning filter to a $12,000 system that cleans swimming pools with UV light and copper-silver ion technology developed by NASA NASA: see National Aeronautics and Space Administration. NASA in full National Aeronautics and Space Administration Independent U.S. . But his biggest sellers are under-the-counter tap purifiers. Wendling won't publish revenues or margins. But with an average of 10 installations per month in the $2500 to $5,600 range, the company is a solid, six-figure annual earner. Wendling, 39, credits childhood visits to a John Deere factory, where his father worked in manufacturing, as sparking his love for engineering. He first noticed the impact of water contaminants on the Illinois farm where he grew up. "Our well water was so hard, you could see the calcium and other mineral deposits on the teapot and humidifier humidifier, n a device for adding moisture to dry air inside the home to help counteract the reduction in saliva that often occurs as a result of hyposalivation, radiation therapy, or other treatments that cause xerostomia. ," said Wendling. "I think it played a part in my father's heart disease." Wendling started on his path at 19 when he moved to Northern California to study herbal medicine herbal medicine, use of natural plant substances (botanicals) to treat and prevent illness. The practice has existed since prehistoric times and flourishes today as the primary form of medicine for perhaps as much as 80% of the world's population. . An article about a therapeutic ozone spa in Florida developed by a veteran with effects of Agent Orange ignited a passion for the benefits of purified waters. "The system was water-based, so all the research I did into ozone therapy jump-started my filtration business," he recalls. Wendling keeps his overhead low by functioning as a virtual one-man band. He does site inspections for each new client, then custom designs orders out of his Fairfax-area home. Parts are procured through a chain of suppliers who all carry National Safety Foundation certification, and Gold Seal certification from the industry's Water Quality Association trade organ. Wendling then turns to manufacturing partners in North Hollywood and Orange County for assembly of his systems, which carry a $2 million insurance policy against rupture or breakage. Installations cost clients about $500, depending on the job, and are done by a staff plumber licensed in fluid waste removal. He completes all service calls personally. Now Wendling plans to branch out. Ozone, sprayed through jets with purified water, is the key to a line of spa chambers Wendling plans to launch by year's end. The treatment requires patients' bodies to be enclosed in the bubbling water (with their heads protruding pro·trude v. pro·trud·ed, pro·trud·ing, pro·trudes v.tr. To push or thrust outward. v.intr. To jut out; project. See Synonyms at bulge. ). Ozone is a charged form of oxygen that's one of nature's strongest purifiers. Sea World uses ozone to disinfect To remove the virus code that has attached itself to a legitimate file. Sometimes, the antivirus program cannot untangle the code, and the infected file has to be deleted. See quarantine. more than 10 million gallons of water at its San Diego location. In the last 18 months, Wendling has funneled $20,000 into his ozone spa research and redevelopment. Europe will be a likely target market. Nathaniel Altman, author of Oxygen Healing Therapies, says more than 15 million overseas patients have tried medical ozone therapy since the early 1960s. North America is another story. "Oxygen-ozone treatments are only allowed as experimental therapies in about seven states," Altman notes. "They can't be patented, so there's no incentive for FDA FDA abbr. Food and Drug Administration FDA, n.pr See Food and Drug Administration. FDA, n.pr the abbreviation for the Food and Drug Administration. or AMA (Automatic Message Accounting) The recording and reporting of telephone calls within a telephone system. It includes the calling and called parties and start and stop times of the call. approval." Regardless of how well his spas do, Wendling's clients, made up of affluent homeowners and small business owners hooked into the green lifestyle, are true believers. Janabai, who goes by only one name and is a co-owner of the Santa Monica-based restaurant Euphoria Loves Rawvolution, said Wendling is a "water wizard" legendary in the health food industry. "The water content in raw food is very high," Janabai says, "so to have water that's been re-mineralized with coral calcium makes a huge difference to our customers. William keeps making upgrades all the time. He's obsessed ob·sess v. ob·sessed, ob·sess·ing, ob·sess·es v.tr. To preoccupy the mind of excessively. v.intr. with water." Oxygen Ozone Inc. Year Founded: 1998 Core Business: Water and air purification systems using natural and holistic treatments 2004 Employees: 2 2005 Employees: 3 Goal: To add 5-10 employees and open offices in Orange County. San Diego County and the Bay Area within the next 12-16 months Driving Force: Horneowners and business owners who are true believers in a green lifestyle David Geffner Contributing Reporter |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion