Culligan Water Technologies Inc history

When Emmett J. Culligan founded the Culligan Zeolite Company in 1936, it was with the idea of making conditioned water available to homeowners.

In 1938, the first Culligan dealer started up business in Wheaton, Illinois.

In 1946, the company returned to expanding its dealer network.

And in 1947, Northbrook added another two-story structure to its location.

Shortly after that, on October 13, 1951, the Northbrook Civic Organization proclaimed the day as “Culligan Day”. The townspeople were invited to a square dance and barbecue to celebrate the opening of the new Culligan plant in their community.

As Culligan Water’s visibility began to grow, the company name changed from Culligan Zeolite Company to Culligan Incorporated in 1952.

And radio commercials introducing Hey Culligan Man!® in 1958.

In 1967, Culligan Water introduced the first mass-produced reverse osmosis water treatment system.

To reflect that expansion, the company’s name was again changed in 1970 to Culligan International Company.

In 1988, Culligan Water made its move into the bottled water industry.

In 1995, Culligan’s parent, Astrum, decided to split itself into two entities.

Culligan upped its ad budget from $2 million in its first year as a public company to about $10 million in 1997.

In 1998, Culligan paid approximately $132.5 million for Protean plc, a British water purification equipment maker, and then spent $4.4 million for Harmony Brook, a Minnesota-based manufacturer of consumer water purification products.

Given the rapid consolidation in the water industry by which Culligan and USFilter had grown, it was perhaps not surprising that USFilter was itself acquired in 1999.

In 2010, Culligan Water released the Culligan® HE. Which became the world’s most efficient water softener.