Local business owners Mary and Bill Damm enjoy playing on their
last name. Damm Good Spring Water and Damm Cold Ice are divisions,
created by their sons, of their main company, Damm Softwater
Service, Inc.
The family makes a point of combining knowledgeable, friendly
business services with a dedication to community involvement. In
recognition of their contributions to the Hollister community, Damm
Softwater Services was recently named Business of the Month by the
Ambassadors of the Chamber of Commerce.
Local business owners Mary and Bill Damm enjoy playing on their last name. Damm Good Spring Water and Damm Cold Ice are divisions, created by their sons, of their main company, Damm Softwater Service, Inc.
The family makes a point of combining knowledgeable, friendly business services with a dedication to community involvement. In recognition of their contributions to the Hollister community, Damm Softwater Services was recently named Business of the Month by the Ambassadors of the Chamber of Commerce.
Damm Softwater Service, Inc., a family owned and run business, was started by Mary’s father, Lloyd Query in 1965. A plumber by trade, Query became interested in water conditioning. As residents of the area know, hard water is a part of life in San Benito County. Not only is it unsightly and hard to clean, it can cause corrosion to the plumbing systems. The national average for water hardness is nine grains per gallon (gpg), municipal water in San Benito County is 25 gpg to 35 gpg, and it can be even higher with local well water.
Mary and her husband Bill took over the business in 1982 when her father died. Their commercial and residential services include water softener systems designed specifically to treat local water and reverse osmosis, a process that separates pure water molecules from tap water by washing out impurities, algae and bacteria, as well as unwanted tastes and odors. They are licensed by the State of California, and the City of Hollister. They are also active members of the world wide Water Quality Association and Pacific Water Quality Association.
Their two sons, John and Adam, are also a part of the daily business, and their daughter Kristen, a local school teacher, is the vice president of the corporation.
“They were interested as soon as they were old enough to climb into the truck and go along,” Mary said. “The boys got into the business full time right after high school. In 1999, after my son Adam had done some extensive research, we decided to branch out and start Damm Good Spring Water.”
Their spring water comes from a certified natural source spring in the Sierras.
“It’s a very regulated industry,” Mary said. “Drinking water is seen as a food. The FDA and the State of California regulate it thoroughly, which is a good thing.”
The company provides free scheduled delivery, a wide selection of dispensers to rent or buy, and personal, 3 gallon, and 5 gallon sized bottles. Mary advises reading the label of your bottled water to make sure you know what you are buying.
“The labels have to say where the water is from and it has to provide a contact number for information. I’ve seen bottles labeled ‘municipal water source,’ which means someone turned on the faucet,” she said.
Recently the Damm family has added an ice distribution service, Damm Cold Ice, to the company’s offerings. They deliver ice to grocery stores and campgrounds, as well as supply the ice for the annual Independence Rally.
The family “rows their boat gently down the stream” as a family unit and a business.
“My sons are good friends. They work well together in separate areas of the business, but the work and their friendship overlaps well. Some days they call me Mom, others Mary. Since they have moved away from home my friends ask me if I miss them, but I’m fortunate, I get to see them every day because we work together,” she said. “It’s wonderful to work on ideas together and encourage them to succeed. They are always thinking of new things and ensuring they are offering our customers everything they need. They are very good with people.”
That sense of working well together extends beyond the family and business. All members of the Damm family are involved in giving back to their community.
Mary has been a Boy Scout leader for 20 years and helped create the local Cub Scout Day Camp. Her son Adam is an Eagle Scout, who is on the board of review, helping and encouraging eagle scouts with their projects. John coaches wrestling and basketball at Sacred Heart.
“It’s so rewarding to be involved and it’s good for the community,” Mary said. “I got involved when my children were young, I saw how community support helps children and I also saw how much needs to be done!”
Mary, who has also been named “Citizen of the Year,” is a founding member of Leadership San Benito County, on the board of the Community Assistance Network and volunteers with the emergency food and shelter program.
Future plans for Damm Softwater Service include expanding the reach of their business and becoming more involved as ambassadors for the water agencies and associations.
“Water is an import part of our lives,” she said. “I want to help keep our customers educated on local water issues.”
Damm Softwater Service, Damm Good Spring Water and Damm Cold Ice can be reached at 637-1720.
