50 years of family ownership ending at LV Culligan outlet

Phil Levine

Thursday, Feb. 17, 2000 | 11:30 a.m.

What's in a name?

Customers of Walt Casey's Culligan may be able to answer that age old riddle on Friday.

On that day -- after almost five decades of helping to quench Las Vegans' desert thirst for water -- the Casey name will no longer be associated with the company.

"I guess it's sad, kind of like the passing of an era," said company founder Walt Casey. "But these days, I guess bigness is seen as a virtue."

Adds son Steve Casey, the company's current owner: "It's really no different than what's happening with the family farm. I believe that as government gets bigger, and its demands on small business get bigger, businesses have to expand and that leads to these big mergers."

It was one of those "big mergers" that led to Steve Casey's decision to sell the business founded by his father in 1954.

The passing of the family torch -- or more accurately, the water filter -- began in 1989. At that time, Casey and his wife Linda assumed ownership of Walt Casey's Water Conditioning, retaining his father's moniker and starting a bottled water division.

Walt says after his son assumed control of the company, his overriding responsibility was simple.

"I just tried to stay out of the way," he says.

"And I appreciated that," Steve adds, with a smile.

In 1992, another change took place when Walt Casey's Water Conditioning became a Culligan dealership, adopting the name Walt Casey's Culligan.

"We kept his name with the company because it was already well-established and recognized in this market," said Casey. "We decided to go with Culligan as it was a national name that brought even greater recognition.

"Still, a few years after we bought the company, we knew we had to physically expand our operation in order to continue to grow the business."

That's why, in 1997, Casey moved the company from 2661 Western Ave. -- its headquarters for the last 30 years -- to its current location at 4513 N. Lamb Blvd.

Encompassing 25,000 square feet, the new $4 million plant provided state-of-the-art equipment designed to assist the company with its long-term growth plans.

However, events far removed from Las Vegas presented Casey with both a business opportunity -- and challenge -- not of his making.

"In Feb. 1997, U.S. Filter Corp. moved to establish itself in the residential water treatment market and then moved on to acquire Culligan," said Casey. "They started buying water dealerships around the country.

"This period is known in our business as the 'war years.' "

In spring of 1998, a truce was declared when U.S. Filter purchased Culligan.

Given U.S. Filter's ownership of other water companies in Nevada, that placed Walt Casey's Culligan in the precarious position of competing with its own franchiser.

"In 1997 and 1998, U.S. Filter bought three Las Vegas (water) companies," said Casey. "Basically, our supplier owned our competition. So, we decided to try and buy the (local) dealerships they had purchased. There was a fear that they could put the Culligan name on other Las Vegas dealerships."

Prolonged negotiations led to the discussion of various scenarios, including a "one-half second talk" about U.S. Filter purchasing Walt Casey's Culligan.

In the end, that one-half second proved enough time to close the deal, thereby ending the Casey family era in Las Vegas' water business.

Steve Casey said terms of the deal were not disclosed, even to the man whose name was still on the company letterhead.

"I wasn't even able to tell my dad about the terms, but suffice to say they were beyond my wildest imagination," said Casey. "I guess you could say we took advantage of the war."

Although the company was actually sold in January 1999, Casey's agreement called for him to remain on for an additional year.

That agreement ends Friday, and with it an important entrepreneurial chapter in the history of Las Vegas' business community.

The merger-mania that spurred the Casey sale continued last year. Last spring, U.S. Filter was itself acquired by Paris-based Vivendi, a huge European conglomerate with more than 235,000 employees.

Despite all the tumult, Culligan's Las Vegas business manager is confident the company can continue to grow Casey's operation.

"It's a truly great franchise, and we expect to grow the company as the city continues to grow," said Mike Layton. "But as the business manager for several other markets in Southern California, I can say the Las Vegas franchise is second to none."

Mike Hendricks, a 20-year Culligan veteran, will take over the reigns of leadership at Culligan as of next Monday.

Layton said the transformation from the Casey era has already begun.

"We've already stopped utilizing the Walt Casey name on our stationary and in answering the phone," he said. "But Las Vegans can expect our Culligan name to become increasingly visible over the next several months."

Reflecting on his company's long history, Walt Casey notes the Las Vegas landscape has changed considerably since he first happened into the water business in the mid-1950s.

"I got into this business really by accident," said Casey. "Back then, there were only about 50,000 people living here, and I was looking for a business opportunity when a friend of mine offered to put up the money to start a soft-water conditioning business if I would run it.

"Even back then, it was a pretty competitive (water) business here. That's one thing that hasn't really changed over all these years."

Steve Casey's initiation into the family business began at the age of 14, with a salary far removed from the undisclosed figure for which he sold his company last year.

"I began work here sweeping floors for 75 cents an hour," he said. "But there was never any real point where I said to my dad 'I want to work in this business.'

"I guess it was always just assumed that I would."

Long-time Casey friend and former chairwoman of the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce, Diane Dickerson, says Casey's departure from the business community is a sad, but understandable event.

"Both Walt and Steve are fabulous business people who have been very involved with the community over the years," said Dickerson. "It's really a sad thing that Steve is leaving the company, but I'm hopeful that he'll continue to remain active within our community."

A Casey family friend since childhood, Dickerson says it was the familiarity of Casey's business advertising that often helped her stay in touch with Steve.

"There were times the only way I could remember his office number was to sing the TV jingle that included their company phone number," she said. "But Steve's always a great guy to be with, and he has a real flair for fun."

That flair for fun manifests itself in many ways, including a penchant for hiking and nature photography.

Though there's little doubt his absence will be felt, Casey said he doesn't anticipate a negative response from customers when they realize he's no longer in charge of the company.

"I hope they (customers) stay with the company, because we have a great group of people working here," he said. "We have almost 100 people employees, and they're all dedicated to the same high level of service."

Both Steve and Walt Casey say that despite all the changes over the last five decades, they agree there's been at least one constant in the Casey family home: the choice of libation.

"All I ever drink is water," said Steve Casey. "Not soda pop, not alcohol. Just water."

In response to the same query, Walt Casey gives a somewhat watered down response.

"I'm also a big water drinker, although I do have a cocktail or beer every now and again."

And although he won't be active in Las Vegas' water business, Steve Casey says this week's departure doesn't necessitate an early retirement.

"I'm really not sure what I'll do now, but I'm confident new opportunities will arise," he said.

archive