April 2008 Newsletter
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As a youngster growing up in South Shore Massachusetts, Barry Bell had many opportunities, as he puts it, “to play in the water... I really enjoyed playing in the water. The ocean was just a few miles away and several lakes and ponds were nearby as well. We were always canoeing, water skiing, fishing power boating, scuba diving and swimming.” Little did he know that he would make a career of “playing with water”. Today, Barry Bell is the Plant Manager for Monadnock Mountain Spring Water. “I was always interested in the environment,” Barry says. In his teenage years, Barry was very active in the Boy Scouts and his interest in environmental issues stemmed from his scouting experiences. In 1986 Barry was awarded the rank of Eagle Scout. “At that time, that was the biggest accomplishment of my life,” Barry says. After graduating from high school, Barry enrolled in the Civil and Environmental Engineering program at the University of Rhode Island (URI). “I quickly realized that math was not my strong point and really preferred wearing hip waders in a marsh somewhere,” he says. Barry graduated in 1991 from URI’s College of Resource Development with a Bachelor of Science degree in Soil and Water Resources Management. “It was a great education and I had a lot of fun learning,” he says. After college, Barry answered a small newspaper classified ad looking for a Quality Control Supervisor for a water bottling plant. He applied for the position and the rest is history. “After all, the word water was in the ad. That's what caught my eye”, Barry says. Barry has now been with Monadnock Mountain Spring Water for 16 years. He says the job has developed over the years. “When I first started, we did just about everything by hand. Today, we are much more automated but are still small enough to pay close attention to each and every bottle we fill.” The recipe is simple, he says. “Great water, 1 bottle, 1 cap, and 1 label.” Barry says that Monadnock Mountain Spring Water originates from their own protected springs in Wilton, New Hampshire. The water is transported daily to their Quincy bottling facility. “We only use our own dedicated tanker for transporting the spring water. The water is then filtered down to a one micron (absolute) level, sanitized by oxidation and then bottled. We do not add any minerals or flavorings of any kind.” Barry states that because they transport their water from the springs every morning, the bottles they fill that day are very fresh. “Much of our bottled water is delivered to the customer within 24-36 hours from when it leaves the spring. It does not get much fresher than that,” he says. In 1995 Barry took the International Bottled Water Association’s Certified Plant Operator examination, and passed on his first attempt. “Every bottling company that is a member of the International Bottled Water Association must have a Certified Plant Operator on staff,” he says. “It is a soup to nuts exam testing your knowledge of water chemistry, water treatment, regulations, plant operations, product quality and many other areas of the bottled water industry.” Barry says that all Certified Plant Operators must take refresher courses to keep up with the latest and greatest aspects of bottled water. “I have been very fortunate in that Monadnock sends me to seminars and classes every year, usually in a fun city to visit,” he says. In 2004 Barry was awarded the International Bottled Water Association’s first ever Plant Manager of the Year award. “It was a great honor. There were lots of criteria that I had to meet and had to be nominated. Then judges chose the winner,” he says. Monadnock also had to earn "Excellence in Manufacturing" status as a bottling facility. “Earning Excellence in Manufacturing is no easy task. That recognition level is based on earning high marks on unannounced plant inspections each year. We just did it again in 2008,” Barry states. Today, Barry is responsible for daily bottling operations, quality control, materials procurement and all regulatory requirements. Barry goes on to say, “Bottled water is always under the microscope in the public eye. We really have no room for error in this industry. Contrary to public opinion, bottled water is quite regulated at many levels. It is my job to make sure we meet or exceed the standards set before us.” Barry can be reached at bbell@monadnockwater.com
IBWA is committed to actively participating in recycling and educating the public about the importance of recycling bottled water containers and all recyclable materials. Recyclable materials are in high demand and help to create new goods out of old ones. It is important for everyone to do their part and below you'll find where you can obtain recycling bins for your own home, office or community. Recycling at home For consumers that have recycling programs available through their municipality or locality, check your local phonebook to contact them and learn about recycling programs in your community and how to obtain the curbside recycling bins. Recycling away from home For specialized recycling bins that are made for the office, church, school or special events, call your local town hall for more information.
Today we're seeing a lot of our customers purchase a cooler through a local retailer. That's fine with us, but here's the problem..... When you come across a water cooler in your nearest home improvement center for instance, you're looking at a cheap purchase. You're thinking, "Hmm I can buy this cooler for $99.00 and return my rented cooler and have it paid off in say 14 months!" That makes financial sense in a perfect world. Unfortunately, what happens next isn't so perfect. A cooler that you purchase from a retailer is undoubtedly manufactured in an eastern country such as China, even if the brand is Sunbeam or GE. The reason the cooler costs so little is the quality of its manufacturing and materials is low. That means that at some point, usually before the 14 month pay off date, there will be a failure somewhere in the cooler. We see it every day. Now what? Those coolers are considered to be dispensable coolers. There are no repair shops that service them and even we can't get parts for them... we've tried. Time to buy another one and another 14 month payoff. By renting from Monadnock Mountain Spring Water, you will receive a very high quality appliance that is backed by the manufacturer and Monadnock! We will clean the cooler at your request and maintain it like it is brand new all the time! The quality is far, far superior to a retail unit and it will run effortlessly and quietly for years with out the hassle of a problem. Additionally, in the unlikely event that there is a problem, simply call and we'll replace the unit with another high quality unit, and that , of course is at no charge or hassle to you. In fact, there doesn't even need to be a problem. If you decide that you don't want a cooler that dispenses hot water, for example, we'll come and replace the cooler at no charge. This is all for a $7.00 per month rental, and no hidden fees! The Advantages of Renting
The decision is yours, we're happy to deliver water to your cooler whether you own it or rent it from us. We just thought you'd like to know the facts!
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Staff Profile
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Archive March 2008 - About Us, Recycling, Good Nutrition, Emergency Delivery System, Aqua Ads, Bag Of Bottles |
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