Mahoning Valley Water Expands to Second Location

NORTH JACKSON, Ohio — On Sept. 10, Mahoning Valley Water will officially open its second location at 229 S. Salem Warren Road here. The timing is perfect as the 32-year-old company is enjoying an unexpected boom in business.

“In the last five to six months, it’s been very good. We’ve noticed a definite pick up in business,” said the company’s owner, Steve Withers. “Since April, we’ve seen a definite uptick in general business of about 20% to 25%.”

Mahoning Valley Water is a water treatment company that specializes in designing and installing water treatment systems for residential and commercial customers. Withers credits the uptick in business to residents having more money in their pockets and increased confidence in the economy, he said.

“When you buy water treatment equipment, you’re buying something for 20 or 30 years,” he said. “So you’re making an investment.”

The company is headquartered in North Lima, and Withers said the second location will allow for better penetration up north to “try to develop the area at the west and north ends of Trumbull County,” he said. He hopes to increase his customer base in areas like Lake Milton and Warren, as well as Garrettsville and other parts of Portage County. Overall, he hopes to pick up 750 to 1,000 new customers, he said.

Mahoning Valley Water took over the North Jackson location after the previous owner, another water treatment company, left the space. That left a void in water treatment service for the area, which was apparent while staff prepared the space for moving in, said the company’s sales and marketing manager, Amy Walters.

“We had a lot of foot traffic while we were just cleaning the space,” Walters said. “They needed this service here because I don’t think anybody else was serving this area.”

The building features a 2,000-square-foot showroom where Mahoning Valley Water will showcase its lines of water treatment equipment, including water softeners, iron and sulfur filters, disinfection systems and reverse osmosis drinking water systems. The company also carries and delivers bottled water and coolers, salt, chemicals and other accessories, and offers free water testing at the store or in a customer’s home.

The company employs eight and will likely hire one or two more to help staff the North Jackson location. Withers looks to implement a direct mail campaign to introduce his company to the area’s residents and businesses, he said.

Mahoning Valley Water works with customers to design a system that meets their needs and will upgrade existing systems as needed. The company primarily serves customers with well water and the issues they experience, Withers said.

“Sulfur gas, hydrogen sulfide gas and dissolved irons are pretty prevalent in the area,” he said. “We’re able to treat it all.”

The expansion is one of Withers’ last ventures with the business that he opened in 1986. He’s in the process of turning over the business to his son, Phillip Withers, a graduate of Youngstown State University.

Pictured: Mahoning Valley Water’s new office is located at 229 S. Salem Warren Road in North Jackson.

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