Kevin Johnson Hangs up his Softener Spanners
After 40 years in the industry, Monarch Water’s Managing Director, Kevin Johnson, has announced he will be hanging up his softener spanners at the end of June.
Kevin’s father, David, installed his first water softener in 1964 and this started the journey that would evolve Monarch into the number 1 brand in the merchant channel.
Kevin took over the business in 1990 when Monarch was based in a converted outbuilding at his father’s premises in Stradbroke, before moving several times over the following years due to the expansion of the company. Monarch now occupies a 2 acre site in Diss (which is 10 miles from its original location) plus an offsite storage facility of 11,000 square feet.
Kevin said: “I don’t really know where to start as I’ve had so many good times at Monarch and, of course, there have been some bad times as well. I distinctly remember worrying about the 300 softeners we had to sell a year so I could put food on the table for the family. I’d get shot if I said how many we actually sell now, but you can multiply it countless times over!
Monarch has been built on family values, and the amazing growth and success of the company is down to the hard work and dedication of the staff. There have been too many people to mention down the years but there are many staff that have worked with me for over 10 years – Jenny, who was my right hand woman for over 25 years, Brian, the 2 Paul’s, Andrew, Trevor and Antony – and we have a great new sales, marketing and creative team that took us through a successful re-brand last year and have set the future path for the company’s continued success.”
Under Kevin’s stewardship, the Midi water softener has become the best-selling softener and Monarch the number 1 choice for installers in the merchant channel. But Kevin recognised that there were significant growth opportunities in other sectors of the market and the company operates a rapidly growing export and UK foodservice sales policy.
Monarch was acquired by Culligan in 2018 and this has allowed the business to continue to grow with the support of a multi-national water treatment giant. But Kevin and Culligan have ensured that it has retained the important values that are key to cultivating a productive and motivated company culture.
Ian Flack, Monarch’s Head of Sales, said: “Put simply, Kevin is Mr Monarch! The incredible growth that the company has seen in recent years is testament to his passionate and dedicated approach. He is supposed to be working 3 days a week but, in reality, it’s 6 and a half!
His unrivalled technical expertise has resulted in pioneering products such as the Ultimate electric and dual power option ‘Sof’N’polish’ softener ranges, the hugely successful Scaleout collection and new filters such as the eco-friendly Prism range. He works tirelessly for the water treatment industry to campaign for the benefits of soft water and to spread awareness and was part of the British Standards (BSI) committee that recently rewrote BS 7593 that acknowledged the use of water softeners with all UK boilers. The whole softener industry owes him a huge debt of gratitude.”
All at Monarch and Culligan offer our sincere thanks to Kevin and we wish him all the best in his retirement.
You can check out Kevin’s legacy via the Monarch product range here: monarchwater.co.uk
Customer Relations
info@monarchwater.co.uk
