WELL LOGSpring 2014

w w w. w i s c o n s i n w a t e r w e l l. c o m

A PUBLICATION OF THE WISCONSIN WATER WELL ASSOCIATION

His Own Boss...Dean Judd, Judd Pumps and Plumbing

2

CONTENTS- Spring 2013

FEATURES

COLUMNS

Supplier Spotlight- Page 4 First Supply

Member Spotlight- Page Judd Pumps & Plumbing

President’s Address- Page 5

Executive Director Corner- Page 5

Lobbyist Report- Page 10

Publishing-WWWA Well Log

For subscription information or service, please call 608-326-0935.

Advertising Sales

Cynthia Denman

608-326-0935

Wisconsin Water Well Association

P.O. Box 565

Prairie du Chien, WI 53821

cdenwiwater@wisconsinwaterwell.com

608-326-0935

2013 Board of Directors

WWWAPresident:

Terry Marshall

Marshall Well Drilling

3774 State Road 13

Wisconsin Dells, WI 53965

608-253-2751

terry@marshallwelldrillingcorp.com

Vice President:

Jason Hintzke

Hintzke Well Drilling

N5072 Hintzke Road

New London, WI 54961

jasonhintzkewell@live.com

Treasurer:

Dennis Crow

Water Complaince Specialist Inc.

P.O. Box 135

Lodi, WI 53555

608-592-3882

testh2o@charter.net

Secretary:

Rick Peterson

Water Right

1900 Prospect Ct

Appleton, WI

920-841-3904

rick@water-right.com

DIRECTOR SUSAN WOJTKIEWICZ

715-861-4918

DIRECTOR TERRY FARAGO

715-335-4398

DIRECTOR BRUCE WALKER

608-584-5000

DIRECTOR DAVID HAUPT

715-652-2711

DIRECTOR DAVID BEECROFT

715-653-4202

DIRECTOR TIM NELESEN

800-735-3023

DIRECTOR JERRY ELLIS

414-640-6930

2013 WWWA TASK FORCES

Legislative: Dennis Crow, Terry Marshall,

Rick Brehmer, Michael Berkholtz, David Haupt,

Michael Hanten, Gary Kuhn and Rick Peterson

Media:Gary Kuhn, Rick Peterson, Tara Schessler

and Jason Hintzke

Convention:Susan Wojtkiewicz and Terry Farago

Membership: Entire Board (See 2013 board listed

above)

Website:David Haupt and Bruce Walker

NR 810/820:Susan Wojtkiewicz, David Haupt and

Dennis Crow

Continuing Education:Dennis Crow, Gary Kuhn

and Terry Marshall

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4

SUPPLIER SPOTLIGHT: First Supply

The Early Years

In the 1890s La Crosse, Wisconsin

was a typical American river town.

Wild and woolly, La Crosse was

enjoying a booming prosperity; the

market was growing rapidly and

businesses were thriving. In 1897,

three tradesmen, Reinie Wesson,

Henry Poehling and Ed Roesler

pooled their resources to answer La

Crosse’s need for a new wholesale

plumbing supplier. They opened

the doors of their new business in

1898 and La Crosse Plumbing Sup-

ply Company was born.

The company started by distribut-

ing wrought iron pipe, plumbing

supplies, windmills, pumps and

gasoline engines. The owners knew

they had to be aggressive, so the

young company covered the states

of Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota and

South Dakota. Several salesmen,

traveling mostly by rail, ranged

over territories that usually took

one or two weeks to cover.

Located at 122-128 South Front

Street on the banks of the Missis-

sippi River, the company had both

a levee and a railroad track in its

backyard. This allowed La Crosse

Plumbing Supply to receive and

send materials via steamboat and

railroad. It was also common to see

deliveries being made by the com-

pany’s fleet of horse drawn wag-

ons. Like most delivery-oriented

businesses of the day, the company

had its own stable and stable hand

to care for the animals housed

there.

Just prior to the U.S. entering

World War I in 1917, La Crosse

Plumbing Supply was able to place

a large steel pipe order that pro-

vided capital for two early sub-

sidiaries. The first was the Cypress

Stock Watering Tank Company and

the second was the Star Windmill

Company. Star Windmills can still

be seen dotting the Midwestern

countryside.

In the early thirties, the Great De-

pression made things tough for

most businesses. Building was at a

standstill and jobs were scarce.

Once again, steel played an impor-

tant part in the company’s future;

La Crosse Plumbing Supply se-

cured an order for the underground

work at Fort McCoy during the

buildup for World War II. This pro-

vided a larger-than-normal base al-

location for steel and meant La

Crosse Plumbing Supply was able

to obtain material throughout the

war years. The business thrived and

funds were available for future

growth.

In 1940, Henry Poehling’s son Ger-

hard, who had worked both as a

truck driver and warehouseman,

took over the business. Gerhard

Poehling was an innovative and vi-

sionary leader. He created La

Crosse’s first showroom for

plumbers to view new products.

Second Location Opens

In 1951, the time was right for ex-

pansion. Eau Claire Plumbing Sup-

ply Company was built and opened

mirroring La Crosse Plumbing

Supply in both goods and services.

Today the Eau Claire facility occu-

pies the equivalent of two city

blocks and serves a large part of

the Northwestern area of Wiscon-

sin.

Wisconsin Supply Corporation

was opened on Mifflin Street in

downtown Madison, Wisconsin

in 1960. The original Wisconsin

Supply had roots dating back to

the mid 1800s and at one time

had operated as a foundry that

manufactured cannon balls for

the Union Army during the Civil

War. In 1990, Wisconsin Supply

became the largest facility in the

company when it built and

moved to a new location hous-

ing 131,000 square feet of of-

fices, warehouse and showroom.

Located on Madison’s busy belt-

line highway, Wisconsin Supply

is a model for the industry...

modern, efficient, in step with

the needs of a progressive,

growing Madison and able to

service a large area of southern

Wisconsin.

Back in La Crosse, flooding,

urban renewal and a need for

more space provided the impe-

tus to make a move to 212-216

South Front Street. La Crosse

Plumbing Supply’s new location

featured a plumbing division

and heating division but the

added size was only enough to

keep the company in that loca-

tion for a few years. In 1970, La

Crosse Plumbing Supply moved

to the present location at 106

Cameron Avenue, with 86,000

square feet of offices, warehouse

and showroom, plus acres of

bargeyard and pipeyard.

Over the years, the showrooms

within each company had

changed and grown. By the

1960s, plumbers could send

continued on page 7

PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S

CORNER

There are so many exciting things

to share with the general member-

ship I am not really sure where to

begin.

First, and I think pretty awesome,

the WWWA board has recently im-

plemented several new member-

ship benefits. In addition to the

countless benefits that our mem-

bers already receive, full members

that register for the Wisconsin

Ground Water Conference will be

able to register their families for

the exhibit hall at no additional

fees.

In the past spouses and children

were required to register, now as a

benefit of belonging to the WWWA

your family will be able to join you

in the exhibit hall. We hope to cre-

ate a family friendly environment

and are excited to announce plans

for 2015 include a Children OnlyArea that will be funded by First

Supply.

Second, statistics from the website

are showing positive growth to the

number of visitors on the site. If

you have not done so, visit the con-

tractor locator page and take a look

at the ads being placed by WWWA

members. The ads are directly

linked to the member’s website and

we can track the number of times a

visitor clicks on the ad.

Finally, the new membership stick-

ers have arrived and I will be mail-

ing them out within the next couple

of weeks, if you need more than

what is sent give me a call.

5

Hi everyone! So is spring here at

last? Today’s (3-30-14) forecast is

to be 60 degrees. Something we

here in Wisconsin have not seen

since late October.

Now that winter is supposedly over

and spring is here, road bans are

being put on. For some of us in the

mid to southern part of the state the

bans have been on for two weeks

already. Now is the time to finish

up getting your equipment prepared

for hopefully a good year. As I sin-

cerely say that, my company was

subjected to a D.O.T. inspection

last week. My company received

“Fix it” citation for marker lights,

securing load down better, and

missing a D.O.T inspection sticker.

Needless to say the rig and water

truck are being addressed. It took

less than an hour when the service

truck was being inspected, but it

still took away production time for

the day.

Many of us in the continuing edu-

cation classes the last 3 months

have heard from the Wisconsin

State Trooper’s D.O.T. It was a

very informative two hour session.

So even though I was at the classes,

and I know better, I was still sub-

jected to a road inspection. Next

time could be costly! But we are

now taking the precautions with all

the trucks.

OK, to look back a little bit, the an-

nual conference and convention

was once again very good. We

heard positive feedback from both

the suppliers and attendees’. So,

thank you to all the board members

for their help and hard work as a

team to get things done. Also a spe-

cial thank you to Cindy Denman

for having the agenda set and exe-

cuted very well.

Continuing education classes went

smoothly and appealing topics of

interest that received many ques-

tions by the end of the day. Another

special thank you to Dennis Crow

and Rick Peterson for doing the

property transfer well(s) and pres-

sure system(s) inspection session.

Along with the help of Steve Ales

and Zoe McManama of the DNR

that went very well. Also thank you

to Mike Klingenberg for doing the

D.O.T. session. FYI! I have been

asked by many to bring him back

next year. I do not know if that will

be possible, but it will be checked

into.

As for the 2015 continuing educa-

tion sessions, thoughts of topics of

interest, please contact the

W.W.W.A office or myself. We will

be having a meeting with the DNR

early June to begin working on

2015 topics.

Updates as of now:

1. The property transfer

well(s) and pressure system(s) in-

spection form is still on track to be

implemented mid to later summer

of this year.

2. Geothermal regulations and

licensing still on track to be final-

ized for April of 2015. Note: The

DNR is working on a package of

information and rules pertaining to

that. It will go to the drillers ahead

continued on page 19

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their customers to each showroom

to select plumbing fixtures and fit-

tings, kitchen and bath cabinetry,

whirlpools and many other prod-

ucts for building and remodeling.

In 1987, a decision was made to

give the showrooms their own, sep-

arate identity. All showrooms were

named “Gerhards” to honor Ger-

hard Poehling, who retired in 1980

and passed away in 1998.

With an ever-growing list of facili-

ties, the company needed to consol-

idate operations and enhance its

purchasing power as a group.

Therefore, during the late 1980s,

La Crosse Plumbing Supply and its

branches were officially known as

the La Crosse Plumbing Supply

Companies.

In 1988, Rochester Supply Com-

pany opened its doors for business,

becoming the fourth facility and

the first outside of Wisconsin. Lo-

cated on Rochester, Minnesota’s

busy west side, the facility grew

rapidly. Remodeling in both 1992

and 1994 has expanded Rochester’s

existing building to 54,000 square

feet. Since opening, Rochester Sup-

ply has more than doubled in size.

In 1990, two more locations were

opened: one in Northern Illinois

and the other in Southern Milwau-

kee, Wisconsin. Rockford Supply

had been a well-known heating and

cooling supplier in Northern Illi-

nois, family owned and operated as

Warm Air Supply. Over its first two

years, it made a rapid transition to

its present status as a supplier of

plumbing, heating and air condi-

tioning, well supplies and munici-

pal/industrial supplies. Growth

continued and in 2003, Rockford

Supply moved to its present loca-

tion in Machesney Park.

Just months later, the doors were

opened in Oak Creek, Wisconsin.

First Supply Milwaukee had origi-

nally operated as a small office

with an aggressive sales staff and

daily deliveries from Wisconsin

Supply in Madison. Then, in Octo-

ber of 1992, a groundbreaking took

place and construction started on a

modern warehouse/office facility

for First Supply Milwaukee. A

major addition to the new facility

was added in 1994 and again in

2006 more than doubling the size

of the original facility.

Celebrating 100 Years of

Progress & Service

In 1997 as preparations were un-

derway for celebration of the com-

pany’s 100th birthday, the company

made its largest change to date. The

acquisition of the W.S. Patterson

Company added four more Wiscon-

sin branches in Appleton, Green

Bay, Rhinelander and Wisconsin

Rapids. W.S. Patterson started his

company to supply plumbing and

heating supplies to Appleton, Wis-

consin in 1882. This was the same

year that the forerunner to our

modern toilet was invented and

was called the “valveless water

waste preventer.” The Patterson

Companies had long been a solid

industrial force. This industrial ex-

pertise, coupled with the geo-

graphic advantages of the Patterson

locations, helped expand the entire

company’s market and service area.

In August of 1997, another signifi-

cant announcement was made... the

La Crosse Plumbing Supply Com-

panies became First Supply Group.

Each location has retained its own

identity, but now all operate under

the corporate umbrella name of

First Supply Group.

In 1998, Kretschmer-Tredway in

Dubuque, Iowa was purchased. A

company rich in history itself,

Kretschmer-Tredway was started in

Dubuque in February of 1907, by

brothers, Herbert and Fred

Kretschmer. Until 1936, Fred

Kretschmer guided the company as

President. From 1936 to 1944, Mrs.

L. A. Kretschmer acted as Presi-

dent, being one of the few ladies to

hold such a position during that

era. Now known as First Supply

Dubuque, it became the first Iowa

facility for the corporation. The

successful facility continued to

grow and in March 2007 relocated

to its current location on

Chavenelle Drive.

In 1999, First Supply Owatonna

was opened in Owatonna, Min-

nesota. An ideal location, Owa-

tonna is on a direct line between

Rochester and Mankato and is

served by Minnesota’s busiest and

largest North-South travel artery,

Interstate Highway 35.

In January of 2000 First Supply

Group made Pumpco of Minnesota

its most recent branch and is now

First Supply Brainerd. With a

knowledgeable sales staff and cus-

tomer service above all, First Sup-

ply Brainerd, a leader in the water

well, septic & irrigation distribu-

tion industry; will continue to build

our expertise to provide our cus-

tomers with the best products, serv-

ice and prices possible.

In 2004 the Wisconsin Rapids fa-

7

continued from page 4.. First supply

cility relocates to Plover, Wis.

In 2005, another important an-

nouncement was made... First Sup-

ply Group standardizes naming of

all locations to First Supply . Each

location operates as First Supply®

and becomes part the First Supply

family of companies.

The Expansion Years

For several years, First Supply con-

tinued to grow and add facilities

serving Southeastern Wisconsin. Its

West Bend location opened in 2004

and on March 22, 2010 relocated to

Lang Street. On May 23, 2005, the

Glendale location opens its doors

which later merged with neighbor-

ing Brookfield. The acquisition of

Thomas Supply Company on June

10, 2005 opens Racine which

moved operations to 21st Street on

December 10, 2007. In 2006 two

more facilities open: Janesville on

June 5 and Delavan on November

2.

In June 2006 the Rhinelander, Wis.

facility moves into its new building

on Forest Loop Road.

First Supply, once again, opens fa-

cilities outside Wisconsin. The ac-

quisition of Sherman’s Plumbing

Supply of Winona, MN makes way

for Winona which opened May 1,

2006. First Supply later moved its

Winona location to a building a

block away in August of 2010

opening as a new self-pick concept

store filling the need for a quick,

welll stocked and efficient one-

stop-shop for that market.

Cedar Rapids, IA becomes home to

another facility in March 2007.

Growth continues as First Supply

makes the second largest change in

its history. The May 1, 2007 acqui-

sition of The H.W. Theis Co., Inc.

adds three more branches in Brook-

field, Burlington and Oshkosh,

Wisconsin. Henry Theis began his

career in the plumbing industry as

an inventor. Henry developed the

Theis ballcock which had a remov-

able seat reducing cost of repairs

and the need to replace the entire

ballcock when the seat wore out.

Henry wanted to try his hand in

distribution so he and his son,

Henry Jr., on June 15, 1927, began

The H.W. Theis Co., Inc. becoming

a top commercial distributor in

Milwaukee and the surrounding

area. Late 2008 the Burlington lo-

cation merged with Delavan.

The acquisition of PH&I Supply

Co. in June 2007 brings 60 years of

service in Kenosha into the First

Supply family. Southeastern Wis-

consin now offers a multitude of

convenient locations to better serve

its customers.

First Supply opened doors at its

newly built facility in Platteville,

WI in July 2007. In March of 2008

two additional locations opened...

A newly built facility in Tomah, WI

and an HVAC focused Twin Cities

locations located in New Brighton,

MN.

On July 12, 2010 First Supply

added a second Illinois location in

Freeport on 115 E. South Street

servicing customers west of Rock-

ford and covering central and west-

ern areas of the state. On August 30

of the same year, First Supply ac-

quired the assets of J.J. Koepsell

Co., also a Wisconsin based family

owned plumbing distribution com-

pany, with roots dating back 120

years. First Supply now offers the

Fox Valley area four great locations

to better serve its customers. In ad-

dition, a nearly 4,000 square foot

Gerhards showroom gives First

Supply another Premier Kohler

Showroom to serve our area cus-

tomers.

With a strong, long-lasting history

of bringing products to homeown-

ers and the trade through trusted

distributors, Kohler heightens its

accessibility with the opening of

the first Kohler Signature Store in

Edina, Minnesota on April, 21,

2012. Solely owned and operated

by First Supply, this kitchen and

bath showroom provides a distin-

guished Kohler experience where

designers and homeowners can get

hands on with hundreds of prod-

ucts, take advantage of expert con-

sultation services and step into

fully designed suites featuring

products exclusively from the

Kohler brands: Kohler, Kallista,

Robern, Kohler Surfaces tile and

stone and Kohler custom vanities.

Showroom Innovation since 1986

Gerhards® The Kitchen & Bath

Store, is the largest and most versa-

tile kitchen and bath showplace in

the Midwest. We offer a huge vari-

ety of kitchen and bath choices

from contemporary to traditional

styles, along with service you just

can't find anywhere else. Visitors to

Gerhards will view complete

kitchen and bath suites, many of

them working models.

Today, twelve First Supply loca-

tions operate a showroom, featur-

ing the most up-to-date home

8

products on the market. These

showrooms provide an effective

and essential sales tool for contrac-

tors by providing building and re-

modeling customers the

opportunity to personally see and

select the products they want for

their home. Product offerings range

from faucets and sinks, whirlpools,

bathtubs, toilets to cabinetry. Many

of these products are beautifully

displayed in vignettes. Gerhards

stores are located in the Appleton,

Brainerd, Brookfield, Dubuque,

Eau Claire, Green Bay, Kenosha,

La Crosse, Madison, Rhinelander,

Rochester and Sheboygan facilities.

In November 2010, Gerhards in

Brookfield launched Wisconsin’s

first Next Generation Premier

Kohler® Registered showroom, a

brand new take on product design

and demonstration – incorporating

global trends and an enhanced con-

sumer experience. In addition to

Brookfield, the La Crosse, Madison

and Sheboygan locations feature

the Premier Kohler Showroom con-

cept with a greater number of dis-

plays available to the customer.

January 1, 2012 marked the launch

of a new logo for Gerhards. The

Registered Trademark 'G' incorpo-

rates elements from the original

Gerhards Showroom logo to create

a more simplified, bold and modern

mark for the new branding of the

showroom. Along with the new

logo came a website Gerhards-

Store.com and social media pres-

ence on Facebook and Twitter.

On February 25, 2013 First Supply

acquired the KitchenCraft location

in Minnetonka, Minnesota and

transitioned it to a Gerhards store.

The switch from KitchenCraft to

Gerhards included a remodel to

offer a full line of bath plumbing

products along with cabinetry and

countertops.

Our Second Century

The first 110 years is history... and

the company now blankets the

upper Midwest. Contractors in a

large area can count on First Sup-

ply, a main channel supplier with

key adjacent locations, complete

inventories, fast delivery, unique

services and a staff of industry pro-

fessionals. Although much has

changed through the years, the

driving philosophy at First Supply

remains the same as those days

when deliveries were made by

horse drawn wagons... the cus-

tomer comes first.

As the company looks forward to

another century of growth, cus-

tomers can count on another cen-

tury of the best products and

services in the industry from First

Supply.

A.I. McDermott Co., Inc.

❑ McDermott Pumps - Green Bay

❑ McDermott Pumps – Wausau

❑ Lyon Pumps – Muskego

A.O. Smith Water Products Co.

Baker Mfg. Co.

BBW Sales, Inc.

Boshart Industries

Burton-Anderson & Assoc., Inc.

Clean Water Testing, Inc.

First Supply

❑ Appleton

❑ Brookfield

❑ Delevan

❑ Eau Claire

❑ Green Bay

❑ Janesville

❑ Kenosha❑ LaCrosse❑ Madison❑ Oshkosh

❑ Platteville❑ Plover❑ Racine❑ Rhinelander❑West Bend

Fletcher Pump Dist.

Flexcon Industries

Grundfos Pump Co.

In-Well Technologies, Inc.

ITT Corp.

Maass – Midwest Mfg.

Marketing Services

Neumann & AssociatesNolan Insurance Agency

Pentair WaterPreferred Pump❑ Eau Claire❑ Stevens Point❑Waupun

Rep Rite-BurkRundle-SpenceSimmons ManufacturingSJE RhombusTobin & AssociatesWalter Products LLCWater-Right, Inc.Wells Dundee Sales

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Association

Wisconsin Pump & Well Suppliers Inc.MEMBERS

The Wisconsin Pump & Well Suppliers Inc., with their partner the Wisconsin Water Well Association, isdedicated to the professional development of the Wisconsin Ground Water Industry for the benefit of our

members, colleagues and neighbors in Wisconsin.

Driller Service Supply Whitewater Mfg.

Fletcher Pump Wells Dundee

Flexcon

Franklin Electric Associate Members:

Pentair North American Pipe

Preferred Pump

Rep-Rite Burk

Rundle Spence

Maas Midwest

Neumann & Associates

9

WPWS Board of

Directors

President

Tim Nelesen- Rep Rite Burk

Vice President

Jerry Ellis-Rundle Spence

Directors

David Spence,

Rundle Spence

Brian Schramm,

Franklin Electric

Chris Duecker,

BBW Sales

Dave Rens,

DSI

Jeff Riley,

Pentair

Matt Fletcher,

Fletcher Pumps

Chris Deparde,

Goulds/Xylem

10

bents almost always out-raise their

challengers. In Burke's favor, she

will likely not have to use signifi-

cant resources to secure the Demo-

cratic nomination as she is still the

only declared candidate from the

Party. Her relatively strong

fundraising to date, coupled with

her personal resources, will make a

challenge a steep climb for any

challenger. And if the Party starts

to fully embrace her candidacy, it

will weigh in on a primary chal-

lenge in order to help preserve re-

sources for the November general

election.

If the "love him" and "hate him"

vote predictably, the race will be

decided by the Independents or by

the ability for one side or the other

to generate significantly higher

turnout. If the decision comes

down to the Independents, the re-

cent news about a State surplus and

the potential for additional income

and property tax relief will do

much to bolster Governor Walker.

Critics of the Governor will point

to his style and to his record on job

creation. Given that people will

generally vote their pocketbook,

Walker likely strong.

The wild cards? The ongoing

"John Doe" investigation into some

of the people around Walker during

his time as Milwaukee County Ex-

ecutive and, perhaps, the resources

that are poured into Wisconsin

from outside our borders. As a

standard-bearer for Conservatives,

defeating Walker and labeling his

reforms as being rejected by voters

would be a huge win for Democ-

rats. Similarly, an endorsement of

his policies would do much for Re-

publicans and embolden them to

pursue similar reforms, if not at a

federal level, then state-by-state.

Industry Issues

WWWA has been working on a bill

that would reduce well permit fees

for wells used for fire protection

purposes and for residential pur-

poses on a high capacity property.

The legislation would also elimi-

nate annual reporting and fees for

these wells. While opponents may

try to argue that the bill loosens

groundwater regulations, it has no

impact and allowable withdrawal

rates. The bill is very narrowly

drafted to be consumer-friendly, by

reducing fees, and safety-conscious

by eliminating a disincentive to

constructing/maintaining a fire pro-

tection well.

Legislation will be introduced soon

to encourage greater use of geot-

hermal systems in Wisconsin. The

bill creates an incentive for utilities

to invest in geothermal as a renew-

able resource, the same as they

might invest in wind or solar.

Under current law, most of the util-

ity resources are invested in renew-

able technologies that create

energy. The bill recognizes geot-

hermal HVAC (which works on the

demand side of the energy equation

versus the supply side) as a renew-

Lobbyist Report- Jeff Beiriger, WWWA Lobbyist

continued on page 12

Jeffrey J Beiriger, CAE

Legislative Session Ending, Cam-

paign Season Beginning:

With February behind us, the leg-

islative session in Wisconsin is be-

ginning to draw to a close. By

early April, the lights will go dark

on the session and legislators will

turn their attention to raising

money and to the campaign trail.

While the federal government has

been mired down in partisan grid-

lock for several years, Republicans

have complete control of the leg-

islative process in Wisconsin and

so they can move just about any-

thing they want. The question is,

will they? So far, it looks as

though it looks as though the plan

is to slow the pace, soften the tone,

and live to fight another day.

Much depends on the elections this

Fall, and the early advantage in the

governor's race seems to be break-

ing toward Scott Walker. There

aren't many people in the State who

don't have an opinion of the gover-

nor, so generally speaking, his

polling numbers are pretty solid.

Put another way, at this point, the

number of people not having a fa-

vorable or unfavorable impression

of the governor are few and far be-

tween.

Walker continues to build a sub-

stantial war chest for his reelection

bid and to outpace his Democratic

challenger, Mary Burke. Walker's

situation is not unusual, as incum-

Go back 30 years and if someone

had told me that I would be inter-

viewing Dean Judd from Judd

Pumps and Plumbing, I would have

probably said, “oh yuck a Judd

boy”. Dean and I both grew up in

Dodgeville, we went to the same

school and the same church. His

older sisters babysat for my

younger sisters and I. The Judd’s

were a fixture in the community.

Move ahead 30 years and Dean is

the owner of Judd’s Pump and

Plumbing, raising a family and liv-

ing the dream.

In March of 2007, Dean purchased

the business from Marty Bethke,

Bethke plumbing, as it was known

at the time. I asked Dean what the

best thing about being your own

boss was and he stated “the lee-

way that it gives you in being able

to do things that otherwise you

wouldn’t be able to.” Dean stated

that meeting new people was also a

great part of his job. Of course, the

flip side to that was, what’s the

worst part of your job? “Dealing

with people that think they know

more than you and getting your

money out of them”, said Dean.

Judd Pump and Plumbing is lo-

cated in Verona, Wisconsin. The

company itself has been around

Member Spotlight- Judd Pumps and Plumbing

11

since the early 60’s and has been

in the hands of a couple different

owners.

Earl Blizzard, opened Blizzard

Hardware in the early 1960’s in a

building in downtown Verona that

once was used to house a funeral

pallor and Baptist Church. Marty

Bethke approached Earl in 1981

and asked questioned if he would

sell him the pump portion of the

business and that is how it be-

came Bethke Pump and Plumb-

ing.

Dean has an interesting list of em-

ployees, the top being his mother-

in-law. Donna worked for Marty

and continues to work for Dean.

So no mother-in-law jokes at

work.

Donna and Dean, Judd’s Pump and

Plumbing

12

tors, not just the GCs.

And finally, as predicted in the last

newsletter, an agreement was

reached between Labor and Man-

agement members of the Worker's

Compensation Advisory Council.

The agreement - the Agreed Bill -

is then forwarded to the legislature

for their consideration.

Medical Providers are not happy

with the Agreed Bill and the bill

has drawn an unprecedented

amount of lobbying interest. What

has Providers upset is the agree-

ment includes a medical fee sched-

ule. Wisconsin is one of only a

handful of states that do not have

fee schedules. While most are

based on Medicare, the proposal in

Wisconsin is to use rates paid

under group health insurance as the

basis for the schedule.

Labor and Management representa-

tives believed that the group health

reimbursement rates best reflected

the fair market value of medical er-

vices. As a result, the Council be-

lieves that quality of care will be

unaffected while a projected sav-

ings of as much as $200 million

could be realized each year. Some

of that money is used to improve

administration of the system, some

to provide increased benefits to in-

jured workers, and some to reduce

the cost of Worker's Compensation

insurance paid by employers in the

state.

able resource and levels the playing

field between it and other renew-

able technologies.

Speaking of geothermal, the rules

package that goes along with the

geothermal drilling legislation

passed last session have had a pub-

lic hearing and will soon be taken

up by the Natural Resources Board.

The hope is to have the rules com-

pleted soon so that drillers can de-

termine what steps they need to

take to be eligible to write the geot-

hermal driller licensing examina-

tion early next year. The DNR has

indicated that geothermal training

and examinations will likely be

part of the 2015 continuing educa-

tion programming.

After reviewing more than half a

dozen drafts, the industry finally

signed off on language that would

create an exemption to the electri-

cal licensing legislation. Unless it

is changed during a Committee

heating or on the floor of the Sen-

ate or Assembly, the language of

the exemption will read (emphasis

added): A person engaged in in-

stalling, repairing, or maintaining

manufactured equipment or utiliza-

tion equipment, including ballasts,

electric signs, and luminaires, or

any other manufactured system that

is designed to provide a function

that is not primarily electrical in

nature if the installation, repair, or

maintenance does not involve the

modification or installation of con-

ductors. For the purposes of this

paragraph [(4)(g)], conductors from

the disconnecting point or the last

junction, pull, or device box to the

manufactured or utilization equip-

ment or the manufactured system

are considered part of the equip-

ment or system.

In plain language, the bill's author

has suggested that electricians

should tie into the building's elec-

trical supply panel and provide

wiring to a disconnect adjacent to

the installation of the manufactured

equipment - a water heater, a fur-

nace, a well pump, for instance.

The installer of the manufactured

equipment would then be able to

run all wiring from the disconnect

to the manufactured equipment and

its components. This would in-

clude a splice necessary to make a

connection outside of the building,

such as the ones used to install well

pumps and sewage pumps.

A bill to modify the state's lien law

has been introduced. The law

would alter the balance of power

between a general contractor and

subcontractors, taking from the

subcontractor significant leverage

that is often used to reach fair and

equitable settlements. While pro-

ponents of the bill talk about re-

duced friction costs, they fail to

mention that their solution to re-

duced friction costs is to have one

party surrender many of its rights.

The industry needs to address

changes to the lien law, but the

changes have to benefit all contrac-

continued from page 8

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RETURN APPLICATION TO:WISCONSINWATERWELL ASSOCIATIONP.O. Box 565Prairie du Chien, WI 53821608 326 0935FAX 608 326 0966

2014

WISCONSINWATERWELL ASSOCIATION

Membership/Donation Form

MEMBER INFORMATION

PLEASE

PRINT

MEMBERSHIP

Full Membership $150 –Must be licensed well driller or pump installer

Associate Membership $100Supplier/Distributor MFG. RepScientist Hydro geologistEmployee TechnicianManufacturer State OfficialFamily Member of Full Member

Membership is per individual, not company.MEMBERSHIP YEARNOV 1 THRU OCT 31

DONATION EDWIN HUNTOON SCHOLARSHIP FUND

Name:_______________________ In Memory of_________________________ Donation amount:______________

Company Name:__________________________________________________ Name:__________________________________________________________ Address:___________________________________ City:_________________ State:____ Zip:_______ Email:____________________________________ Phone:________________ Fax:_________________ Well driller license number _____ Pump Installer license number______

BILLLING INFORMATION

FULL MEMBERSHIP 150.00 _________ASSOCIATEMEMBERSHIP

100.00 _________

DONATION _________TOTAL DUE _________CHECK _______ CREDIT CARD_______ VISA MASTERCARD

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

EXP DATE: ____/_____ SECURITY CODE (3 DIGITS) _ _ _

MEMBERSHIP- JOIN TODAY

16

of time for study. Then have a

break out session in 2015 continu-

ing education to wright the test for

it. My thought is to also have a

very short discussion on the high

spots before writing the exam.

3. High capacity issues: Jeff

Beiriger and I had a meeting with

deputy secretary of DNR, Matt

Moroney in regards to just how we

can get these approvals out faster.

Along with other high capacity is-

sues, such as fire protection well

and low capacity wells on the high

capacity property. More meetings

to come for Jeff and I, with the

DNR, on working out these issues.

4. Task forces for 2014 are for

the most part not changed. With ex-

ception to the NR 812 task force.

When appropriate with board ap-

proval I would like to begin look-

ing at NR 812 in whole to bring it

up to current technology and in-

volve more members.

With all of that being said, here’s to

hoping spring is here and we can

all get out there and get some work

done. It is a pleasure to be your

president of the W.W.W.A and

please call me if something should

arise.

Work: (608)253-2751

Cell: (608)432-3751

Thank you,

Terry Marshall

continued from page 5

President’s Address

WISCONSIN WATER WELL ASSOCIATION

P.O. BOX 565

PRAIRIE DU CHIEN, WI 53821

16