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A peek inside Culligan's new custom bottling and labeling plant in north Red Deer. (Supplied)
high-quality h2o

Culligan Red Deer makes a splash in first year under new ownership

Jun 27, 2020 | 9:00 AM

Despite an economy in the gutter, and a global pandemic in addition, one Red Deer business is claiming success a year into its operation.

Culligan Red Deer, the first female-owned location in Canada, was purchased by long-time employee Jacquie Carramusa in late 2018. She, along with business partner and family member Rhonda Claerhout, opened the doors on July 1 of last year.

Carramusa started with the company in 2008 as a receptionist.

“COVID-19 wasn’t part of the business plan,” Carramusa quips. “After buying the new building, we quickly realized we were growing out of it, so in January, we started renovations by adding a nearly 9,000 square foot warehouse on the back, and a second floor of offices.”

Carramusa’s crew of 17 call the north end home, where they’re situated across the street from the Habitat for Humanity Restore.

Rhonda Claerhout (left) and Jacquie Carramusa operate Culligan Red Deer on the city’s north end. (Supplied)

Prior to and throughout the pandemic, the business has offered 5-gallon fills for $2 every Tuesday, with every cent going to local charities, including Habitat.

They also added more than 150 water bottle customers in April alone.

“Of course water’s always important, and we found through COVID-19 that a lot of the big grocery stores, because people couldn’t return their bottles, a lot of those customers then came to us,” says Carramusa. “Then we ended up doing free home delivery.”

Perhaps the most indicative sign of success for the company is their purchase of a state of the art bottling plant which can concoct custom labeled water bottles.

The plant, which Carramusa adds will serve a large demand in the area, will be up and running in the coming days.

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