The Water Blog

New year, new goals.

2012-01-29T21:24:00.001-08:00

2012 is here, and I'm looking forward to taking it on! I have entered into my first half marathon in may. The event is called Run For Water in Abbotsford. I have begun training, but I've got a way to go still. Ran 9k this morning, gotta slowly raise that up to 21k.

I got my annual backpacking trip out of the way early, and went to the Philippines. What a beautiful country! I learned how to surf and dive while I was there, and Boracay is absolutely amazing. I will have to go back one day for sure :)

Another summer came and went...

2011-09-22T12:43:00.000-07:00

September 22, 2011.

I can't believe how fast time goes by. I keep hearing that expression, but it's never seemed truer than now for some reason. I don't know if it's because I'm getting older, and that's just what happens, or if it's because I've been enormously busy. Either way, I guess it's a good thing because it means I have nothing to complain about.

Poor Pam in the office the last few months. First I went away for my very FIRST 2 week vacation of my ENTIRE adult life, and then a week after my return, another staff member went away for 2 weeks as well. We all managed fine, but it just means that poor Pam runs the entire office by herself and believe me, it's a task! So I am very thankful for having Pam, she's definitely a life saver in the office. My delivery staff also all stepped up, so I thank them all!

Oh, by the way... Star Tech Home Comfort (Eatons Enterprise) at 1002 Aukland Street in New Westminster http://www.eatonsheatingservices.ca/ basically ordered a water cooler from us, just to steal it. That's so annoying, so thought I'd blog about it.

Thanks for reading! Dave.

feels like summer...

2011-02-19T10:09:00.000-08:00

So my January began with snow camping at -16 degrees in Manning park, and ended with my feet in the carribean ocean in Belize. I went backpacking for 10 days with my fellow bandmate Matthew. I have never backpacked before, and found it to be very exciting and alot of fun. We actually had no hotels booked, and planned our days as the came along. We spend as little as 1 day on a small 5 hectare island called Tobacco Caye, (which is situated right on the barrier reef with amazing clear blue water like i've never seen) and other days on various islands along the coast from San Pedro to Placencia. That was a vacation like I have never had before, and I had a great time.

February also marks the 1 year anniversary of hiring Pam, our office administrator. It makes me wonder how I ran my business without her, she has been an amazing addition to our team. I am so thankful to have such dedicated staff! Thank you Pam!

Happy New Year!

2011-01-04T12:38:00.001-08:00

Well, 2010 has come and gone.

2010 has meant 3 new staff members to our team! It's been a great year for us, despite the sometimes uncertain economy, and for that, I am grateful. I suppose for 2011, ongoing growth is still the target. We have enjoyed steady growth every year since 1998, and year after year, it becomes a little more challenging. :/

This year, I am planning a trip to Belize for the first time. I have never been there, but I have been to Playa Del Carmen, a couple of hours north of there. I will be back packing, so that'll be interesting. Never doen that before either. Its just for a week, so it shouldn't be that crazy. Most backpackers tend to do it for months at a time. Baby steps for me. Maybe one day, when i'm 65, i'll be that old guy backpackin across the world, trying to catch up to lost opportunities when I was young. I dunno, that doesn't sound like me, actually. LOL.

I did however go snow camping for the first time this winter. Went to Manning Park. It was -16 and you could tell. Went cross country skiing for a few days, and froze at night. It sure made me appreciate artificial heat alot more. Not sure I'm going to race out to do that again, but maybe as another year comes and goes, I might have forgotten, and be dumb enough to do it again.

So what's with the slogan?

2010-01-11T09:42:00.000-08:00

The Water That Is What??

We get that question all the time.

I suppose when I was thinking of a slogan, the most obvious, and probably least memorable slogans came to mind first. I had words like "refreshing" or "you'll love it" roaming around my mind, and others I can hardly remember. In fact, our old slogan used to be "BC's most REFRESHING water company!" I thought that slogan was actually pretty good. I used for about 8 years. But if i were to ask anybody, (even my own drivers) what our slogan was, they could hardly recite it back to me, despite the fact that it was brazenly painted on all sides of the trucks in bold letters. I guess it wasn't all the memorable.

It was time to re brand the company, and I knew I wanted something short. Something punchy, something simple. (Less is more, after all - so they say). I wanted something catchy, and most importantly - memorable.

During the summer of '09 I sat out on my deck for many summer nights chewing on new slogans, and tossing them mostly aside, along with the empty corona bottles and beer caps. On one of these nights however, I was sitting out there with some good friends and neighbors, when one of them offered a suggestion on his idea of how to re brand the company. He started with the phrase: "You know Dave, you should just put 'The Water That is...'" (and paused and gestured with his hands implying "insert key word here"...) as he continued to offer his suggestion. I stopped him short, and said: "That's it!" He looked at me with confusion. I said "The Water That is! That's it!" That slogan idea wasn't his point, of course. He was merely offering a generic incomplete sentence to articulate another idea he has for branding the trucks. Understandably, the statement "The Water That Is" doesn't make much sense.

So I began to come up with different ideas of what "Water That Is" could be. It could be many things:

It's good for you
It's 70% of all of us
It's refreshing
It's spring water
It's purified water
It's required for all life as we know it

It could be a lot of things. It's sort of an open ended question. Hard to answer simply. I know I liked the idea of making people think. And I wanted my company to be noticed. I wanted people to read the slogan, and look at it again wondering if they're missing something, or if there the sentence continues on the other side of the truck, or on another page.

But I think at the end of the day, the reason I chose it, is because I am a little different. My company is a little different. We're not just a carbon copy of other water companies out there.

I think if you're still reading this, maybe you are too. If you like the idea of doing business with a company that isn't afraid to be a little different, then call us up and talk to us. You might find us to be a "refreshing" change.

Thanks for reading The Water That Is, from The Company That Is - a little different.

Dave

Halloween and Christmas

2009-10-28T09:21:00.000-07:00

Hello!

Summer is over, and I am enjoying the mild slowdown. Still busy, as always, which is good. I am in the process of redesigning the website, so stay tuned for that!

Halloween is just around the corner, and our neighbourhood gets about 500 kids at the door, I am not kidding. Sometimes, we even see busses unload kids in our neighbourhood, because it's usually pretty decked out, and the homes are easily accessible. It just means that I have to go out and buy about $80 worth of candy! It's ok, the energy is alot of fun. The door never closes, and the kids look great.

I am thinking of closing the doors for a week during the olympics. It doesn't look like i'll be able to service my downtown customers anyways, and maybe its an opportunity for the drivers to all take some time to enjoy the olympics, or maybe a holiday. And maybe I can take a vacation for the first time in 3 years!

Dave.

Hot Hot Heat

2009-07-29T10:09:00.000-07:00

Hello Friends,

Wow, it is sure hot. I am NOT complaining! I love it. I have been very busy with the band, summer, and work. This is my time of year. Vacations are short, and not alot of time off, but I have been making the most of my summer. I just got back from the Shuswap, doing a gig with The Hip Show www.thehipshow.ca and really enjoying mixing relaxing with gigging.

I am also very thankful that my business continues to grow heaps and bounds, even in this uncertain economy. Thank you all!

Dave.

Summer is coming, and a quick rant.

2009-05-15T10:56:00.000-07:00

So, summer is creeping up on us. I am excited about that. I can't wait to head up to whistler and ride the bike park again!

Also, The Hip Show (www.thehipshow.ca) is also pretty much all pollished and ready for regular gigs. We have about 35 songs down right now, and the show is coming together great. We have a showcase tonight at the Fairview Pub in Vancouver.

I need to vent:

I am sometimes frustrated at media reports about "bottled water" being bad for the environment. This mostly stems from gung ho polititians who try to promote their image by bashing or banning bottled water from civic and municipal offices. Like, I don't get it. The argument stems from the waste that small plastic bottles produce when they are not recycled, i guess. To me, it's a recycling issue, not an bottled water issue. People need to be encouraged to recycle their plastic bottles. There is already a bottle deposit on the bottles to encourage recycling, which is great. Maybe it needs to be higher, I don't know. But discouraging people from drinking "bottled water" is just ludicris.

I also don't understand why it's targeted only at "water bottles". I mean, what about coke and pepsi and pop bottles? Do they not also need to be recycled? Of all beverages that are sold in single serving bottles, drinking water should above all be encouraged rather than discouraged. So keep coke and pepsi in the coolers, but remove all water. Yeah, smart.

Also, I honestly think the only reason water bottles are targeted, is because they FLOAT. If they sank to the bottom of the ocean like every other plastic garbage out there, people wouldn't think there was a problem. Yeah, plastic is an issue, but what about slurpy cups? frappaccino cups? starbucks cups? These are all disposable plastic cups, that don't get targeted. There aren't even any incentives for people to recycle those like there is on water and beverage bottles, yet nobody ever talks about those cups, and I think it's because they sink to the bottom on the lakes and oceans where nobody can see them and freak out. At least plastic bottles float where they can be recoved and recycled! It just looks bad to see them on the beaches.

I also wonder why media reports refer to "bottled water" when its really single serving bottles that are the issue, if there was one. The large bottles that we sell, are the BEST alternative to small bottles or any other drinking beverage, because the bottles are delivered and PICKED UP, and refilled, and redelivered. NONE of these bottles ever make it to the landfills or garbage. EVER. Occasionally, a bottle will develop a crack, and it will need to be destroyed, but even in this case, the bottle is shredded and recycled. But these bottles are also "bottled water" but these are THE MOST environmentally sound alternative for consumers to choose drink clean healthy beverages.

Anyways, my 2 cents.

Dave.

March and New Employee

2009-03-20T10:38:00.000-07:00

So when I posted an ad looking for a new employee, I was overwhelmed by the number of resume's I received in one day. I suppose it's an indication of the state of the employment market out there. We are very blessed to be in a possition where we need more people, not fewer. No doubt, the economy effects us all, and my business as well, but as long as we can continue to grow despite the challanges, it's a good thing.

I joined twitter. Not sure why, I never use it. If you are on twitter, look me up! www.twitter.com/vanandel

Dave.

January has been.... COLD!

2009-01-26T14:57:00.001-08:00

So the new year has set in. And dramitically! This year started with some challanges, but nothing I couldn't handle. One of our water lines, which are mounted on the concrete walls, burst when they froze. Thankfully, water didn't gush everywhere, because they stayed frozen the entire weekend. I managed to get it repaired within a day, so all is good finally.

With the snow, the deliveries have been a challange as well, however everything got done with relatively minor issues. My drivers were kind enough to put in whatever hours were needed to get everything delivered as promised. Thanks guys!

My band The Hip Show (www.myspace.com/hipshow) performed our 2nd ever show again at The Fairview Pub. It went OK, but since the Christmas break we all took, I think we were a little unrehearsed for this show. We did however manage to record the whole live performance, and shot a video as well.

I have also begun writing and recording originals again in my small basement studio. Its very rewarding to have an ongoing record of music throughout my life. I enjoy it very much.

Ok, until next time, thank you to all our great customers!

Great November so far...

2008-11-21T11:42:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since i posted anything, so i thought what the heck. This month has been great. I just had my birthday (yay) and I am in my final year of my thirty's. That's a bit scary, but nice to still be able to say I am in my 30's for at least another year.

I went to Seattle with a friend of mine to see Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers at a small little 150 seater venue called The Nectar Lounge. What an awesome show, and a great road trip. Totally worth it. Did some shopping, came back home.

On another note, my band The Hip Show (www.thehipshow.ca) is playing our first performance tonight at the Fairview Pub, in Vancouver. I am excited about that, because it's been a few years since I have performed live, and I miss it completely! We are a Tragically Hip Tribute band, so we play nothing but The Hip. Awesome.

The weather has been a bit crappy lately, getting colder and rainy, but dispite all that, Premium Springs is having a great month for new business! I am so thankfull for all our loyal customers who refer great people to us, and we continue to grow, in an increasingly unstable economic market. I am so blessed to have great staff, and great customers. Thank you all!

I hope to write again before Christmas, I am ready to ski!

Dave.

Back to School...

2008-09-03T10:53:00.000-07:00

It's September now, and the kids are back at school. The summer was a busy one, with lots of weekend trips to the Whistler Bike park, and Edmonton.

This summer was also the summer I wrote a theme song for Hockey Night In Canada. You can listen to my entry here http://anthemchallenge.cbc.ca/mediadetail/320787

September also marks the day I get some staff back! Yay! Nice to get some help around here. Also, I look forward to my new bottler starting tomorrow. Should be a good week.

New Study Finds BPA not harmful

2008-08-08T10:18:00.001-07:00

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/Page/document/v5/content/subscribe?user_URL=http://www.theglobeandmail.com%2Fservlet%2Fstory%2FLAC.20080725.WORLDREPORT25-3%2FTPStory%2F%3Fquery%3Dbpa&ord=63677478&brand=theglobeandmail&force_login=true

BPA in cans safe!

2008-08-08T10:16:00.001-07:00

When the news breaks that BPA may be dangerous, it's headline news, but when the story tells of how they conclude that they are SAFE, it's a small story in the back pages of the newspapers. Here is some recent stories regarding BPA from the Globe and Mail.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/Page/document/v5/content/subscribe?user_URL=http://www.theglobeandmail.com%2Fservlet%2Fstory%2FRTGAM.20080530.wbpa30%2FBNStory%2FNational%2F&ord=89598340&brand=theglobeandmail&force_login=true

Driver Eric had a baby boy!

2008-08-08T10:13:00.000-07:00

Our driver Eric had a baby boy last week. Congratulations Eric!

First Blog Post

2008-07-26T10:55:00.001-07:00

Hello everyone,

My name is David Van Andel and I am the owner of Premium Springs Water Company. Welcome to my water blog. I have never blogged before, nor do I even read blogs, to be honest. So why am I doing this? Well, I dunno. I guess it's because I feel like I would like to share some of my day-to-day going ons, challenges and triumphs in the water business, or express my opinion and thoughts on recent media attention towards bottled water. I don't know how often I will blog, or if I will even keep this blog.

OK, so that's my introduction for now.

Remember, drinking healthy water is a GOOD thing.

Dave.