Originally published by Canvas Rebel September 2, 2024
Meet Parker Emerson
Parker, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Alright, so you had your idea and then what happened? Can you walk us through the story of how you went from just an idea to executing on the idea
My dad, Todd Emerson, started James Enterprise Inc. (JEI) in the late 1990’s, which quickly became the distributor for a popular brand of gravity-fed water filter systems. He started with a simple website to sell a handful of water filter systems, and shipped water filters out of our garage with the help of my mom and us three kids. As the years went on, we hired additional help, moved the operation to a separate building (so glad to have our garage back!), and built a robust e-commerce business selling many different brands and products, including water filters and glass water bottles.
In November of 2023, after some major issues with the water filter company we distributed, and several months of legal issues, we made the tough decision to sever ties with them. We did not see a positive future because they refused to comply with the federal laws. We acknowledge that opinions may vary on regulations, but compliance is crucial for product availability and for our business to continue.
This was a pivotal moment – do we shutter our doors, or do we cease the opportunity to launch a new brand that fulfilled our visions? This is when we launched our own water filter brand. We introduced the BOROUX Foundation Filter as an alternative black carbon water filter. Drawing on collective data over 20 years, our customers’ feedback and our experience in the industry, we chose to create a new water filter brand that prioritized testing, adhered to laws, offered transparency, and ensured quality.
We chose the name BOROUX for the new venture. Originally, BOROUX was started as a glass water bottle company that was an accessory to the earlier water filter distribution business in the 1990s. The name was inspired by borosilicate glass (BOROUX is pronounced like the first part of the word boro). Our work and brand story came full circle – BOROUX transformed into a water filter brand in the late fall of 2023.
This new endeavor offers a newfound freedom. The independence of running our own manufacturing in addition to distribution grants us the ability to make and act on decisions faster, which in turn, means serving customers better. One example– water filter testing For years, customers have requested more current test results, and in general across the water filter industry, testing is sub-par and needs more transparency and frequency. Now, BOROUX decides the cadence of regular testing and can publish results routinely, instead of relying on decade-old tests. The testing is revolutionary; no one else in the industry is doing this type of testing. We test to the actual gallonage, meaning when we say the filters are effective for 6,000 gallons, it’s because we ran 6,000 gallons through the filter. The standard has been to test 50-100 gallons and extrapolate the data. It’s been fun to be truly in charge of our products, our procedures, and our business. Our business is not at the mercy of someone else’s business. I’m involved in the research and development of new products and we have big plans!
In our new venture where we have 360-degree control, quality is paramount; quality materials, quality design, and quality service. Customer satisfaction is our focus. Our Foundation Filters are activated carbon blocks proven to be the most effective at filtering the most common water contaminants like chlorine, pharmaceuticals, PFAs and pesticides. The stainless steel used for our BOROUX Legacy systems is AISI (American Iron and Steel Institute) 304-grade, one of the highest-quality food-grade stainless steels available. We design products with the simple philosophy of blending form and function to meet customer needs and wants. Following my dad’s directive, “always ensure every customer is 100% satisfied” our approach to service is to “strive to make every customer of ours is a customer for life.” We are so sure of our products that we offer a 101 day trial period and generous warranties.
We heard (and still hear) over and over again that people want transparency. There’s so much confusion in the water filter industry. Honesty is more important, even if that means we may lose a sale here or there. Consumers deserve to have their questions answered, and a core pillar of our business is to be transparent with our customers and provide them with the important information they need to inform their purchases and prioritize their health.
Throughout this big pivot of building our business over again, from idea to execution, we found ways to improve upon water filtration and offer superior products and services. We’re no longer just a dealer, so now we control how the products are made, tested, and delivered.
We decided to make BOROUX intentional and have focused on offering a fresh, innovative approach to water filtration, emphasizing transparency, sustainability, and simplicity. This name was chosen to symbolize the crystal-clear quality of products and to evoke a sense of trust and reliability. BOROUX is here to elevate the water filtration industry and set new standards.
We’re a family business in Pueblo, Colorado revolutionizing the water filter industry.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I grew up in Pueblo, Colorado, in a rural neighborhood. My dad was a fire chief for several years, but on the side, he got into websites and e-commerce around 1998. That grew into a major business and eventually led to my involvement. The main product we sell is gravity-fed water filters.
I spent many days packing orders in our warehouse and scrubbing the toilets. Being the son of the CEO isn’t all sunshine and roses. Over the years my responsibilities have grown and I’m now the brand manager, so I oversee product development, marketing, web development, and various other things as they come up. I realize it’s unique to work with your parents, sister, brother-in-law, uncle, and aunt and I don’t take our special dynamic for granted. We’ve learned to speak candidly and draw strong boundaries. We have found that being a truly family-run business can be tricky at times, but ultimately leads us to run it with integrity, passion and heart.
Water quality has become increasingly important for more people over the years. With the discovery of the prevalence of microplastics, PFAS and other contaminants being found in high levels in water across the United States, people are more aware of the importance of the quality of the water they are drinking. Our black carbon filters are extremely effective at removing or reducing all sorts of contaminants. It’s also important to us to back up everything we say, so we have third-party test results to prove what and how much is filtered. In my experience, there’s not a lot of transparency in the filter industry, in the past two years we’ve buckled down to focus on being transparent. Our customers deserve it.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
2023 was a really tough year for us. We had to lay off some of our amazing employees. We’re a pretty small company – at the time we had around 50 employees and now down to about 25, so we’re all pretty tight-knit. We FELT it when we had to let them go. It felt like we ran into roadblock after roadblock with regulation interpretations, legal repercussions, manufacturer agreements, major budget constraints, and being forced to start from scratch. Delivery of our new products was delayed, testing was slow and expensive, and we’re still fighting so much misinformation and reputation building. Despite all of this, I’m proud to say, we’re still here. We’re still in business and making big strides. It’s remarkable to reflect on how much we’ve accomplished in nine months – feats that usually take start-up businesses years to accomplish.
Have you ever had to pivot?
Definitely! We actually just went through a HUGE pivot in the last year.
Everything changed two days after Christmas in 2022. I’ll never forget that day. Our company was issued a Stop Sale or Removal Order (SSURO) by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) which abruptly halted us from selling the popular water filters which was our bread and butter. There were issues with the registration and classification of the products, which we had no control over since we were just a distributor.
Nearly two years later, almost everything has changed.. We no longer are a distributor for that brand’s filters, we developed our own filters and started making our own products, and the silver lining? We were forced to make our operations more streamlined. It has been a blessing in disguise to make our processes more lean and our teams more agile. It definitely has had its challenges and some days have been rough to say the least, but we’re in a much better position and our future is bright!