Back in 1958, Vern Dale did the most American of things: He struck out and started his own business in downtown Canton.

Sixty-four years later, his son, also named Vern Dale, is working to make sure that Vern Dale’s Water Center continues to provide quality water treatment service and products to its residential and commercial customers.

Water is the essence of life. Clean water, free of harmful elements is increasingly becoming a commodity.

Ensuring good water is a service that comes from hard work and dedication to quality, Dale said.

“I’ve been working since I was a little kid,” said Dale, who said he cut lawns, delivered newspapers and grew up helping out at his father’s business with the exception of five years when he was in the airline industry.

Dale went to work for Republic Airlines at the Akron-Canton Regional Airport until the carrier was purchased by another airline. It forced him to relocate to South Bend, Indiana. But before he could move into his new home, he was threatened with another layoff.

More:East Canton to explore establishing water treatment system

In addition, his parents’ health problems prompted Dale to return to Canton and join the family business.

“It was the best thing, getting away and coming back,” he said.

Dale’s stepson, John Mariol II, vice president of sales, said good water is a way of life.

“We talk about water during holidays,” he said with a smile. “We talk about water at dinner.”

Mariol explained that the untreated water in Stark County and large parts of the Midwest is the result of extremely hard, undissolved rock in the water supply.

“Surprisingly, Stark County has a lot wells, so you have other issues like sulfur and iron,” Dale said.

Mariol said some of their rural customers also have methane issues related to fracking, a process used to extract natural gas from the ground.

More:State investigating whether injection well waste affecting drinking water

Vern Dale’s Water Center was a Culligan dealer until Dale made the decision to become independent.

“We decided to go with a one-style system,” he said. “We feel it’s the best equipment. Plus, we have the ability to test the equipment. The equipment we sell is always the highest quality.”

Mariol and Dale said they frequently give new equipment and systems a trial run by using their own home water supply.

“There’s always new innovations coming out,” Dale said. “We try them out at home. We want to be the guinea pigs.”

A new father, Mariol noted that commercial and residential water treatment is a quality of life issue, adding that the pandemic has made everyone more aware of health risks.

“Water is something you have to have,” he said. “Having peace of mind that the water you’re consuming and cleaning with is very important. When we’re washing our son’s baby bottles or giving him a bath, we don’t have to worry about chemicals.”

He noted, for instance, that a reverse osmosis system is significantly cheaper than purchasing bottled water and is much better for the environment.

Dale said any appliance that uses water works more effectively and better when the water has been treated.

Treated water, he said, requires less soap and helps appliances to last longer.

One reason for the company’s success is that most of their 15 employees have been with the Vern Dale’s Water Center for years.

“We have a good group of people; we don’t have a lot of turnover,” Mariol said. “I grew up working here from the time I was a teenager. The day after I graduated from high school, I started working full time. The labor market has been tight, but Vern has done a good job making pay and benefits competitive, plus there’s the flexibility of working for a family business.”

In terms of staffing, Dale said the company is “in a good place.”

“With the supply chain shortage, we worked on ways to help increase stability,” he said. “We’re just a quarter of a mile from where Amazon will be competition for employees.”

Mariol said Dale never forgets about his employees.

“Vern’s a big believer in, if the company’s doing good, we want everyone to do good,” he said.

Dale and Mariol said they make good customer service a priority, though the supply-chain shortage has meant that service sometimes takes a little longer than in the past.

“Vern always says ‘You never want to make someone wait to spend money with you,’ ” Mariol said.

As head of sales, Mariol said he enjoys meeting customers and solving their problems.

“You get a view of their lives,” he said. “You get to see people in their comfort zone.”

Dale and Mariol said that although the business is competitive, some of their competitors are also customers because Vern Dale’s Water Center has operated a wholesale salt business since the 1980s.

The original Vern Dale was an enterprising man who sold bread and jewelry, eventually securing a job at a local appliance store that he eventually bought from the owner. Dale pivoted to water treatment, moving the company to its present location in 1975.

Dale also was involved in local politics, serving on Canton City Council, as a Stark County Commissioner and as one of the longest serving members of the Stark County Board of Elections. He died in 2009.

Mariol and Dale said their goal is to uphold the senior Dale’s legacy.

“We’re constantly looking to reinvest in the company,” Dale said.

The company recently joined Shopify, an online service which enables customers to shop and order parts and services.

“Reinvestment has always been very important,” Mariol said. “We buy the best equipment for our workers.”

Mariol noted that the original Vern Dale made sacrifices for the company, which they intend to honor and uphold.

“Every customer we have, it’s critically important that they be happy,” he said. “His name is still on the equipment. It is a relationship business.”