Our History

In 1947 John Commers moved from Minneapolis to St. Anthony, and experienced a common problem in the area: hard water. After several attempts to set an appointment, John was finally able to get someone to give him a demonstration about water softening and solving water problems. Following this experience, John became interested in water treatment and water conditioning. After studying the water industry at the library, John knew that given his experience as a licensed mechanical engineer during World War II, he had the technical background to work in the field. A week later he sold three units in just a few days and decided to go into business for himself. He purchased the local dealer that sold him his softener, as well as Northern Water Treatment in St. Louis Park. In John’s own words, ”I wanted to build a better water softener that was service-free and was easy to maintain if need be.”

Diligently for the next 17 years John worked both as a Minneapolis police officer and the owner of Commers Water, often working the night shift so he could run the business during the day. During his tenure on the Minneapolis police force, John worked as a deputy inspector and as an assistant to the Mayor’s office, where he developed close relationships with many top city officials. These contacts made John a very effective and powerful spokesperson for the water treatment industry. John became one of the charter members of the Minnesota Water Conditioning Association (MWCA). He served as the president of the MWCA in 1961 and 1962. He was a member of the board of directors for twenty years and active member of the MWCA for over thirty years. John’s vision and hard work not only provided clarity and drive for Commers Water but also for the water treatment industry itself. In his work as a sales manager, he built up a sizeable sales force that expanded the company several times over in only a few short years.

John later turned over the company to his son John G. Commers and his wife Patricia, who were married in 1964. Together John Jr. and Patricia took the company in whole new directions, including establishing two US patents, starting a salt delivery service, and turning the company into the largest dealer in the state of Minnesota. Convinced that there was a better way to build water softeners, Commers Water started manufacturing Commers brand softeners. The idea was to customize each softener to the individual household’s water rather than the “off the shelf” approach that everyone else used. This idea still holds true today. By customizing each unit, Commers has been able to build a more efficient water softener that uses far less salt and water with a much longer life span.

Commers Water has worked with various Fortune 500 companies and governmental agencies including DR Horton and the State Capitol of Minnesota. Commers is also a member of the national Home Builders Association and has worked closely with local builders in the Twin Cities for decades. The Governor and the Minnesota Trade Office have both honored Commers Water for manufacturing and distributing exceptionally good products.

Commers Water Company offers a full range of water treatment, including water purification and filtration. Commers has been working with purification and drinking water concerns for over 40 years, long before drinking water was a national concern. Commers invented its first drinking water system in 1978 and was the first to bring these types of systems to Minnesota. In a continuing effort to pioneer the drinking water field, Commers began to work with a new technology called reverse osmosis in 1980 and worked closely with the inventor of residential reverse osmosis drinking systems for many years, Commers Water has more experience with drinking water systems and water purification than any other dealer in the state of Minnesota. As the distributor of this premier line of drinking water systems, Commers Water leads the way in providing your family with the highest-quality water found anywhere in the world.