Business name: Water & Air Works, The Water Store.
Owners: Byron, Lin and Aron Jacobus.
Address: 3110 N.E. Minnehaha St., Suite B.
What the business does: Water & Air Works provides a range of water filtration systems for consumer use, such as carbon filters, ultraviolet light and reverse osmosis systems. The systems target contaminants such as chlorine, pharmaceuticals, trihalomethanes and arsenic. The company also delivers bottled water systems.
o Each week, The Columbian offers a brief snapshot of an interesting Clark County business. Send ideas to Mary Ricks: mary.ricks@columbian.com; fax 360-735-4598; phone 360-735-4550.
How has the economy affected your business: Aron Jacobus said raw product and freight costs have increased significantly in the past year — nearly as much as the increases of the previous eight to 10 years. Now he buys in larger quantities to take advantage of volume pricing.
Greatest challenge: Jacobus said it’s difficult staying informed about government rulings on contaminant limits in drinking water, which affects Clark County landowners with private well water. Bottled water challenges, on the other hand, are most recently related to packaging requirements, which are ever changing.
