About Us

Hi, I'm Laurence.

This may sound strange but I am oddly excited about the industry of water softeners and drinking water filtration - I really do live and breathe water quality.

Water is such an important part of our lives, and I believe we should get the best from it, without all the stuff that makes your skin itchy, or clouds up shower screens & sanitary ware or clogs up boilers.

We should have glorious cups of tea that taste wonderful instead of having to make our way through unsightly scum floating on the top.  A glass of water should taste pure and clean, without the cloudiness or smell of chlorine or sediment floating around, and this wonderful clear glass should cleanse your palate leaving you feeling totally refreshed.

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Arriving in the UK

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Twenty-five years ago, in 1994, I came traveling to the UK with a backpack with an initial plan to stay just one year.

I started working at the tantalising Bibury Court Hotel in the Cotswolds, and it struck me as early as that how different the water was in the UK compared to what I was used to in Southern Africa.  Everything within the staff quarters was covered in white residue, and the Housekeeping team frequently talked about scale.  The hotel had a softener, but in those days that didn't mean much to me, other than the fact the Maintenance man, Dave, was always complaining that it wasn't working properly.

I had a brief and uncomfortable 4-month stint in Scotland where I had my car stolen, lost my job and became homeless in Aberfeldy, which was cold, and wet, and I found myself eating beans out of cans while sat in the red doorway of a building on the high street.  I was the only homeless person in town, and I was certainly shunned.

Luckily, something clicked in my head and one day I realised I had to change or I was going to be like this forever, and so I hesitantly rang Andrew, the owner of the Bibury Court, who, after calling me a silly fool, sent up some money to the local post office to cover my bus fare and I jumped straight on to the National Express coach and went back to work at the hotel in the Cotswolds.  I was on the streets in total for 2-months  through Mid November 1995 to early January 1996.

Gaining Valuable Business Experience

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It took me a bit of time to regain my confidence, and about a year later I went to work at Kall Kwik Printing for a terrific couple called Paul & Sue Willis in Crawley, Sussex.  Paul & Sue bought bankrupt businesses, turned them around and sold them on.  They had a fantastic work ethic and integrity, and I recall those days with fondness as much of my business thinking today was instilled into me by them.  At a very young age, I was taught skills that have stood the test of time for me, and affected many a positive decision I have made since.  We have remained close friends ever since.

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Gaining technical understanding at British Gas

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I eventually decided to explore the UK a bit more, and in 1998 I moved up to North Wales where I started to work for British Gas.  This was the second time that I started to think about water because this water felt so different from what I had become accustomed to in the Cotswolds and in Sussex.

Over the seven years that I worked for British Gas, I had some wonderful career roles thrown my way, and eventually, I was relocated down to Brighton and thereafter on to Kent.  

British Gas gave me an excellent understanding of central heating systems and I recall one of my bosses, a gentleman called Tony Jones tell me that I had a “scary technical ability for someone of your age”.  I just had this ability to fault find really complicated problems within customer homes.  (Incidentally Tony is now the General Manager of Harvey Softeners - I'll explain how that came about perhaps later on)

I found working for British Gas very stressful with the constant strive to hit monthly targets, and one day I met a chap called Jeremy Crush in my local Grahams plumbers merchant in Ramsgate, Kent.

Jeremy ran a water softening business called ER Longley, which his grandmother had started back in 1926.  I recall Jeremy being very proud of the heritage of his business.  Jeremy suggested that I should leave British Gas and go work instead for a water softener manufacturer as it was a great industry, but added that he felt very few young people were getting involved anymore.

I bumped into him a few times after that, and eventually, he convinced me to see the light.  After some thought, that’s exactly what I did.

Taking up a career in water softening

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EcoWater & Tapworks Water Softeners

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I joined EcoWater as a Sales Rep managing their Kent, Sussex, Surrey and London trade regions, and was later given the opportunity to set up their commercial water softening side, training the larger more technical merchants, like BSS.  I quickly hit our targets, and I was promoted once more, this time to run their dealer network for the UK, which was when I met Jeremy for the second time.  This time he was a client, and we had a good laugh and joke about it.

Some years later, after several promotions, I was made redundant from EcoWater in November 2008, just as the credit crunch hit the UK and I ended up losing everything, including my home in Westgate-on-Sea, Kent. It was a painful time, the repercussions of which affected me financially for many years.

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Interestingly, in mid-2019, I was asked by EcoWater to remove this from my profile as it was felt that this doesn't reflect well on them, and I was told that I had also gained a lot from the experience of being made redundant and so fair was fair.  I accept I did gain a lot - a lot of resilience.  But my history is who I am and why I eventually joined Harveys, why I started Marlau Homes and why I bought ER Longley Hydroworks, and so I don't feel removing it is right.  Being made redundant never influenced my opinion negatively of the company or the product, and I still to this day like and respect them all.

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Aquafactors Window Cleaning Equipment Manufacturer, Aqua-Nouveau and Kinetico

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By this time I had fallen in love with our industry and wanted to stay within it and was offered the opportunity to run the window cleaning equipment manufacturer, Aquafactors, in Basingstoke.

Within a few months of my joining the business, the company went into receivership and I was promoted to Group General Manager to also run their sister company Aqua Nouveau, a large Kinetico Water softener dealership, with a view to turning the two businesses around.  

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I spent two years running the business and had a lot of fun with the owner, Alan.  We remain close friends to this day, and Alan has moved on into the flooring industry, which he loves.​

Harvey Water Softeners

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I spent two years trying hard to turn around the ailing group, and during this time got to know Casey & Harvey Bowden of Harvey Water Softeners.

Twice Casey asked me to join them to run their dealer network, but I didn’t feel I could leave a company in such a delicate stage of a turnaround.  One day, Casey said that they had to move on with their own business plans and if I didn’t join them then, I would miss the boat.  I reluctantly and apprehensively went to work for Harvey Water Softeners who until that time I didn't hold in high regard.

With the benefit of hindsight, I am surprised that I was invited to join Harvey Softeners as I was very skeptical of their business.  All I had to go on was a negative perception of Harvey’s business practices over the years, and I just didn’t believe in the Harvey business or their self-claimed “force for good” approach.  So many competing dealers of theirs, and other manufacturers would talk about this short man who was like a 'Jack-in-the-box', always turning up like a bad penny and making a nuisance of himself.

It took me nearly six months before I really got to know the other side of Harvey Bowden.

Harvey knew I was skeptical of both him and his business, and yet he gave me a break, but to make up for it, he played tough on me, challenging me and questioning me at every moment where he felt I wasn't looking after the customer right, or was reacting inappropriately.  I came to gradually have a grudging respect for the man, and then one day something clicked.  I just 'got' him.  I realised he never told a lie, not even a small white lie, and he was extremely ethical, and passionate about UK business, not to forget he was extremely knowledgable and devoted to our industry.  He was totally committed to helping small local businesses thrive, and I came to regard Harvey as my ally, mentor and coach.   We didn't necessarily always see eye to eye, but I think he respected my difference in opinion, especially when it came to managing his dealer business for him - I took my dealers to a whole new level over the years.

Harvey's ethics are so deeply ingrained that they filter through every part of the business.

Harvey’s son, Casey, effectively my boss, was Sales Director when I joined in late 2009 but soon thereafter became Managing Director, and the business thrived even further.  It was an exciting time to be part of the business, and their strive for perfection resulted in the employment of a new Technical Director, Martin Hurworth, who today is the leader of this great business as Managing Director.  Martin was incredible.  Initially, we got on, when he was Technical Director, but then when he became Managing Director, and my new boss, I just couldn't work with him, he was just trying to manage me so differently to what I had become accustomed to.  We clashed.

I had for some time been thinking about buying a dealership and had been in negotiations with a few who were looking to retire by this point, and the craziest thing looking back on it now is that I am tremendously close to Martin Hurworth, MD of Harveys.  He was my rock, and I thrived by his sense of doing the right thing and tremendous energy.  He has had a profound influence on Harveys, and on my own business and team.  Even though I am independent and sell the right softener for the customer's home, Martin respected that and helped me with advice and encouragement regardless.

As Dealer Manager for Harvey Water Softeners, I had the enjoyable opportunity to motivate and coach our dealer business owners and their staff to achieve the success they worked hard for and richly deserved. Under my direction, we become the largest and fastest-growing dealer group in Europe.

This was be achieved by developing, refining and duplicating robust systems and strategies.  It was a privilege to be in a role where you knew the support and advice you gave was regarded highly, and to see the advice you give create excitement and growth within the industry. We were a team of winners, growing at rates that exceeded industry expectations.

About 4-years before I left Harvey's, I realised I wanted to begin to look for a new challenge, but didn't want to leave the company if there was any risk that anyone would turn around and say I hadn't done this or hadn't done that, or had been a poor dealer manager, and so I started to look for ways to leave a legacy behind.

I bought in my old boss, Brian Kiell, from British Gas to help me to create a system that would model what Excellence looks like in our industry, and then we set up a 3-year intensive business skills programme to train the dealers on Excellent strategies they could use to grow their businesses.  The results were phenomenal!  We went from the smallest dealer group in Europe to the biggest, with an excellent mindset to go with it.

By the end of year 2 of the programme, I began to look for my next challenge and looked around at various South East based water softener dealerships with a view to buying one of them, and this included a brief conversation with Jeremy Crush about his ER Longley Hydroworks business, and we discussed briefly his plans to retire in 2019.  

When Jeremy passed away unexpectedly in July 2016, we decided that it was now or never - The time had come to make the move, and we were offered first refusal - we agreed to purchase the business from his widow, Linda.

The business had been trading for 90 years when he died, making it the longest-established water softener business in the UK marketplace, and so I see my role as the custodian of this Kent and Sussex heritage for future generations.  

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I am excited to have this unique opportunity to begin to move this highly respected business into the future.

I promise you that as we develop this business and make it great once again, we will give you the very best service, complete honesty, and our very best advice and attention at all times.

At the top of this page is a link to another page where I have uploaded photo albums of some of the wonderful dealer trips I ran for EcoWater and Harvey Softeners.  There were quite a few, including Venice, Marrakech, Budapest and several around the UK,  so I'll upload more to this page as time permits.

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As the office manager, I ensure that our Faversham showroom and office runs smoothly.  If you call us, you will most likely speak to me and I will ensure that your inquiry is handled effectively.  I work very closely with both Laurence and Gavin to deliver you the best service experience possible.

As the newest member of the team, on joining Hydroworks I immediately saw the commitment of Laurence and Gavin to the company ethos.  

We are focused on you, our customer, from the very first time you contact us; right through to ensuring that you are happy with the service we have provided.  We never forget our customers and are always here at the end of the phone, whenever you need us.

I joined Hydroworks in October 2018 when Laurence advertised for a professional plumber to join the team.

My job is to do an excellent job installing domestic and commercial softeners, plus I am being fully trained up in servicing and maintaining our customers water softeners.

I make sure all the work I do is carried out to the highest of standards and always with a smile.

I always check that the customer is 100% percent happy and satisfied with the work that has taken place as customer satisfaction means a lot to me, and fits in well with the values of Hydroworks.

You may also see me around in the van carrying out various tasks whether it maybe delivering salt or changing filters for our customers.

Hi, I'm Mark.  I am Laurence's sounding board, calmer, clear thinker, and encourager.

I've been in teaching for the last 19 years with management and leadership experience, running the sixth form of Young Epilepsy, in Surrey.  I am inspired being around young people and helping them develop, especially the wonderful kids at our school.  I have typically six pupils in my class each year, each with 1:1 TA support, and we make a great team working together.

My role within this business is to help create the systems to make the business successful, and support Laurence in the development of the business.  I wrote many of the original letters that went out when we first purchased the business, and keep Laurence focused by always making lists of things that need to be done, and making sure we tick them off on time.

We have two beautiful children that we adopted in 2016, and they are a huge motivator for us and are the reason we work so hard.  I myself have two sisters who I'm very close to, and we try to see the whole family at least two or three times a month.

We run another business alongside this one which we started 2 years before buying this business, and so are always busy and working exceptionally hard - I sometimes wonder how we fit everything in.

The difference for Laurence with Hydroworks is that he feels such passion for softened water, which may sound odd, but he believes that it is one of the most honest products ever - he frequently says you simply cannot fake softened water - his passion is what makes Hydroworks unique in so many ways.  Laurence lives and breathes softened water, and his commitment to see the team delight the customer is wonderful to see.  We have such a strong and wonderful team, and huge ambitions to grow the market.

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That said, he often comes home late, and then I give him loads of great ideas about how he could run things better.  He hasn't quite got used to my relentless push to see him achieve the many goals he sets himself.

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When Laurence first bought the business, he was working with another accountant but was looking for more facts and figures to help him gauge the best direction for the business, and this is how we ended up meeting.

My role within the business is to make sure we are fully compliant, that our accounts are properly prepared, that we are producing excellent management and financial reports and to give sound support and advice.

"Today, the team has grown tremendously. While Laurence acquired a long-established business, what he probably may not say so openly is that it was in a terrible condition, with only 124 active customers of the 9,000 database.

Since then, so much work has been put in by the whole team to turn the business around, and what is inspiring for myself, not only as Finance Director, but also as someone who works with several other businesses, is to see how much emphasis is placed on exceeding customer expectations, on the hunt to always get the 5-star customer review.

I was part of the interview panel for Daniel, who today runs the day-to-day of the business.  He has been an excellent choice and is a huge support for Laurence.

Laurence makes a statement on the About Us page of this website that we are all cut from the same cloth, and you know what, I think he may well be correct!"

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