Culligan

Culligan is an international water purification business based in Rosemont, Illinois. For more than 65 years, Culligan has specialized in softeners, filtration systems and bottled water for the home and office.

Culligan was founded by Emmett Culligan in a blacksmith shop in Northbrook, Illinois. He perforated the bottom of a coffee can and used greensand to make his own water filter. He ran water through this can and calculated the water was 36 grains hard going in to the can and 0 grains hard coming out. He had discovered his own method for softening water. By 1938, the first Culligan franchised dealership was started in Wheaton, Illinois, followed by another in Hagerstown, Maryland. In 2004, Entrepreneur Magazine named Culligan the number one franchise in its industry. The company has over 800 dealers in the US and Canada and sells its products in more than 90 countries. Culligan is privately held by the investment firm Clayton, Dubilier, and Rice, and has been estimated to have annual sales of about $700 million.

Advertising slogan
Culligan is known for its famous television and radio ads – now iconic in American advertising – featuring the distinguishable voice of an all-American housewife calling “Hey, Culligan man!” The campaign was originally created in 1959 for radio by Dallas Williams Productions of Los Angeles. Filmmaker Dan Bessie directed and animated the award-winning "Hey Culligan Man!" soft water commercials for 15 years. Variations of the “Hey Culligan Man” advertising continued to air for over three decades. On Hollywood Squares, a contestant in one of the squares answered "Hey Culligan Man!".