After 75 qualifying events around the country, Grundfos named its WaterPRO Champion at the National Groundwater Association’s Groundwater Week in Las Vegas. Jason Johnson of A-1 Water Well Service in Lindsborg, Kansas took home the $10,000 prize and the honor of being named the first WaterPRO Champion.

Grundfos held local qualifying competitions throughout the year, tasking participants with assembling a Grundfos 4-inch SP pump end. Those with the 12 fastest times overall were invited to participate in the semifinals at NGWA. There, two semifinal walk-on spots were also available for show attendees who wanted to try their hand at the challenge at Grundfos’ booth.  

The semifinal competition tasked participants with replacing a Grundfos MQ pump with a SCALA2 booster and filling a water basin in the shortest amount of time. Four heats took place to whittle down the 14 participants to the top three fastest. Grundfos product experts were on hand to referee the event to ensure the pumps were installed properly and no disqualifications took place. At the end of the four heats, the three finalists were:

  •  Levi Lockhart of Ski Line in Enid, Oklahoma: 4 minutes, 4 seconds
  •  Jason Johnson of A-1 Water Well Service in Lindsborg, Kansas: 4 minutes, 13 seconds
  •  Brian Butcher of Chambers and Phillips in Canton, Texas: 4 minutes, 36 seconds.

Immediately following the semifinals, the top three participants were asked to hook up a Grundfos SQE submersible pump to the Grundfos CU301 controller, then adjust the pressure settings to float a disk above a pressure marker. Johnson had the fastest time at 2 minutes and 37 seconds; Butcher came in second place with a time of 3 minutes and 45 seconds; and Lockhart finished with a time of 5 minutes and 20 seconds. Butcher and Lockhart received second and third place prizes of $3,000 and $1,500, respectively, while Johnson took home the grand prize of $10,000 and the title of WaterPRO Champion.

The finalists were honored during a hospitality event that night at the Hard Rock Café, where more than 800 Grundfos customers and partners took part in the celebration. When asked how he prepared, Johnson said, “I watched just about 800 YouTube videos of just about every Grundfos product I could think of… thinking if it’s this, how can I go faster?”

The WaterPRO Championship will continue in 2019, and more information will be available on the WaterPRO Championship website at www.grundfos.us/WaterPROChampionship.

The Grundfos WaterPRO program gives dedicated water well contractors exclusive benefits that make doing business easier, including private training with Grundfos technical sales managers, access to the Grundfos technical support chat app, customizable service stickers, extended product warranty and more. Learn more at: www.grundfos.us/waterpro.

With an annual production of more than 16 million pumps, Grundfos is a leader in advanced pump solutions and water technology. In addition to pumps, Grundfos produces standard and submersible motors, as well as electronics for monitoring and controlling pumps. Since its inception in 1945, the company has grown from one small factory in Denmark to a global corporation comprising more than 80 companies and over 18,800 employees. Grundfos contributes to global sustainability by pioneering technologies that improve quality of life for people and care for the planet. For more information, visit www.grundfos.us.