American Spring Water thriving 20 years after opening

March 17
March 17, 2009
Loyce "Lois" H. Matherne
March 19, 2009
March 17
March 17, 2009
Loyce "Lois" H. Matherne
March 19, 2009

Aggressive, more innovative ideas comprise the marketing strategy that has kept American Spring Water afloat for 20 years.


Former owner Rodney Barnes opened American Spring Water in the late 1980s to service Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes. He sold the company in 2008 to majority shareholders Howard Pellegrin Sr. and Mike Prosperie; along with other shareholders are Terry Breaux, Richard Martin and Kentley Fairchild.

When Hurricane Katrina caused Abita Springs Bottling Company to close its doors in New Orleans, Barnes felt it was the perfect opportunity to sell to Pellegrin, who had just lost his job.


“Mr. Barnes heard about the mishap and he offered me an opportunity to take over his customers,” Pellegrin said. “I went to Mike and asked him if he wanted to go into business with me and buy a water company. He said he would use his last dollar to do it.”


It took a while for the acquisition to be approved. But the group has been in business for a year.

Of the group, Pellegrin has the most water selling experience; therefore, he serves as the managing partner and runs the day-to-day operations of the business. He has been in the water business for 18 years, starting out with Kentwood Water Company then moving on to Abita Springs.


“I worked for Kentwood for six years before moving on to Abita Springs and running the Houma and Thibodaux area for 11 years,” he said. “This was a perfect fit for me, it’s all I’ve ever known.”


Prosperie is the president of the company. He has some experience in the water selling business, too. He also worked for Kentwood for a few years.

“The oil field industry was having major problems in the 1980s,” he said. “And I said I wanted to get out of the industry and get into a business that helped people. I had a good friend who worked at Kentwood and they hired me.”


When Prosperie first went to Kentwood, he had to use his sales tactics to formulate his own route. Within a year of being employed, he had nearly 500 customers from the Grand Caillou to Dularge area. His success as a water salesman earned him top honors throughout the state and from national bottling associations.


While Prosperie was training other water salesmen on the art of wooing customers, he first came into contact with Pellegrin, who was just starting out with Kentwood.

The two said bottled water today is not just a luxury item – it is a necessity. The two said they were attracted to the industry because bottled water is important in south Louisiana. It is the only way residents can be assured where their drinking water is coming from.


Pellegrin said municipalities offer residents all types of water supplies today.

“Water is not the same as it was when I or Mike was going up,” he said. “Today, we get water from the Mississippi River, the Intracoastal Canal and other places. Some of it is not safe. It’s real important to know where your drinking water comes from.”

American Spring Water sells bulk supplies of spring artesian water in 5-, 3- and 1-gallon and 16-ounce bottles for the home or office. They also sell 5-gallon fluoridated spring water bottles for residents with small children.

There are four spring water distributors in the Tri-parish area, and Kentwood has run the Tri-parish market for years. But, Pellegrin said, American Spring Water runs closely behind.

Prosperie attributes the company’s success to being the Tri-parishes’ only locally operated bottling company.

“We have an advantage (over competitors) because when you call our office, you speak to someone who’s local,” he said. “They can take care of your problem within a matter of minutes instead of days.”

When Prosperie and Pellegrin first took over as owners, they retained the majority of Barnes’ Terrebonne and Lafourche customers.

They bought Barnes’ two delivery trucks and, within a year’s time, they have added two more delivery trucks and a van. “We expanded fast,” Pellegrin said.

American Spring Water purchases its water from an independent company in Kentwood, La., called Mountain Brook Water.

“They ship two 18-wheeler trucks filled with water during the winter months, and close to five shipments during the summer,” he explained. “So we are able to keep up with the demand.”

Pellegrin and Prosperie are in the process of looking for more warehouse space to accommodate customers’ orders. And the two businessmen are looking to expand in the offshore market very soon. But to expand business, they first have to expand their storage capabilities.

“The warehouse space we have now will not hold the supply demand,” Pellegrin said.

Majority shareholders Howard Pellegrin Sr. (left) and Mike Prosperie (right) took over operations of American Spring Water in 2008. After a year, the company has expanded its clientele and hopes to enter into the offshore market by year’s end. * Photo by SOPHIA RUFFIN