Born in Cleveland Ohio 1944, James Artress attended Elementary, Junior and Senior High schools in Willoughby Ohio, graduating in 1962. He entered college at Kent State where after a couple of short quarters he took up a part time job selling pots & pans. After making more money per week than most of his professors, this little job quickly turned into a full time career. During the next 13 years Jim became one of the top distributors in the country with 5 offices throughout Ohio, and 14 managers servicing over 200 active sales recruits. With sales over a million dollars a year and barley 21 years of age, all the good things in life became available. He was on top of the world with fine homes, luxury cars. hot sports cars and boats.

Jim married in 1966 but was painfully disappointed and eventually divorced in 1972. He took a deep breath and decided to change everything, including his career. Answering a tip from a Canadian manufacturer of automobile parts, he became an independent traveling manufacturers representative and preceded to open up the American market particularly in the border states, servicing automotive chain stores. He eventually represented 7 different manufacturers from Canada to Mexico simultaneously. In 1975 Jim remarried but the now constant traveling schedule (leaving on Mondays and returning on Fridays) took it's toll on the new marriage and divorce came again in 1979. As a divorce present to himself, Jim purchased a sailboat and made it his home, living aboard it in a Toledo Ohio lagoon. This location put him right in the middle of the 3 state area, home to most of his customer base.

Living on the sailboat gave Jim time for reading, contemplation and introspection. Some of the more influencing books were Marilyn Ferguson's "Aquarian Conspiracy," Alvin Toffler's "Future Shock" and "The Third Wave," John Naisbit's "Megatrends," Maxwell Maltz's "Psycho-Cybernetics," Napoleon Hill's "Think and Grow Rich," and many others in the Metaphysical and Socio-Economic realm. And then in the summer of 1980, Jim experienced a horrific sailing accident; his boat overturned and broke in the wake of 55 mph gusts and 6-8 foot waves. Jim's Catamaran was rebuilt but this trauma prompted Jim to once again, and with no regrets, reinvent himself. He began to seek for opportunities in the new Sunrise service sector of the economy as opposed to once again representing the punch press smokestack industries of the Sunset sector.

It was during that time that his good friend Charles Gilchrist turned him on to the water business by introducing him to a small Reverse Osmosis water purifier. Jim, still on his boat, was experiencing one of the largest bodies of fresh water in the Country, but dead fish and debris were constantly washing up to the boat and as a result he began to buy bottled water to drink. With modifications to the RO system it was possible to use it on the boat and he began to purify the ugly looking water of the great lakes. Jim also modified another RO system for his boat shower. These were the early moments of his water business, which was just what he was looking for. This appeared to be and was a very Green opportunity.

The rep business of auto parts continued to supply an income to Jim throughout the eighties while selling at least 500 RO systems on the side. He also became interested in the industrial water treatment side of the automotive industry. He began designing and building Ozone oxidation process systems for plating plant discharge water. The object was to modify that industrial water qualify so that it could be legally and safely discharged into the sewer system. Cooling towers and swimming pools were also treated and by the end of the nineties travel was once again a common occurrence with installs in Florida, California, the Carolinas, Chicago, New York, and even the Caribbean.

System design and innovation have always been at the forefront of Jim's philosophy. He designs water and air treatment systems to satisfy his customers specific needs by utilizing what already exists in the industry, but when he sees a real need for a part which does not exist he will design and manufacture it himself. One of the best examples of his custom designs is his very effective shower & bath systems (see home page).

Jim is currently servicing clients from the Great Lakes to the East Coast, from Chicago to Yew York. His Custom Air & Water designs and applications utilize the best possible treatment options based on your Air & Water conditions, your budget, and the unit's functional serviceability. More and more of his water treatment equipment is sold on a wholesale basis to dealers who are active installers, but Jim is still examining potential install sights and custom designing unique systems. James Artress has 25 years of very detailed technical experience, and unique application exposure, which makes him THE man to solve your water and air problems. E-mail or call him today to discuss your individual water and/or air concerns (646)-325-4339.