Culligan Recognizes Actions of Employees and Independent Dealers in Wake of National Tragedy

Like the rest of the country, Culligan employees and Culligan dealers, were devastated as they watched the events of Sept. 11 unfold. While many could only watch, the Culligan family responded, doing all that they could to help the rescuers and victims in New York, Washington D.C., and Pennsylvania cope with the devastation.

Culligan employees nationwide made a difference, through the Culligan dealers working with national, state and local relief agencies to coordinate the delivery of hundreds of thousands of bottles of water to the attack sites; the employees at our company-owned dealer locations in the New York area who double as volunteer firefighters, giving of their time to assist in recovery efforts at "ground zero;" the drivers of Culligan water trucks, who, while being escorted by police to the rescue sites, stopped to provide cases of water each time they saw a weary firefighter, police officer, or relief worker; or the thousands of employees at Culligan throughout the country, who are simply opening their wallets to contribute to relief funds, or taking the time to donate blood.

"We are devastated by the cowardly attacks on America and freedom everywhere and are very proud of the actions of each of our employees and independent dealers," noted Mike Reardon, president of Culligan International Co. Our Culligan dealers, both company-owned and independent, get involved whenever major events occur in their communities. Never have I seen the Culligan family unite so quickly under a common goal--to do good in the face of such evil. Our organization is comprised of very special people."

One month following the attacks, Culligan employees and dealers continue to work towards helping in the recovery efforts. Since Sept. 11, Culligan dealerships in the disaster areas have focused many of their operational resources on disaster relief and have, to date, delivered more than 350,000 bottles of water. They continue to work with relief agencies, including the American Red Cross, Salvation Army, National Guard, Federal Emergency Management Association (FEMA), NYC Emergency Services, and state and local fire and police departments to ensure continuous delivery of water resources to the relief sites on an as-needed basis.

Vivendi Environnement, parent company of USFilter and Culligan, donated a fully equipped rescue vehicle to the New York Fire Department as part of Vivendi Environment's New York Stock Exchange listing on Friday, Oct. 5. The new "pumper unit" will replace one of the rescue vehicles lost during the events of Sept. 11 at the World Trade Center.

To further assist in the relief efforts, Vivendi Universal, has contributed $5 million to The Sept. 11 Fund. In addition, the organization is matching employee contributions to the fund on a two-to-one basis.

Source: Culligan International