Plymouth Resident Darwin Watts, Head of Saline's American Aqua, Inc., Named President of Water Quality Association

Plymouth resident Darwin Watts, the president and principal of Saline-based American Aqua, Inc. (www.americanaqua.com), has been appointed president of the Water Quality Association (WQA; www.wqa.org).

WQA is a not-for-profit international trade association with headquarters in Lisle, IL.  It represents more than 2,500 members in the residential, commercial, and industrial water treatment industry worldwide.  As WQA president, Watts now leads the organization as it provides public information about water treatment issues while educating, training, and certifying water treatment professionals to better serve their customers.

Watts has worked in the water treatment industry for over 30 years.  His experience encompasses professional, executive management, and business ownership roles.  Watts is a Certified Water Specialist V (CWSV), recognizing his attainment of one of the industry’s highest levels of technical certification.  He previously served on the WQA board of directors and board of governors.

American Aqua, a diversified provider of water treatment systems, was founded in 1975 as the Water Softener Hospital in Saline.  Under Watts’ leadership since 1999, the company has extended its offerings from water softener sales, rental, and services to a broad range of water treatment solutions for residential, commercial, and industrial applications. 

American Aqua’s factory trained and certified technicians today serve more than 20,000 customers, mainly in Southeast Michigan and Northern Ohio, from facilities in Saline, Adrian, and Howell.  The company was named “Business of the Year” by the Saline Area Chamber of Commerce in 2006.

Watts is also the president and principal of SEAS Capital Partners, LLC, a private equity firm focusing on the water treatment industry.  SEAS Capital helps clients with transition plans.  It advises on company management and improvement, provides entry and exit acquisition assistance, and offers equity ownership positions in selected water treatment companies.