About us

Our story

It began with one man and one dream.

Three softeners, no customers, and a bet on the northwest suburbs. 39 years later, thousands of homes from Fargo to Farmington run on a Taplin system, and it is still the family answering the phone.

In the mid-1980s Rick Taplin went to work for a local water treatment business and realized he had learned enough to strike out on his own. In 1987 he founded the company with no customers and an inventory of three water softeners, betting that the fast-growing suburbs northwest of Minneapolis would need someone to treat their water. Through sheer hard work and determination, that bet became a business that is still going strong nearly four decades later.

Today the company, rebranded as Taplin Water, serves a customer base that stretches from Fargo to Farmington. Thousands of loyal customers are the backbone of the business, and they are why Taplin Water remains one of the most trusted names in the Twin Cities for residential, commercial and industrial water treatment.

In 2024, nearly 40 years after founding what proved to be his life's work, Rick retired. Taplin Water is now run by Tony Taplin, Rick's son and second-generation owner, who still quotes, installs and answers the phone himself.

1. 1987Rick opens the company in the northwest suburbs of Minneapolis with an inventory of three softeners.
2. 50+ buildersHome builders start putting Taplin systems in new houses, and the name becomes one of the most trusted in the Twin Cities.
3. 2024After nearly 40 years, Rick retires. His son Tony takes over as owner.
4. TodayTaplin Water Company: residential, commercial and industrial systems, with the owner on every job.