Culligan of West Texas, Family-Owned in Midland Since 1957
For nearly 70 years, the Boerner family has helped Midland, Odessa and the Permian Basin get better water.
West Texas water isn’t easy. It’s hard, it’s high in minerals and it finds its way into every pipe, fixture and appliance in your home. For nearly 70 years, Culligan of West Texas has been the local team that knows it best. We’re family-owned, three generations strong and proud to call the Permian Basin home.
A family business from the very beginning
Our story starts with the Culligan story itself. In 1936, Emmett Culligan began making water-softening material in Northbrook, Illinois. Soon after, an entrepreneur named Wilbur Walton asked him how he planned to get it into people’s homes. Walton’s answer was a local dealer. In 1938 he opened the first Culligan dealership and ran the very first Culligan ad. Local businesses serving their own communities is still how Culligan works today.
Walton went on to help launch about 92 Culligan dealerships. In 1957, his son-in-law, Gib Boerner, bought Culligan of Midland, a growing oil town with very challenging water. Its first home was a small Culligan Soft Water Service office on West Kentucky.
Our water has always pushed us to find better answers. In 1960, our Midland team helped pioneer reverse osmosis (RO) for homes and businesses, testing early systems on our notoriously tough local water. When an unexpected change at the city water works ruined the first round of membranes, we rebuilt every system with stronger membranes and better pre-filtration. It worked. Culligan went on to offer a special West Texas RO System made for the water in Midland, Lubbock, Amarillo and San Angelo. Our company history credits that early Midland work with bringing RO drinking water to Culligan’s entire nationwide network of dealers.
Growing with Midland and Odessa
In 1967, we added the Culligan dealership in Odessa. Herman Blakely, the friendly oilfield services manager next door, used to help our office team load salt whenever everyone else was out on calls. He became the office’s general manager and went on to lead all of Culligan West Texas. In the spring of 1970, Midland and Odessa came together under one roof near what is now Midland International Air & Space Port, where you’ll still find us today on West Highway 80.
As West Texas grew, so did we. In 2004, we welcomed Midland’s Supreme Water into the Culligan family and expanded our offices and warehouse. When the oil and gas boom took off a few years later, oilfield operators turned to us for water treatment and bulk high-purity water, and they still do. In 2025, we began serving Big Spring.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, families were home more than ever and noticing what came out of their taps. Our state-certified water treatment specialists were recognized as essential workers. Our team kept working through tough conditions so West Texas homes and businesses never went without quality water.
Three generations of local water experts
Today, Culligan of West Texas is led by Bob Boerner and Kristi Stanford, Gib’s children and Wilbur Walton’s grandchildren. We’re part of Culligan Southwest, the family’s group of dealerships serving South Central and West Texas. Like their father, Bob and Kristi have spent their careers raising the bar for the entire water treatment industry. Gib helped found the Texas Water Quality Association in 1973. Bob later served as its president and as president of the Culligan Dealers Association of North America, and Kristi received the Texas association’s Woman of the Year award.
From water softeners and whole home filters to RO drinking water, bottleless coolers and industrial water treatment, we can tailor a solution to whatever your water needs. But the best equipment only works as well as the people behind it. That’s why we put our team first, and why our local technicians take such pride in taking care of you. It’s also why we were so honored to be named Midland Reporter-Telegram Readers’ Choice 2026 for Best Water Treatment.
Ready for better water?
Whether you’ve lived in West Texas your whole life or just moved to the Permian Basin, we know your water inside and out. Schedule a free water test with your local Culligan expert and see what nearly 70 years of local experience can do for you.
