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Inventors & Innovators
Inspired to move industry forward
StoneAge was born for two reasons: to help solve challenging industrial cleaning problems and create engaging and rewarding jobs for its employees. StoneAge's first product was intended for use in the mining industry – it was a water jet drill used to drill holes for explosives in uranium mining applications. When the Three Mile Accident happened in the late '70s, nuclear power generation halted, and there was no longer a market for the tool.
The founders pivoted when they met an industrial cleaning contractor who said, "If you can drill holes in the rock, you can drill out the fouling in the heat exchanger!" That's how we moved from mining to industrial cleaning. We are now the world's leading manufacturer of waterblasting tooling and automated equipment for industrial cleaning applications. Think high-tech squirt guns on steroids.
We are also a 100% employee-owned company which means that our employees share in the company's success through an ESOP benefit. Our mission is to inspire our employees and customers to ask, "Why would I choose anyone but StoneAge?
What started in a dusty shop in Durango, Colorado, over four decades ago is now on the cutting edge of "smart" automated industrial cleaning technology used to clean industrial facilities worldwide.
The StoneAge Assurance Promise: Our commitment to customers
We are committed to doing whatever it takes to ensure you complete your jobs safely, on time, on budget, and as easily as possible.
Products
You put your reputation on the line every time you go to work, so you need equipment that gets the job done. We engineer reliable tooling and versatile and easy-to-maintain equipment, helping you stay safe, expand your service capabilities, and ultimately make more money.
SERVICES
Meeting the unique cleaning needs of your clients requires a skilled workforce that uses effective equipment and safe working practices. We provide training, job planning and custom solutions to ensure safety and productivity on every job.
Customer Service Excellence
You work in a “now” industry. That’s why we deliver responsive technical support 24/7 and immediate access to the industry’s largest product inventory through our global network of branches and dealers. We always have your back.
We are 100% Employee owned
At StoneAge, ownership is more than a mindset. We are one of a small but rapidly increasing number of companies that have created impressive and durable growth in part through an Employee Stock Option Plan (ESOP). Through the ESOP, our employees are shareholders and encouraged to value the business as if it were their own. Because all employees share in the company’s success, they build personal wealth and create better opportunities for themselves. We are proud to be transforming capitalism into something more sustainable – building the middle class from the middle out.
StoneAge is delighted to provide our employees with rewarding jobs and the opportunity to collaborate with remarkable teammates and accomplish meaningful work in our industry. As a 100% employee-owned company, we are responsible for conducting ourselves as savvy owners. In general, this means we dovetail the challenges and rewards of business acumen with our skills, talents, and knowledge. It also means we connect as human beings while we do our jobs to sustain the company as a leader in our industry. The values of Be A Great Teammate, Practice Self-Leadership and Deliver on the StoneAge Assurance Promise are the foundation of our culture. Embodying the “Own It Mindset” sustains StoneAge as a viable, innovative business. We are all responsible for the ongoing cultivation of our culture, and we take this responsibility seriously – because we OWN IT!
What is waterjetting and why does it matter?
With limitless applications, waterjetting is used across a wide range of industries for the cleaning and production of many products that may surprise you! In fact, without waterjetting, the manufacturing of many of the products you use on a daily basis would screech to a halt. The world is a dirty place and waterjets are the most effective way to clean it. Due to its versatility, waterjetting can be used in food production, aerospace, refineries, power plants, the military, and 1000’s of other areas. Because the act of waterjetting does not use any harsh substances or create waste, it’s a powerful, environmentally friendly cleaning method.
Often described as working like a laser beam, the incredible pressure of a waterjet can direct streams of water to cut through virtually anything you can think of. And, because the world is shifting to automated and robotic solutions StoneAge has developed cutting edge technologies that allow for more efficient cleaning using less water and manpower. With our Sentinel Automation Technology, industrial cleaning has never been more effective.
COMPANY HISTORY
StoneAge started in a garage in Durango, CO
Co-founders John Wolgamott and Jerry Zink met at Colorado School of Mines while Jerry was a graduate student in the mining departments and John was a research assistant. Soon, the two came up with an idea to revolutionize the uranium mining industry: a rock drill that used water jets to safely and cleanly deliver a clean hole for the placement of dynamite. After Jerry graduated, they both moved back to Jerry’s hometown of Durango, Colorado to start StoneAge.
THREE MILE ISLAND
The most consequential nuclear accident in U.S. history took place when Unit 2 Reactor at Three Mile Island, near Middletown, PA, experienced a partial meltdown and halted the nuclear industry. The decrease in demand for uranium significantly impacted StoneAge, as its waterjet rock drill was designed to make uranium mining easier and safer.
"It was either pivot or die."
-John Wolgamott
Waterjets TRANSITION TO INDUSTRIAL CLEANING
In 1983, John and Jerry were invited to the first conference of the WaterJet Technology Association (WJTA). There, a large industrial cleaning contractor from Houston's HydroServices, challenged, “If you can drill rock with that thing, let’s see if you can drill plastic out of a heat exchanger.” They proved that their waterjet tool could, in fact, be used for industrial cleaning applications and that was how they pivoted from mining to industrial cleaning. Read about it.
WARTHOG HITS THE MARKET
After recognizing the potential benefits of waterjets for sewer cleaning applications, StoneAge goes to market with the first Warthog sewer nozzle.
Visit sewernozzles.com to view the complete line of Warthog sewer nozzles.
"SHARING THE WEALTH" IS A CORE VALUE
Believing the success of the growing company rested in the hands of their customers as well as their team, John and Jerry established a successful profit-sharing plan and began selling stock to employees.
EMPLOYEE STOCK OWNERSHIP FOR GOOD
When the company entity grew too large to support selling individual stock, the founders formally established the Employee Stock Ownership Program (ESOP), which issues shares of the company as part of annual compensation. The ESOP ensures that all employees are also owners with a vested interest in the growth and success of StoneAge.
Shift towards automation
At StoneAge, automation is a key priority because we firmly believe that hands-free, automated cleaning equipment significantly reduces industrial accidents and saves lives. Coming into contact with the high-pressure water or inhaling debris can cause detrimental physical impacts, often leading to serious injury or even death. Today, these tragedies can be mitigated – which is why it’s our responsibility to provide the safest hands-free technology.