March 19, 2025 • 7 mins
Paul Corvino sits down with CEO of Life Source Water. Cherie Harris has been the President of LifeSource Water Systems since 2008.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
This is CEOs you should know with division president of iHeartMedia,
Paul Corvino.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Today, I'm here with Sherry Harris, the CEO of Life
Source Water, a family owned and operated business that manufactures
salt free whole house water systems.
Speaker 3 (00:18):
Welcome Sherry, Thank you, Nice to see you. Paul.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Hey, before we get started, what I like to do
is a quick rapid fire Q and a okay to
get the brain working and the mouth moving. Ready to go?
Speaker 3 (00:32):
Yes, I'm ready?
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Okay, beach your ski vacation.
Speaker 3 (00:36):
Beach del Mar, California.
Speaker 1 (00:38):
To be exact, okay, Michael Jordan or Tom Brady, Tom Brady,
Beatles or Stones, Stones, Star Wars or Godfather, Godfather, Sean
Connery or Daniel Craig, Sean Connery.
Speaker 2 (00:52):
Celebrity people say you remind them of.
Speaker 3 (00:56):
It's gotta be boderic and ten.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
I guess, oh, I see the resemblance. Well, we welcome Sherry.
I'm glad you can really be here today. What we'd
like to do today is find out your story. Okay,
how you wound up becoming the CEO of Life Source Water.
Where to start? Where are you from? Where'd you grow up?
Speaker 4 (01:18):
I grew up in Glendale, and yeah, went to UCLA
and then moved up to northern California because a fell
in love had great twenty four years up there. In
the meantime, my dad had been introduced to someone who
had this water filtration technology.
Speaker 2 (01:35):
After the twenty four years.
Speaker 4 (01:37):
No no, no, this was in nineteen eighty four, so
we've been in business forty years. And she had no
idea how to bring it to market. And my dad
was sort of a marketing and sales whiz, and so
he brought it to market and shortly thereafter brought her out.
And after twenty four years, my dad said, you know
(01:57):
it's time I really need some help. So my husband
Mark and I came down from Northern California and took
over the business. And it needed a lot of automating.
At that time, the fax machine was their mode of communication.
Speaker 2 (02:11):
Were you in business before this week working with the company.
Speaker 4 (02:14):
I was actually in the wholesale apparel business. I had
my own showroom with multi lines. My husband was in
the semiconductor world, lots of we both have lots of
sales and marketing background.
Speaker 2 (02:26):
So fashion and semiconductors to water to water.
Speaker 4 (02:31):
My friends were like, gee, are you going to wear
those pipes or what's going to happen here.
Speaker 2 (02:36):
So it's an interesting way to get to tell me
about your fashion business. First. Uh, and you started that
business that was yours.
Speaker 4 (02:43):
Yes, But what I did is I represented multiple lines
from Los Angeles. I lived in northern California, so I
sold to Macy's, Nordstrom, Magnum's, you know, lots of stores
that aren't around anymore. It was a great job for
raising children because it was very flexible.
Speaker 2 (02:58):
Now did you go from that job right to the
water business.
Speaker 4 (03:04):
I was in a different fashion role after that, but
then yes, into the water business.
Speaker 2 (03:09):
So what was the adjustment? How different was.
Speaker 3 (03:13):
Well going from a woman's world to a man's world.
Number One.
Speaker 4 (03:17):
Essentially, we're somewhat of a plumbing company and it's definitely Uh,
what do.
Speaker 2 (03:23):
You mean that you're somewhat of a plumbing company.
Speaker 4 (03:25):
Well, we deal with water, but you know, our system
has to be plumbed into your home. So it the
water business is very dominated by men. It's getting better,
but I'm probably one of the few women that's in
a leadership position in the water business. But fortunately I
was raised strong and you know, got along well with men.
(03:50):
And so it hasn't really been approprible.
Speaker 2 (03:51):
To see value proposition of your water compared to other
companies that you compete with.
Speaker 4 (03:56):
Well, first of all, we have the highest grade of
carbon in the market, so it lasts about four times
longer than any other water system of its type, and
it takes out ninety nine point nine percent of the chlorine,
lots of sentiment, and plenty of other chemicals, so you're
drinking mineral rich water without the carcinogens like chlorine.
Speaker 2 (04:18):
So it's it's not just a water, it's the actual
whole system.
Speaker 4 (04:22):
Yes, but you attach it to the water main coming
into your home so that all the water in your
house is filtered. You go up and you want to
brush your teeth, you can take a huge glass of
water and it's going to taste exactly like the water
does down in your kitchen sink. It's you're also going
to shower in it, so it's better for your skin
and your hair. And it's like, again, you're just not
(04:44):
bathing in a lot of chemicals.
Speaker 2 (04:46):
And what areas do you service?
Speaker 4 (04:48):
We are all over California, Arizona, Nevada, and we do
have a national sales team that works on the phones
for other places in the United States.
Speaker 2 (04:58):
So what were some of the challenges and growing the
business because it was a pretty established business. How big
was it at the time.
Speaker 4 (05:05):
No, yeah, it's five times bigger now than when we
got there.
Speaker 2 (05:10):
So how do you get five times growth?
Speaker 4 (05:12):
Well, first you start automating everything. And the second thing
we did is we focused on the most important thing
to us is the customer experience.
Speaker 3 (05:23):
We want to thrill our customers, So.
Speaker 4 (05:26):
Shifting the whole team into thinking in that way, thinking
that the customer is number one.
Speaker 3 (05:32):
If they're not happy, we're not.
Speaker 4 (05:34):
Happy that there was a transition for that.
Speaker 3 (05:37):
But we have a very solid team.
Speaker 2 (05:40):
I'm telling you about your typical customer.
Speaker 4 (05:42):
Homeowner for one, typically around you know, forty to eighty,
I would say, because that's most of our homeowners, definitely
into health, possibly have children that they don't want being
exposed to, you know, carcinogens in the water, or someone
(06:03):
who consumes a lot of bottled water. We call them
water freaks. That's another category, people that want the cleanest,
freshest water they can get.
Speaker 2 (06:13):
How did you get people to find out about your service?
Speaker 4 (06:16):
A product and a service, Yes, it's a product, but
it's almost very very little maintenance, so we don't have
to service it. We don't have to change filters monthly.
We don't have to add you don't have to add
salt monthly. We did we did advertising. It started grassroots,
basically doing some home shows, and then KFI has always
(06:39):
been a huge part of our marketing plan. My dad
first started doing KFI, they would put a radio commercial on.
They would man the phones because the phones would just
start ringing like crazy.
Speaker 2 (06:50):
Let me ask you, first of all, how could a
customer get in contact you that wants to get this product?
Speaker 3 (06:55):
Easy call one eight hundred Water nine to nine or
go to life Source.
Speaker 2 (07:01):
Well, thank you very much again. Once again we're here
with Sherry Harris, the CEO of Life Source Water gets
give the eight hundred number one more time.
Speaker 3 (07:09):
One eight hundred Water nine to nine and.
Speaker 4 (07:11):
The website lifesourcewater dot com.
Speaker 2 (07:14):
Thank you so much for coming on. Thank This is
Paul Corvino, the vision president of iHeartMedia in Los Angeles,
saying thank you for listening to another episode of CEOs
you Should Know.
Speaker 3 (07:27):
Listen to CEOs you Should Know on the iHeartRadio app
This is CEOs you should know with division president of iHeartMedia,
Paul Corvino.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Today, I'm here with Sherry Harris, the CEO of Life
Source Water, a family owned and operated business that manufactures
salt free whole house water systems.
Speaker 3 (00:18):
Welcome Sherry, Thank you, Nice to see you. Paul.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Hey, before we get started, what I like to do
is a quick rapid fire Q and a okay to
get the brain working and the mouth moving. Ready to go?
Speaker 3 (00:32):
Yes, I'm ready?
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Okay, beach your ski vacation.
Speaker 3 (00:36):
Beach del Mar, California.
Speaker 1 (00:38):
To be exact, okay, Michael Jordan or Tom Brady, Tom Brady,
Beatles or Stones, Stones, Star Wars or Godfather, Godfather, Sean
Connery or Daniel Craig, Sean Connery.
Speaker 2 (00:52):
Celebrity people say you remind them of.
Speaker 3 (00:56):
It's gotta be boderic and ten.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
I guess, oh, I see the resemblance. Well, we welcome Sherry.
I'm glad you can really be here today. What we'd
like to do today is find out your story. Okay,
how you wound up becoming the CEO of Life Source Water.
Where to start? Where are you from? Where'd you grow up?
Speaker 4 (01:18):
I grew up in Glendale, and yeah, went to UCLA
and then moved up to northern California because a fell
in love had great twenty four years up there. In
the meantime, my dad had been introduced to someone who
had this water filtration technology.
Speaker 2 (01:35):
After the twenty four years.
Speaker 4 (01:37):
No no, no, this was in nineteen eighty four, so
we've been in business forty years. And she had no
idea how to bring it to market. And my dad
was sort of a marketing and sales whiz, and so
he brought it to market and shortly thereafter brought her out.
And after twenty four years, my dad said, you know
(01:57):
it's time I really need some help. So my husband
Mark and I came down from Northern California and took
over the business. And it needed a lot of automating.
At that time, the fax machine was their mode of communication.
Speaker 2 (02:11):
Were you in business before this week working with the company.
Speaker 4 (02:14):
I was actually in the wholesale apparel business. I had
my own showroom with multi lines. My husband was in
the semiconductor world, lots of we both have lots of
sales and marketing background.
Speaker 2 (02:26):
So fashion and semiconductors to water to water.
Speaker 4 (02:31):
My friends were like, gee, are you going to wear
those pipes or what's going to happen here.
Speaker 2 (02:36):
So it's an interesting way to get to tell me
about your fashion business. First. Uh, and you started that
business that was yours.
Speaker 4 (02:43):
Yes, But what I did is I represented multiple lines
from Los Angeles. I lived in northern California, so I
sold to Macy's, Nordstrom, Magnum's, you know, lots of stores
that aren't around anymore. It was a great job for
raising children because it was very flexible.
Speaker 2 (02:58):
Now did you go from that job right to the
water business.
Speaker 4 (03:04):
I was in a different fashion role after that, but
then yes, into the water business.
Speaker 2 (03:09):
So what was the adjustment? How different was.
Speaker 3 (03:13):
Well going from a woman's world to a man's world.
Number One.
Speaker 4 (03:17):
Essentially, we're somewhat of a plumbing company and it's definitely Uh,
what do.
Speaker 2 (03:23):
You mean that you're somewhat of a plumbing company.
Speaker 4 (03:25):
Well, we deal with water, but you know, our system
has to be plumbed into your home. So it the
water business is very dominated by men. It's getting better,
but I'm probably one of the few women that's in
a leadership position in the water business. But fortunately I
was raised strong and you know, got along well with men.
(03:50):
And so it hasn't really been approprible.
Speaker 2 (03:51):
To see value proposition of your water compared to other
companies that you compete with.
Speaker 4 (03:56):
Well, first of all, we have the highest grade of
carbon in the market, so it lasts about four times
longer than any other water system of its type, and
it takes out ninety nine point nine percent of the chlorine,
lots of sentiment, and plenty of other chemicals, so you're
drinking mineral rich water without the carcinogens like chlorine.
Speaker 2 (04:18):
So it's it's not just a water, it's the actual
whole system.
Speaker 4 (04:22):
Yes, but you attach it to the water main coming
into your home so that all the water in your
house is filtered. You go up and you want to
brush your teeth, you can take a huge glass of
water and it's going to taste exactly like the water
does down in your kitchen sink. It's you're also going
to shower in it, so it's better for your skin
and your hair. And it's like, again, you're just not
(04:44):
bathing in a lot of chemicals.
Speaker 2 (04:46):
And what areas do you service?
Speaker 4 (04:48):
We are all over California, Arizona, Nevada, and we do
have a national sales team that works on the phones
for other places in the United States.
Speaker 2 (04:58):
So what were some of the challenges and growing the
business because it was a pretty established business. How big
was it at the time.
Speaker 4 (05:05):
No, yeah, it's five times bigger now than when we
got there.
Speaker 2 (05:10):
So how do you get five times growth?
Speaker 4 (05:12):
Well, first you start automating everything. And the second thing
we did is we focused on the most important thing
to us is the customer experience.
Speaker 3 (05:23):
We want to thrill our customers, So.
Speaker 4 (05:26):
Shifting the whole team into thinking in that way, thinking
that the customer is number one.
Speaker 3 (05:32):
If they're not happy, we're not.
Speaker 4 (05:34):
Happy that there was a transition for that.
Speaker 3 (05:37):
But we have a very solid team.
Speaker 2 (05:40):
I'm telling you about your typical customer.
Speaker 4 (05:42):
Homeowner for one, typically around you know, forty to eighty,
I would say, because that's most of our homeowners, definitely
into health, possibly have children that they don't want being
exposed to, you know, carcinogens in the water, or someone
(06:03):
who consumes a lot of bottled water. We call them
water freaks. That's another category, people that want the cleanest,
freshest water they can get.
Speaker 2 (06:13):
How did you get people to find out about your service?
Speaker 4 (06:16):
A product and a service, Yes, it's a product, but
it's almost very very little maintenance, so we don't have
to service it. We don't have to change filters monthly.
We don't have to add you don't have to add
salt monthly. We did we did advertising. It started grassroots,
basically doing some home shows, and then KFI has always
(06:39):
been a huge part of our marketing plan. My dad
first started doing KFI, they would put a radio commercial on.
They would man the phones because the phones would just
start ringing like crazy.
Speaker 2 (06:50):
Let me ask you, first of all, how could a
customer get in contact you that wants to get this product?
Speaker 3 (06:55):
Easy call one eight hundred Water nine to nine or
go to life Source.
Speaker 2 (07:01):
Well, thank you very much again. Once again we're here
with Sherry Harris, the CEO of Life Source Water gets
give the eight hundred number one more time.
Speaker 3 (07:09):
One eight hundred Water nine to nine and.
Speaker 4 (07:11):
The website lifesourcewater dot com.
Speaker 2 (07:14):
Thank you so much for coming on. Thank This is
Paul Corvino, the vision president of iHeartMedia in Los Angeles,
saying thank you for listening to another episode of CEOs
you Should Know.
Speaker 3 (07:27):
Listen to CEOs you Should Know on the iHeartRadio app
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