Betting the Farm

Written by Tracie Grimes

There aren’t many things in life people are sure about enough to “bet the farm on,” but for Angelo Mazzei and his wife Mary, putting up their life’s savings to take a chance on an idea Angelo had seemed like a sure thing.

And their bet paid off in a big way. Today, the Mazzei name can be found on products in agricultural, industrial, and municipal organizations across the U.S. and in 99 countries.

It all started in 1968 when Angelo, after receiving his degree in automotive industrial technology from California State University, Fresno, moved to Arvin to manage the equipment on his uncle’s 10,000 acre vegetable farming operation, Mazzei Farms. And as he learned the ins and outs of crop irrigation and fertilization, he started to get ideas on ways to add liquid fertilizer into irrigation water.

Then came the new California Aqueduct.

“When the California Aqueduct was built, the old system of getting the water and fertilizer to the crops simply wouldn’t work anymore,” Angelo explains. “Prior to the aqueduct, irrigation water was pumped into reservoirs then utilized as needed for irrigation of crops. The water from the aqueduct was pressurized, which posed a problem for adding liquid fertilizer.”

Angelo knew farmers needed something to help put liquid fertilizer directly into irrigation systems, and they needed it now.

With his garage converted into a big think-tank/laboratory, Angelo began working on a few of his ideas.

And in 1974, by George, he got it just right. The fabulous Mazzei® Injector was born.

“The idea for developing a more efficient venturi injector resulted from an independent study class on automotive exhaust systems at Fresno State,” Angelo explains, adding that the first injectors were turned on a lathe in his garage.

During the next few years Angelo sharpened his sales skills by selling John Deere tractors for South Kern Machinery while perfecting his injector. He received his first patent for the Mazzei® Injector in 1978. >>

The development of this first Mazzei® Injector opened the flood gates for a host of vertically integrated products and equipment designed to solve problems relating to agriculture irrigation, chemical addition, wastewater aeration, and ozone systems. It wasn’t long before Mazzei Injectors operations outgrew Angelo and Mary’s extended garage/office, and they moved headquarters just six miles down the road to the Mazzei Injectors building, just off of Highway 58. Today, Mazzei Injectors offers a broad line of high-efficiency injectors, specialized nozzles, degassing separators, flash mixers, and water-related system combinations.

“The name ‘Mazzei’ is synonymous with water/gas/liquid transfer,” says Mazzei President Bill Van Skike, explaining that the Mazzei® Injector works by capturing pressurized water as it enters the injector inlet and forcing the water toward the injection chamber. “The velocity of the water is increased during this process, which results in a decrease in pressure. Additives (either liquid or gas) can be introduced through a suction port and mixed with the water. The water plus the liquid or gas can then be injected into the main water pipe. For agricultural uses, our injector would be used to inject liquid fertilizers or chemicals directly into irrigation systems. The development of adding air to the irrigation water and delivering the air/water mixture gave way to a new technique called AirJection Irrigation; a way to ‘plow without a plow,’ ” Bill says, quoting Mazzei’s trademarked slogan.

Although agricultural uses were the driving force behind the development of the Mazzei® Injector, uses reached far beyond the farmers’ fields.

“Basically, this technology is something that can be used to streamline operations in many industries,” Bill comments, underlining that “the biggest thing on the horizon is the application of Mazzei products in areas that can make a real impact on the world population.”

In listing just some of the uses for Mazzei products, Bill citied the following: If you’ve taken the family to Sea World, Disneyland, or Busch Gardens, you can thank Mazzei Injectors for the clean tanks and micro-organism-free waterways. Mazzei products are also widely used to keep microbial contamination out of your on-the-go drinking water. Food processing and fresh cut produce plants routinely use Mazzei products to disinfect food processing surfaces, extend the shelf life of fresh foods and reduce the threat of E. coli contamination. Mazzei products also help solve environmental problems like water main disinfection and the control of invasive species between waterways and in raw water pipelines.

At the heart of these Mazzei applications is ozone, which, to many, conjures up atmospheric holes and global warming. But ozone can actually be used to clean up the environment and reduce our carbon footprint, Bill is quick to add.

“Our injectors and mixing devices capture the energy created by the flow of water and the use of electricity to create ozone,” he begins. “The Mazzei® Injector draws in the ozone gas, mixing it with the water stream. MTM™Nozzles are used in the pipeline or basin mixing application and the Flash Reactor™ is used for secondary mixing and additional ozone transfer. The Degas Separator then removes any undissolved gas bubbles. All ozone is consumed by the process since every time the ozone goes through a Mazzei device it is ‘sheared’ until it becomes dissolved into the water.”

Most people don’t realize that it’s possible to convert oxygen to ozone and get it dissolved into the water, but, “we have good widgets that came from good minds,” Bill smiles, summing up the 14 patents and multitudes of trademarks Mazzei Injectors has developed over the past 31 years.

“The current state of the world economy certainly puts every business at risk these days. I see a lot of people I respect reacting to what’s going on rather than acting, meaning they are laying off workers or closing doors.

“Our approach to today’s risky economy is to do our ‘due diligence’ before making any cuts or redistributions. I’m not saying that cuts aren’t always necessary, but you really have to exhaust all dialogs to find that ‘sweet spot’ of balance before reacting so you don’t end up making a mountain out of a mole hill. An informed plan of action based on discussion is what is needed to get through these tough times.”

And while other organizations are cutting back, laying off, or closing their doors, Mazzei is finding the best response to this economy is expansion.

“We really believe that what our markets need is for us to deliver exactly what they want. With that in mind, we’re always looking for ways to improve by asking our customers this basic question, ‘if there were two things you’d like to see Mazzei doing differently, what would they be?’

“You can really learn a lot by simply engaging your customers; giving them a voice in the way your company delivers service and products. This kind of dialog builds relationships with our customers and makes doing business with us less risky for them.”

This way of thinking is exactly what Angelo was hoping for when he brought Bill on board in 2006 and promoted him to president of Mazzei Injectors in 2007.

“Bill brings enthusiasm to the company which motivates us to stay on the cutting edge,” Angelo notes.

“It’s easy to work for a company you’re genuinely enthusiastic about,” Bill replies. “And it’s exciting to be around people who have the ability to think so broadly. Some of the things we do look pretty futuristic, but some look the same – we just ‘tweak’ the process a little to make them better.

“My job is to keep the research ‘pipeline’ full of new ideas and fresh approaches to products, back up these new innovations with the best customer service, and hire the best sales people to get the products in the market,” Bill says.

Research is a big part of Mazzei operations, Angelo and Bill both emphasize, citing their company’s strong ties to California State University, Fresno, and the International Center for Water Technology at the University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

“The Civil and Environmental Engineering Department [in Alberta], known worldwide as a leading body in the study of ozone and its uses, recently studied the Mazzei® Flash Reactor™ and continues to work with us in developing and refining our products. This kind of research support makes it possible for us to provide our customers with effective solutions,” Bill says.

Problems, solutions – if it sounds a lot like math, that’s because it is.

“Math is the basis for everything we do,” Bill continues. “We use math in so many ways; formulas used to chart injector performance curves; trends we follow using a math basis.”

And with math being at the root of Mazzei operations, it seems almost poetic that Angelo’s daughter, Cece Mazzei, received a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics from Pepperdine University, and taught math until recently.

“But now I’ve got Cece on board full time at Mazzei,” Bill smiles.

Having Cece on staff and with Angelo still “hands-on” as Chairman of the Board, Mazzei Injectors is still very much a family business. And having chosen Bill to step in and run the day-to-day operations is a decision Angelo has never regretted.

“I brought Bill on because we were at a kind of ‘crossroads,’” Angelo reflects. “As with most family-run businesses, we had come to the point where it was time to change our model to allow for maximum growth. We needed the experienced business management style Bill has brought to Mazzei so we could capitalize on growth opportunities.”

Turning over the command of operations to Bill was another big risk for Angelo, this time betting much more than just the farm. But once again his risk paid off and today the Mazzei name can be found in industries across the board, in almost every country in the world. Not bad for an “ol’ farmer.”

Article appeared in our 26-3 Issue - August 2009