“My name is Don Waller. We have a company called Waller Ice. I come from a background of automotive and construction. I was in construction for many years and went to work for my father-in-law in automotive remanufacturing business, and after 20 years of that, I went back into construction. And then in 2007, I happened upon an ice machine in Louisiana and I thought it was a neat concept. I said, well, I’m going to look into this. And we purchased a free standing machine already established here in Oklahoma.

Well, I was commuting back and forth from here to Flagstaff, and there was no machines in Flagstaff. So I said I’m going to check out what would it be like putting the machine in Arizona. So I started researching other brands, and that’s how I found Kooler Ice. And I really enjoyed talking with Kerry, and he was super at helping me with questions and information and stuff like that. So, to make a long story short, I purchased a 2500 series for Flagstaff. So I ordered the machine, and Donnie came out and set the machine up. Donnie’s a great guy. Super helpful. I just had to have everything lined up, the to where I was putting it, the power, and a plumber lined up, and we installed that machine in Flagstaff.

From that point on I said, well, let’s look at putting a Kooler in Oklahoma now. So to make a long story short, I ended up buying four more machines and we installed them in Oklahoma City. When it comes to marketing of the machine, I found that, you know, location, location, location. You have to have a location, and the machine kind of sells itself. My favorite things about the machine is, I’m going to say how easy it is to clean. I like to keep the machines clean. They’re compact, they’re easy to maintain.

I would say if I had any advice to give someone in the ice business, you have to be able to turn a wrench. In other words, you don’t have to be a mechanic, but you’ve got to have somewhat of an ability to change a filter. If you have a water line that leaks, you have to reinsert it. You might have to put a fitting on. Kooler offers the services to do it. But of course, you’re in it to make money, and when you can do the work yourself, you save money. I am very glad I got into the ice business.”