After a leadership transition that didn’t work out, Secondwind Water Systems in Manchester is leaning into its bench of talent. And that deep bench stands out in a male-dominated industry. Founder Christine Fletcher, who retired at the end of 2022, has returned in an advisory role while women she mentored over the years lead the company.
Among them is Melissa Leroux, Secondwind’s marketing development and design manager who was recently promoted to interim general manager. “We have opportunities to grow in the company. When I started, I was answering phones,” she says, noting that Fletcher quickly realized Leroux’s talents and her degree in graphics and marketing could be put to better use. “[Christine] encourages women to work in the trades.”
“Christine allowed us to work to our best selves and change when we want to,” says Vicki Coltey, who has served in several roles in the company and is now one of the companies employee owners as well as corporate quality and engineering manager.
Fletcher founded the company with two partners in 1989. “The first five years was a classic small business struggle,” Fletcher says, noting there was a recession and “no one was putting in water treatment unless they had troubled water.”
They met with a counselor from SCORE (an organization of retired executives who provide business counseling), who helped them to turn around the business. “They told us we had to be salespeople and things started to change,” Fletcher says. The company began gifting shares to employees in 2015. “Employees feel they are owners and act like owners. It worked,” Fletcher says.
Secondwind now serves more than 10,000 residential, commercial, and public water system clients. A defining moment for the company happened when Secondwind became the NH distributor for Kinetico, a major manufacturer of water treatment technology. Eventually Fletcher became the primary owner and had the opportunity to lead Secondwind. Its current growth is driven in part by growing concerns about per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAs) and other water contaminants, Fletcher says.
“Our vision hasn’t changed. We’re moving on a path Christine set for us. We want to be employee and culture forward and customer focused,” Leroux says.
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