When we think of great companies we know in the water industry, Bell Pump & Well is top of the list each and every time. The knowledge contained amongst every employee, the commitment to quality, honesty, integrity, and family held by each member of the company has always deeply impressed us. We have always been in awe of the Bell family’s ability to not only start a successful well company many decades ago, but to grow it through the second generation to be what it is today. The nurturing, maternal, and implacable way these women pursue their jobs, their lives, and their fellowship with others make them a perfect feature during Women’s Business Month – from the perspective of Rolanna Bell.
Our founding father and mother, James Roland and Jean Bell established and grew this water well systems and water treatment service company, while my brother JR and I and our other three siblings were growing up back in the sixties, with Incorporation status by 1975. My father had always told my brother from the time he was a youngster that he would be President of Bell Pump & Well, Inc someday, never dreaming that one of his four daughters may be interested in this hardworking family business they had begun to grow. But at just the right time, in 1979 there was a need for new help in the Bell Pump office and it coincided with my needing a job that would allow me to bring my first born with me, as our office was in our parents’ home at that time. In the blink of an eye, twenty years had gone by, and it was time to make the decision for them to retire. And so, with the help of their long-time accountant & legal counsel a plan was made for my brother and I to purchase this family business and we became 50/50 owners of Bell Pump & Well, Inc. in the year 1999.
I worked 40+ years physically in the office every day, while raising the three of my now grown children along the way, and am so grateful for all the different women who have come to work here over the years to support all of our team efforts, while doing the jobs they were trained to do, & honestly whatever it took to make the progressive changes happen here over that time period, as well as the ones prior to me being in the office, and who I still remember well.
This includes the extraordinary present-day women in our office; my sister-in-law Stephanie Bell who joined our office staff twenty some years ago and who also raised her daughter there in our office for a bit, while she too performed her job each day and then went home to make a gourmet dinner for her family. She is and was a wonderful and talented chef before she came to work at BP&W. And now, in the last couple of years we are happy to have her daughter, my niece Cameron Bell join us & who has decided to hang with us for now, moving full speed ahead. She is another fine chef as well who enjoys cooking up some treats for our whole team to enjoy sometimes. My nephew Brian has been working with an office full of women just coming up on twenty years now, but he also responds well to a lot of the needs of our servicemen in the field, while helping with many of the important office duties it takes to keep the ball rolling. He is also part of our transition plan as we think about a possible third generation future for BP&W. Candi Keckley in our office came in at a very important time in Bell Pump & Wells history books back in 2019, and I will always consider her our saving grace in a lot of ways. She came to our office at a time that we were making plans for me to be in the office less after forty some years, while making the shift to work from home and to be out of the daily fray. And she is such a fast and efficient learner and was quick to pick up everything Stephanie & I had shown her only once or twice in her first five months on board. Her keen skills and quick knowledge became invaluable as she was able to fill a very important gap (that I wasn’t even very familiar with) when Stephanie was stricken with a sudden and serious illness that took her out of our office for 8 months. And here again in 2023, she was able to help fill another important but unfamiliar gap that she had remembered and made notes during her training with me, as they All rallied up to make things flow smoothly, when Brian too had a very sudden and serious illness that took him out of our office for about 3 months this year. Candi is also another amazing cook who goes home after her workday to cook for sometimes a dozen family members several evenings a week.
God has been so good to us all and certainly my inspiration for living and working each day. He has helped us through many challenges and afforded us many blessings over the years.
Our Mothers Mother (our Grandmother Nancy) who loved to share written jokes, stories or inspirations with all our family members gave us each a copy of “Put your hand in the hand of the Man who stilled the waters” about the time she knew she was leaving this world…and our Beautiful Mother, Norma Jean Bell (another truly amazing Saint who made sure her children knew our God) was who undoubtably helped make me who I am today, and I am forever grateful (including my enjoyment of dabbling in sewing and craft making).
I would say my favorite Mantra personally has been, “What a difference a day can make”, which has seen me through many rough patches along my journey, while getting up everyday to give it my best. That is what has been ingrained in our family to do.
I believe all women should encourage and support each other in the workplace and at home, as they are an amazing species. They carry so much on their plates each day that they must juggle and be responsible for. Where would we all be in this world if not for the inclusive love and support from each other? And I appreciate the opportunity to say a special thanks to all the wonderful women in my life.