Reader Profile: Larry Barthuly

While water in Indiana may be “plentiful” compared to other areas of the United States, Larry Barthuly is cognizant that his is a critical job. He ensures that Indiana’s irrigation water is delivered efficiently. “We hear about Florida, California, Colorado, and Arizona having water restrictions. There have been water restrictions here a few times, so we know it’s not an endless supply,” he says. Barthuly Irrigation—of which Barthuly is president and his brother Ken is vice president—services and installs new and retrofitted underground irrigation systems for central Indiana commercial and residential clients. Its 40 employees include service technicians, installers, and office staff. Addressing irrigation water efficiency begins with a good design, says Barthuly. The company also utilizes technologies such as rain sensors and smart irrigation controllers that utilize the Internet to work with evapotranspiration rates, the slope of the land, soil conditions, and weather station information.

His company’s primary focus these days is to install irrigation components that are pressure-regulated. Barthuly points out that pressure-regulated heads are a “bit more expensive” and it can sometimes be a hard sell to clients who focus on price over purpose, taking the short-term view over the long-term results. Not many contractors use pressure-regulated heads, says Barthuly, adding that it provides better coverage in a more efficient manner. “We’re trying to make our systems efficient and also save water, which saves money in the long run,” he says. Once he gets a chance to make that case in front of a customer, there’s usually buy-in. Barthuly points out that over the last eight years, all of the pressure-regulated heads his company has installed have helped customers save 1.1 trillion gallons of water. That includes a large university that was spending $25 per 1,000 gallons of water used. The institution derived a return on investment in a year and half because it had been spending so much money on water.

What He Does Day to Day
Barthuly’s responsibilities focus on business development, so typical days are spent in the office doing administrative work and strategizing about customer education. He goes through e-mails, works on sales projects, and reads Water Efficiency magazine. A recent story on leak detection gave him the idea of adding that to his company’s service offerings.

What Led Him Into This Line of Work
Barthuly and his brother Ken enjoyed installing irrigation systems as a summer job during their college years. He earned a B.A. in psychology from Purdue; his brother earned a B.S. in supervision. Years later, when they had other jobs, they installed a sprinkler system for their parents. “We realized we really enjoyed it—being outdoors, working with water, putting these systems in,” notes Barthuly. “I’ve always wanted to have my own business and be in charge of my own destiny.” His parents urged him and his brother to go into business, which they did in 1991. Barthuly uses his psychology degree on the job. “We deal with multiple personalities with customers and employees,” he says. “It’s helpful to understand the differences people have [and] how they deal with different things, and use my knowledge of people and their emotions and thought processes to make everything work . . . and work well.”

What He Likes Best About His Job
Although Barthuly spends a lot of time in the office, he enjoys getting out and doing the physical work. “I love working with the water, working with dirt, and seeing the system come on after we’ve made an installation,” he notes.

His Biggest Challenge
Educating customers on the reasons why his company uses pressure regulation and monitors irrigation systems to avoid wasted water is Barthuly’s biggest challenge. Each of the company’s employees is empowered to be part of the effort. “We talk about saving water, trying to make sure we’re designing and installing systems the way we’re supposed to,” he says. “Our employees are constantly looking for leaks and leaky sprinkler heads that waste water and are talking with customers about that.”