Legacy

Global Water Technology, Inc. was founded in 1990 by Maria E. Villarreal-Byerley, an entrepreneur whose journey reflects the enduring promise of the American Dream. Maria came to the United States from Mexico as a child when her father, a highly skilled mechanic, was relocated by the Illinois Central Railway to Chicago to support the railroad’s growing operational needs. That opportunity brought her entire family, including five children, to a city built on industry, skilled labor, and opportunity. From an early age, Maria learned the value of quality, discipline, and service.

Her husband, William H. Byerley, followed a different but equally defining path. Raised on a farm in Kentucky, William left home at just fifteen years old, hitchhiking to Chicago with fifty-two dollars after selling his pickup truck. He began his career as a janitor and worked his way up through the ranks to become Chief Engineer and ultimately CEO, putting himself through multiple trade schools along the way. A proud fifty-year member of IUOE Local 399, William embodied the belief that hard work, technical skill, and accountability create opportunity.

Before founding GWT, Maria and William together helped build a prominent Chicago-based HVAC service company that, over time, became one of the largest employers of operating engineers in the City of Chicago and later merged into one of the nation’s most respected multi-disciplined service organizations. Through that experience, they saw firsthand how disciplined operations, respect for the skilled trades, and customer-first service could create trust and long-term success. They also learned the importance of standing behind your work and building relationships that endure. Those lessons, forged through years of operating a service business and gaining firsthand insight into what facility managers and operations teams need in a trusted partner, became the blueprint for what would follow.

In 1990, Maria founded Global Water Technology with the intention of bringing those same principles into the water treatment industry. GWT was built on sound engineering, honest partnership, and a genuine commitment to client success. From the beginning, the Company earned trust by standing shoulder to shoulder with its customers and delivering practical, reliable solutions. Those same principles were the reason GWT was founded and remain deeply embedded in the Company’s approach to serving clients and building the business today.

In 2011, Michael Byerley joined the business, ushering in a new era of modernization, diversification, and disciplined growth. While honoring the values instilled by his parents, Michael expanded GWT’s capabilities, embraced technology, and pursued a thoughtful acquisition strategy designed to scale the Company without sacrificing its culture. This approach positioned GWT among the fastest-growing companies in the nation, earning repeated recognition on the Inc. 5000 list.

Since 2015, GWT has completed more than 20 acquisitions across the United States, each guided by a commitment to honor the legacy, expertise, and customer relationships of the organizations joining the GWT family. Today, GWT operates in more than 40 states, employs over 200 professionals, and supports thousands of facilities nationwide.

In 2025, GWT marked another milestone with the opening of its national headquarters and state-of-the-art blending and manufacturing facility in Calumet City, Illinois. This investment brought leadership, production, research, and distribution together under one roof, reinforcing GWT’s long-term commitment to quality, innovation, and scale.

More than three decades after its founding, Global Water Technology remains privately held, minority-owned, and proudly independent. Guided by the courage of an immigrant family, the discipline of the skilled trades, and a belief that opportunity is earned through integrity and hard work, GWT continues to deliver safe, reliable, and sustainable water and energy solutions while honoring a legacy built on grit, growth, and the enduring promise of the American Dream.