From pools and spas to aquariums and industrial applications, Taylor is a trusted name in water testing, widely regarded as an industry standard. But like any iconic brand, its journey had to start somewhere. Taylor’s humble beginnings can be traced back to the 1930s.
During the Great Depression, the efficiency of America’s limited industrial facilities was more important than ever. Facilities running cooling systems and boilers depended on reliable water testing. Inaccurate results could be expensive or lead to health issues on-site and in the community, so reliability and accuracy were essential. To help meet this growing demand, Dr. William Taylor, Fred McCrumb, and Dr. George Miller founded W. A. Taylor & Company in Baltimore in 1930, with a focus on industrial water analysis.
In the early 1940s, Taylor moved to Towson, Maryland, operating the warehouse, production, and offices under a single residential roof. Those modest beginnings shaped an enduring culture where chemistry comes first, as Taylor continues to be a leader in water testing today.
Building on Chemistry
Chemistry expertise was the foundation of Taylor's early success. With the chemistry background of its founders, the company's mission from day one was to develop and manufacture products for accurate testing. Over the years, that commitment has continued to innovate and evolve.
Today, it shows up in practices like batch traceability and QC testing against established stringent standards. Because Taylor produces products in-house, it keeps direct control over quality, from the first formulation to the finished bottle.
As Kathy Mauler, Sr. Portfolio Manager at Taylor Water Technologies, puts it, "Our commitment to quality has always remained consistent, and that's been central to Taylor. What has changed is the scale and complexity of production."
The Early Challenges of Accurate Testing
Getting a reliable result has always been the goal. Taylor has continually pushed the envelople to overcome challenges.
For instance, the OTO method of chlorine testing measures total chlorine but does not distinguish between free and combined chlorine. The introduction of liquid DPD changed that. "The DPD method allowed you to read free and total,” says Mauler. “That's where it made a difference in how you can actually read the chlorine.”
The ability to separate chlorine readings and calculate combined chlorine gave professionals a far clearer picture of what was happening in the water.
Accurate color matching has also presented its own challenges. Interpreting a test depends on consistent standards, and that's where Taylor's reliable color standards and comparators have made a difference, giving professionals a dependable way to read their results and act on them with confidence.
Earning the Trust of the Pros
"Taylor has been trusted by water testing professionals for generations, but that trust wasn't built overnight," says Mauler.
In the 1960s, suburban life grew and private backyard pools became more prevalent. After the retirements of Drs. Taylor and Miller in 1967, John Lambrecht became president and led the company's expansion beyond industrial services into the pool and spa market.
The 1970s brought greater visibility, supported by advances in water-testing chemistry, including liquid DPD for chlorine. DPD went on to become Taylor's top-selling reagent and test kit line, a sign of how closely professionals' needs and Taylor's products aligned.
In the 1980s, Taylor continued to build on that momentum. Paul Wooden invested in manufacturing, quality control, and distribution networks, strengthening a reputation that spread through dealer and distributor relationships and word of mouth among the professionals who used the products every day.
“There’s a lot of expertise, and all that knowledge gets passed down. We keep it documented in our procedures and in the reagents we’ve developed over the years,” says Brian Trice, Director of Chemistries and Product Development.
Today’s Taylor Has Been Shaped by Its Roots
Taylor's leadership has changed hands over the years, but its priorities have remained the same. John Lambrecht took the helm in 1967 and led the company into the pool and spa market. Paul Wooden oversaw renaming the company Taylor Technologies in 1980 to align with its scientific mission. In 2017, Stephen Heard became CEO and helped facilitate Taylor’s joining with Fluidra, a global leader in the pool and spa industry, in November 2021. Throughout each chapter, the company has remained focused on accuracy, quality, and customer support.
Today, under the leadership of VP & General Manager Wade Beebe, Taylor remains a close-knit team that continues to uphold its founding values and uses those principles to guide its decisions.
"Taylor’s reputation in water testing has been built on a tradition of innovation and outstanding service, and we feel a responsibility to uphold this tradition and continue elevating the Taylor standard,” says Beebe.
What Hasn't Changed
While the world has changed, and the company has adapted with it, three things remain constant:
- Accuracy, quality, and standing behind the products
- Direct control over quality through in-house production
- Ease of use, making accurate water testing accessible to everyone
"Customers know that when they use Taylor products, there's a company behind it that takes the accuracy of those results seriously," says Mauler.
What's Being Built on the Taylor Foundation
Taylor's commitment to accuracy has remained steadfast, even as product offerings have transformed to meet customers' changing expectations. People always want trustworthy results, but they increasingly expect testing to be faster, easier, and more convenient.
That's driving growing interest in test strips, electronic testing, and digital tools that remain as reliable as ever. It's a natural extension of Taylor's long-standing goal: making complex water chemistry easier to understand and manage.
Of course, simple solutions can hide a lot of science. "Everyone's kind of wanting the same thing. They want to do it faster and easier and not have to think about it," says Mauler. "If only it was that easy. There's a lot more to the chemistry behind it."
Meeting both needs at once, ease for the user and rigor behind the scenes, is exactly the kind of challenge Taylor was built for and will continue to meet.
Why "Trusted Standard" Still Matters Today
With nearly a century of water-testing expertise behind it, and its 100th anniversary arriving in 2030, Taylor's story is one of trust earned over time.
As part of Fluidra, Taylor pairs generations of knowledge with new technologies and is well-positioned to lead what's next.
That's the Trusted Standard: precision you can rely on, then and now.