EcoWater of Central California, a water purification services dealership based in Fresno, recently announced a major deal that will land its products in 15 Home Depot locations in the state.

Ken Steitz, former Fresno City Council member and president of EcoWater of Central California, expects the Home Depot deal to boost annual sales by 40 percent and spur the hiring of regional managers, salespeople, installers and support staff in the Modesto and Central Coast areas — at least 45 new hires, with 15 full-time.

For the last five years, EcoWater of Central California has been the exclusive water treatment vendor for Central California Costco stores including Fresno, Clovis, Hanford and Visalia locations, in addition to the North Valley, Sacramento and the Central Coast.

The Home Depot deal will put its products in stores in Lompoc, Santa Maria, San Luis Obispo, and Atascadero, plus from Turlock to South Sacramento.

Steitz said the complete package his dealership offers contributes to securing these sorts of retail agreements.

“Having an infrastructure to be able to pull it off requires good employees, great customer service and a lot of hard work,” Steitz said. “Our residential and commercial water treatment products are the most technologically advanced, water-efficient systems on the market today. Having the warranties, customer service and the high tech products customers are asking for play a big part in making a deal like this work.”

EcoWater products are designed, engineered and made in the U.S. The company has been around since 1925 and is part of the Berkshire Hathaway group of companies.

Steitz said EcoWater has had a dealership in Fresno for more than 30 years. Steitz and his wife Elaine have operated it for almost seven years.