Kathryn Hach-Darrow grew up on a farm during the Great
Depression. Prior to the depression her
father had been a car dealer. He was
interested in planes and Kathryn grew up flying them. That changed and Kathryn raised turkeys to
finance her college education. She
started out at Christian College and transferred to Iowa State where she
studied home economics from 1941-1944.
Nellie Taylor, a chemist in the home economics department, was an
inspiration to Hach-Darrow.
Clifford
Hach was
studying electrical engineering and chemistry at Iowa State when he met Kathryn. They married in 1943 and started Hach
Chemical and Oxygen Company in 1947. Clifford
oversaw research and development while Kathryn handled business operations and
marketing. The company later became known as Hach Company and it remains a manufacturer of analytical instruments and reagents used to test the hardness
of water.
Hach-Darrow began marketing by direct mail to promote the
company's products to municipal drinking water plants. The company's policy of providing exceptional
customer service was initiated by Kathryn.
She and husband Clifford created a 10-item list of criteria for each of
the company's products. The first was
"Can be used by anyone who can read," a rule that enabled people without
technical backgrounds to conduct tests.
The couple took the company public in 1968 and Kathryn held
various offices; she remained chairman and CEO until the company was acquired
by Danaher in 1999.
Kathryn was the first woman director of the American Water
Works Association. She received numerous
awards as an outstanding business woman.
In 2000, she established the Kathryn Hach Scholarship for Women at
Northwood University. She gave $10
million to Iowa State for a new chemistry building.
Two honorary doctoral degrees were awarded to Kathryn:
- Doctor of Laws from Northwood University (1998)
- Doctor of Humane Letters from Colorado State
University (2004)
View a video of an interview with Kathryn.
Resources:
Chemical Heritage Foundation - Clifford
C. Hach and Kathryn Hach-Darrow
Chemical Heritage Foundation - Kathryn
C. Hach-Darrow
Iowa
State University
Wikipedia - Hach Company
Image - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2szFhjDagY&list=UUD8wjZhzeodnYJPprvs6u7w&index=1&feature=plcp
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