Jed Clampett might have accidentally struck black gold (a.k.a. Texas tea) with an errant shot but Geologix knew what it was aiming for when it started using the water below Mt. Clemens for its products.
The Birmingham-based company is utilizing the mineral-rich waters of Mt. Clemens as its base for a variety of skin and bathing products called Mineral Essentials. The firm's researchers have determined the Metro Detroit community's water is mineral heavy, containing two pounds of up to 34 natural minerals in every five gallons.
That mix makes it different enough to use in a broad-based product line that does everything from heal dry, chapped skin to soothing aches and pains. And the line is successful enough that it's used by the famous Greenbrier spa in West Virginia ...not to mention the four positions it's created at Geologix.
Susan Gans, president of Geologix, hopes its newest product line will allow the company to double that employee base this year and help a few people feel better.
"We're not saying it’s a cure, but it certainly helps people," Gans says.
However, people have been treating Mt. Clemens' water like a cure for more than a century. Train loads of rich and poor alike came to the Macomb County seat to take advantage of the soothing mineral baths, some staying weeks at a time. Enough people took notice that it became Mt. Clemens' calling card for decades.
"When they first heard about this water and its 'healing' powers they had people coming from all over the world in private railroad cars just for the baths," Gans says.
They still come today, though Mt. Clemens is only remembered for its bathing industry. But Gans company is helping keep that legend alive, and making a healthy profit on the side.
Source: Susan Gans, president of Geologix
Writer: Jon Zemke
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