Senior Leadership Team
Our leadership team is committed to delivering on our mission of providing Exceptional
Value to our customers. Their combined experience and deep industry knowledge has built our reputation for innovation and excellence.
Don Fettes
Chief Executive Officer
Don is a co-founder and is President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at Canature WaterGroup.
In this role, Don leads the executive team and is responsible for the strategic direction, company growth and overall performance of Canature WaterGroup.
Don has more than 50 years of leadership experience and a distinguished acquisition history in the water treatment industry. His career began in 1968 when he founded WaterGroup Companies Inc. He served as President & CEO of WaterGroup until its acquisition by Culligan in 1997.
Don went on to serve as Executive Vice President of Culligan International, assuming responsibility for WaterGroup North America (1997 – 2008) and Culligan of Canada (1998 – 2007). During that time, he was instrumental in the completion of more than 20 acquisitions & divestitures resulting in significant revenue and EBITDA growth. In 2004, he also assumed responsibility for Culligan’s U.S. company-owned dealers.
In 2009, Don co-founded Canature North America Inc. and in 2014, the company acquired WaterGroup. Don has served as President and CEO of Canature WaterGroup since that time.
Don’s leadership in the North American water treatment industry also includes serving as both President and Board Member of the Canadian Water Quality Association.
Toby Hughes
Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer
Toby is a co-founder and Chief Operating Officer (COO) at Canature WaterGroup.
Toby is responsible for the strategic and day-to-day operations at our six North American distribution facilities as well as supply chain management. He is also a key collaborator in the development of new products.
Toby’s career in the water treatment industry began in 1996 when he joined WaterGroup as the Director of Operations, a position he held with the company for nearly a decade. He spent three years in the same role with Culligan International where he was responsible for 550 employees at their 400,000 sq. ft. manufacturing operation in Chicago as well as supply chain management.
Over the span of his career, Toby has implemented Lean manufacturing, continuous quality improvement programs and material requirements planning (MRP) systems that have led to significant manufacturing improvements.
Toby is a Professional Engineer (P. Eng) with a Bachelor of Applied Science Environmental Engineering degree (BEng) from the University of Regina.
Mike Fiorante
Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer
Mike is the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) at Canature WaterGroup.
In this role, Mike is responsible for overseeing all financial operations, including strategy, budgeting, forecasting, risk management and corporate compliance. He has been involved in several high-impact acquisitions, expanding the company’s market presence. Mike is instrumental in fostering strong relationships with financial institutions, auditors, and regulatory bodies to ensure transparency and financial integrity. He works closely with the executive leadership team to ensure continued growth and enhance shareholder value.
Mike joined WaterGroup in 2003 as Corporate Controller and assumed responsibility for financial reporting, audit and tax compliance for WaterGroup’s North American business as well as Culligan’s Canadian operations.
Mike is a Chartered Professional Accountant with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of Regina. He is a member of the Chartered Professional Accountants of Saskatchewan and Canada, as well as Director of a non-profit cultural organization in his community.
John Cardiff
Executive Vice President, Business Development, North America
John is the Executive Vice President of Business Development for North America.
In this role, John leads our sales teams across all brands and is responsible for customer service, employee training, as well as the Commercial Industrial Engineering Division.
John’s 42-year career in the water treatment industry started with Water Conditioning Canada Ltd., now known as Canature WaterGroup (CWG). During his career, he has been involved in every aspect of the water conditioning business including assembly, manufacturing, service, installations, sales, and management.
John has served as a board member for both the Waterloo-Wellington Mechanical Contractors Association in Ontario and the Canadian Institute of Plumbing & Heating. He is also a CWQA certified water technician.
John works from our facility in Cambridge, ON, and travels extensively across North America for industry and customer events, training opportunities, and site visits to our five other distribution facilities.
Jon Sandomirsky
Executive Vice President, Marketing, North America Canature WaterGroup
Jon is a co-founder and the Executive Vice President of Marketing for Canature WaterGroup.
In this role, Jon is responsible for the strategic marketing and day-to-day marketing operations across all channels of distribution, working in collaboration with our senior leadership team.
Jon’s 28 years of water treatment industry experience started in 1996 with WaterGroup Companies Inc., now known as Canature WaterGroup. During his time with WaterGroup, he served as the Director of Marketing as well as the National Director of Marketing for Culligan of Canada. Jon has significant experience in product management, branding and communications.
Jon is currently a Canadian Water Quality Association Board Member (2019 – present) as well as a member of the Water Quality Association’s Cross-Correlation Task Force, RO Market Trend Task Force and Industry Research Committee.
Jon holds a B.A. (Sociology) and B.Comm (Marketing) from the University of Saskatchewan.
Russ Patterson
Executive Vice President, Business Development
Russ is the Executive Vice President of Business Development for Canature WaterGroup.
In this role, Russ leads the development of Canature’s Mexico business based in Guadalajara and is responsible for managing key accounts across Europe and the US. His skills in global cross-functional team leadership and organizational development are essential for fostering collaboration and driving growth.
Russ has 27 years of experience in the water treatment industry, complemented by a strong executive background in consumer goods and services. Prior to joining Canature WaterGroup, he was a President with KX Technologies and most recently, President of North America Retail with EcoWater Systems LLC. He adopts a collaborative approach to business with results driven expertise in product & technology development, innovation, marketing and merchandising as well as manufacturing operations for both North America and International markets.
Russ holds a B.A. (Marketing) from the University of Michigan and has completed the Executive Development Program at the University of Indiana.
Chris Wilker
Executive Vice President, Business Development
Chris is the Executive Vice President of Business Development at Canature WaterGroup.
In this role, Chris manages both the U.S. private brands and independent dealer business.
Chris’s career in the water treatment industry started with EcoWater in 1986. After EcoWater was purchased by Marmon (a Berkshire Hathaway Company) Chris filled several key leadership roles within Marmon Water Companies. He rejoined EcoWater as President, Professional Products in 2011 and led the business by leveraging its manufacturing and R & D resources to support and grow the dealer, wholesale, and commercial businesses. Chris joined Canature WaterGroup in 2019.
As a passionate supporter of the Water Quality Association, Chris served on the Board of Directors as Governor and later, as President. Chris currently serves on the Board of the Water Quality Research Foundation.
Chris holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management from Metropolitan State University.
