Eleven86 Real Artesian Water (Autaugaville)
The Maker: Marquis Forge
From Genesis to Revelation, water flows throughout the Bible.
Whether it’s the creation, Moses striking the rock, Jesus’ first miracle turning water into wine or baptism, there is no doubt water and Scripture are linked.
When Marquis Forge was looking to fulfill a promise he made when he graduated from Autaugaville High School he was a bit surprised that water was what God was leading him to do.
“I graduate from Autaugaville High School in 1995 and during that speech – I was valedictorian – during my valedictorian speech, I made a promise that if I was to go off and be successful, I won’t forget where I come from,” said Forge, now CEO of Eleven86 Real Artesian Water. “In 2015, I had the opportunity to come back and create – through God’s direction – come back and create MRaine Industries and Eleven86 Real Artesian Water.”
Eleven86 Real Artesian Water is an Alabama Maker from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.
Forge spent his career in the automotive industry and understood processes and engineering. But rather than building something, the calling he got was to bottle water.
“It was God’s decision, not mine,” he said. “I didn’t know anything about water. Water was not my cup of tea.”
Even the name of the company he chose came from the Bible … sort of.
A phone app told him there were 1,186 chapters in the Bible. In order to ensure people say “eleven 86” and not “one thousand one hundred and 86” Forge and his team decided to spell out “eleven.” Forge later counted the chapters and determined there are 1,189 chapters in the Bible but the team liked the sound of “Eleven86” better and Forge is at peace believing it’s the name God intended.
Eleven86 locally sources and bottles its water in Autaugaville, creating jobs for locals and producing a product that can be celebrated by everyone.
Eleven86, the official bottled water of Alabama, is distributed statewide by Budweiser to more than 480 locations. It is the water distributed at every Retirement Systems of Alabama resort, such as the Grand Hotel, Ross Bridge and all Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail courses in the state. It’s also sold in Mississippi and Texas.
“We’re just growing by leaps and bounds,” Forge said. “It’s amazing.”
For Forge, Eleven86 is the latest example of God using water for his glory.
“Not only is it high-quality bottled water, but it has purpose behind it,” he said. “It has a story behind it. It’s prophetic.”
The product: Water locally sourced and bottled in Autaugaville.
Take home: Bottled water sold at more than 480 locations in Alabama. You can also order directly from the Eleven86 website.
Eleven86 can be found online and on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
(Courtesy of Alabama NewsCenter)
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