Stephen has been the Design Engineer for Merrill Mfg. Co. since 1975 and has been President since 1981. He is the owner of 9 patents with a 10th in process at this time. He was the Iowa Inventor of the year in 1994 and Merrill was named the Exporter of the Year for the Midwest Division of the US Department of Commerce in 2012. He is a graduate of Iowa State University with a degree in Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering and is the current President of The Water Systems Council, serves on the Board of Directors of the Water Well Trust, and is a member of the Iowa Water Well Association, The American Groundwater Trust, and NGWA.