Alabama Entrepreneur Marquis Forge Shares the Story of Eleven86 Artesian Water
Rotarian Joe Hampton with Marquis Forge and RCB President Chuck Redden
This week the Rotary Club of Birmingham welcomed Marquis Forge, Founder & CEO
MRaine Industries. He shared his story of returning to his small hometown of Autaugaville, Alabama to launch an artesian water business.
“We're pulling water from several hundred feet underground that hasn't been touched by man in hundreds of years,” said Forge. “It comes directly from an aquifer that's been trapped under the ground for hundreds of millions of years. There’s pressure where the water comes to the surface—60 gallons per minute without any mechanical Power. According to an Alabama geology report, we have a hundred and ten trillion gallons of water beneath our feet at our facility…The aquifer replenishes itself every time it rains and if the well ran 60 gallons a minute 24 hours a day seven days a week 365 days a year, it could run for next 136 years without it raining.
About Marquis Forge
Marquis R. Forge was born and raised in Autaugaville, Alabama. One of seven children reared by single mother Jessie Ovetta Adkins, he graduated Valedictorian from Autaugaville High School (Class of 1995). He received an academic scholarship to the University of Alabama and studied Biology, Consumer Sciences, and Industrial Engineering. From an athletic state, Marquis was invited as a walk-on for the University of Alabama football team. Marquis has been married to Nannette Forge for over 23 years and has three children (Chris, Courtney, and Makiah).
Marquis began an automotive career at an early age. His brothers encouraged him to learn about automotive mechanics and gain hands-on experience. Marquis officially started his automotive career in 1997. Throughout the years, Marquis has held several positions in injection molding, brazing, and manufacturing representation in the automotive manufacturing world. During this time, Marquis established a concrete foundation of quality which has been his area of expertise. Marquis engaged in and accomplished relationships within many original equipment manufacturing (OEM) automotive plants within southeastern locations.
In addition to a superior level of quality expertise, Marquis launched a successful manufacturing representation company in 2009 (Ingenuity Automotive Quality Solutions, LLC). IAQS provides a direct connection between OEM and supplier from a global network. IAQS provides an unmeasurable dollar figure value concerning engineering and quality support to customers and vendors globally.
Marquis later made a move into the bottled water industry. He studied and researched many different scenarios concerning water production, quality, and consumption. In 2016, his team created a foundation company (MRaine Industries, LLC) with many different avenues. MRaine Industries made direct relationships with local and state entities to bottle the world’s best water source. In addition to direct relationships, MRaine Industries, LLC has created a global connection concerning natural resources and reserves. On April 27, 2018, MRaine Industries, LLC opened a state-of-the-art, 6.5-million-dollar green facility in Autaugaville, AL. This facility is the springboard for a revitalization project for a distressed area. Eleven86 Real Artesian Water was born, and God ordained a strong brand.
Within a short five-year history, MRaine Industries achieved many accomplishments. Distributed by Alabama Budweiser Distributors and many wholesale entities, Eleven86 Real Artesian Water is sold in twelve states and has shipped over 39 million bottles since May 2018. The awards are overwhelming: Alabama Official State Water; The Prattville Area Chambers of Commerce 2021 Industry of Year; Governor Kay Ivey Inaugural Event “Made in Alabama” Award; Houston, TX Proclamation (August 3rd “Eleven86 Real Artesian Water Day”); and heavy community involvement.
On a personal level, Marquis is a licensed Ordained Apostle at Hurricane Baptist Church in Tuscaloosa, AL. Marquis belongs to the 100 Black Men of West Alabama Charter, where he holds the position of Vice President. Marquis also performs math tutoring and financial wisdom sessions with local students in the Autaugaville and Tuscaloosa areas. Lastly, Marquis engages in entrepreneurship support concerning start-up business ventures. This support lays out the details and directions concerning business plans and necessary capital investments. Marquis lends his expertise and participates in several panels yearly to provide knowledge and guidance to those looking to impact their fields.