Chad “Chadroc” Johnson has always had a thirst for entrepreneurship.
Today, he’s quenching that thirst as the founder and CEO of Anderson, SC-based PAW Alkaline Water.
Johnson may be familiar to some, especially to those who have attended a Clemson football game in recent years. Known as Chadroc to many, he’s been doing Clemson anthems for a while.
“I was rocking Clemson anthems every year for the football team doing songs and videos,” said Johnson, a graduate of Belton Honea Path High School. “That was my way of actually tapping into the rap industry.”
One anthem, Tigers In The Building, went viral and was picked up by Champ Sports, Nike, Foot Action and ESPN. Johnson remembers the days of promoting his music by placing flyers in souvenir cups left over from Clemson fan day and handing them out along with his CDs.
Johnson credits his mother for instilling in him a spirit of entrepreneurship that includes critical thinking skills and how to navigate the world with good intentions.
“Growing up in a single parent household, my mother was working swing shift at Michelin, so she set a lot of things up where I was able to do for myself,” Johnson said. “It was an amazing deal that she was able to go through all of those obstacles on her own and actually get me to the next level I needed to get to.”
Johnson’s mother also was the inspiration for her son’s venture into the alkaline water business after he saw firsthand the health benefits it provided while she was going through treatments for cancer.
“The alkaline water helped sooth her chemo. It was basically a detox for her,” Johnson said.
Johnson founded PAW Alkaline Water in 2019. PAW stands for “Pure Alkaline Water,” but it’s also a nod to Clemson Tiger Nation. And the dates that appear on each PAW bottle symbolize Clemson’s national championship years and the year Clemson was desegregated.
PAW Alkaline Water is sold in numerous stores throughout South Carolina, and the company soon will introduce one-liter bottles sold in 12-packs that will allow PAW to reach out to retailers such as Sam’s Club.
For more information on PAW Alkaline Water, visit the company’s website at pawalkalinewater.com or follow @PawAlkalineWater on Facebook and @chadroc2 on Twitter.
Video production by Larandas Yeargin, Silo Media Group.
