The fiberglass landscape recently shifted following the announcement that Viking Pools had acquired fellow manufacturer Blue Hawaiian Fiberglass Pools.
Viking, a division of Latham International, completed the deal for an undisclosed sum on Oct. 22, according to Latham president and CEO Mark Laven.
The acquisition further paved the way for Roger Erdelac, owner of Blue Hawaiian, to retire after a lengthy career in the industry.
“I had learned of Roger’s desire to exit the business, and I followed up with him,” Laven said. “It was an opportunity for us — Blue Hawaiian has a great dealer network, a good name and a great reputation.”
Viking plans to relocate Blue Hawaiian’s Largo, Fla., manufacturing operations to its Zephyrhills, Fla., facility; it also expects to transition production at Blue Hawaiian’s Rocky Mount, N.C., plant to Viking’s Rockingham, N.C., facility in the coming months.
In addition, Viking said it will honor warranty claims for pools installed by Blue Hawaiian prior to the acquisition. It also intends to retain the Blue Hawaiian brand name, according to company officials.
The feedback from Blue Hawaiian’s dealer network, which Laven estimated at about 100, has been overwhelmingly positive, he said.
“They’ll see tangible benefits,” Laven added. “We’ll be able to provide them with broad support, as well as new marketing and advertising programs we’re looking at introducing in 2011.”
That’s the plan, according to Laven, who explained that Blue Hawaiian’s molds were one of the main reasons Viking was attracted to the manufacturer in the first place.
“They have some really nice designs,” he added. “That was a key aspect of the business, and we plan to support Blue Hawaiian dealers with the same molds they’ve grown accustomed to. So yes, we’ll keep those molds and continue to market them as Blue Hawaiian.”
Based in Latham, N.Y., Latham International has made a number of industry acquisitions over the past decade. In addition to Viking, it now owns Pacific Pools, Ft. Wayne Pools and pool cover manufacturer Coverstar Inc.
Splash Pools looks forward to expanding the fiberglass swimming pool market, due to this most recent announcement. This will give us a great opportunity to give our customers a quality fiberglass pool along with the superior customer service we provide.
Splash Pools is an authorized Viking Pools dealer servicing Raleigh, Durham, Cary, Chapel Hill and surrounding areas.
Submitted By: Splash Pools serves all of North Carolina, Raleigh, Chapel Hill, Cary, Lake Gaston and the Triangle . We are a complete outdoor contractor installing outdoor kitchens & fireplaces, natural stone & paver patios, landscaping, swimming pools & spas, pool houses, cabanas and much more...Our speciality is unique and unusual swimming pools & spas. Visit Splash Pools of North Carolina at www.splashpoolsnc.com or Contact us at Frank@FrankBowman.com or (919) 291-8354.
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