Val-Pak

Established in 1979, Val-Pak Products was founded by a pool service professional who became frustrated when a large pump manufacturer stopped making a widely used repair part. Ben Solakian turned his frustration into enterprise and began manufacturing the part in his Van Nuys, California, garage workshop and selling it through a local wholesale distributor. Starting with a single idea and a single product, the company has grown into one of the pool and spa industry’s major manufacturer of repair and replacement parts. Today, it produces more than 700 parts to meet the needs of pool and spa professionals. With his son, Mike, who joined Val-Pak in 1984, Ben’s firm has acquired seven different companies, including Martin Pump Co. and Aqua-Flo, both producers of residential and commercial pumps.