Aquascape Designs acquires PondSweep Manufacturing

St. Charles, Ill.-based Aquascape Designs, Inc. (ADI) announced the acquisition of PondSweep Manufacturing (PSM), the industry's leading manufacturer of multi-element filtration systems.

"We are extremely excited about this acquisition because it will enable us to provide our customers with a specialty grade of water garden products, while positioning PSM with a broader marketing and distribution network," says Greg Wittstock, Aquascape Designs president and CEO. "And with respect to our business objectives, this move significantly fortifies Aquascape Designs' strategic vision and initiatives in its expansion efforts to address more global opportunities and niche markets in the water garden industry. Successful acquisitions are distinguished by strategic principles that apply before the deal, and operational principles that apply afterward. The combination of Aquascape Designs and PSM has strengthened Aquascape Designs' best-in-class organization."

This acquisition provides Aquascape Designs with the ability to provide additional products for its pond and water garden customers and distributors. The acquisition also enhances the Aquascape Designs brand, which is based on quality, innovation, teamwork, creativity, speed-to-market and market leadership. The PondSweep Manufacturing enterprise will become a division of Aquascape Designs with current CEO of PSM, Gary Wittstock, continuing on in a consultative capacity and the balance of the PSM employees integrating with the Aquascape Designs team.

"We are excited to provide our extensive network of customers with water garden systems that will enable them to serve the niche construction of Koi ponds and technologically constructed water features," Greg Wittstock says. "With our broad distribution and the combined product offerings, Aquascape Designs is positioned to execute on its global expansion opportunities."

"Now Aquascape Designs can make available to its market a more technical, multi-element filtration system with the support of the premier supplier and innovator," says Gary Wittstock, CEO of PSM. "The synergies that are created by this union will benefit our customers, employees, vendors and other business relationships. We dearly value these people as they are a recurring long-term source of value, innovation and are the keys to our success."

Aquascape Designs plans to expand the access points for PSM products to its distribution network, while continuing to fill existing and new customer orders. This timely acquisition fulfills the growth strategy goals of Aquascape Designs, which is aggressively looking for strategic acquisitions to bolster its leading market position. Aquascape Designs is well positioned to successfully capitalize on its acquisition strategy after having recently tripled its office space, expanding to a 256,000-square-foot corporate headquarters and warehouse complex, dubbed 'Aqualand'.

"By emphasizing customer and employee satisfaction, and moving at a pace that enables customers and employees to keep up and feel comfortable with changes we are making to enhance the customer experience and organization, we will all achieve our projected performance gains and benefits," says Greg Wittstock.

This acquisition takes PondSweep Manufacturing back to its original roots at Aquascape Designs. PondSweep Manufacturing was started by former Aquascape Designs' vice president Gary Wittstock, who left Aquascape Designs in 1997.