Pentair plc (NYSE: PNR), a leading provider of water treatment and sustainable solutions, today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Pleatco, a manufacturer of water filtration and clean air technologies for pool, spa and industrial air customers. Pleatco is a current portfolio company of Align Capital Partners, a private equity firm with investment teams in Dallas, TX and Cleveland, OH.

The planned acquisition of Pleatco provides Pentair an expanded range of replacement filter products to be sold through Pentair’s existing Pool and Spa distribution channels as well as through Pleatco’s distribution channels.

“We are excited to expand our presence in the aftermarket filtration space with an enhanced product offering that advances our objective to offer an effortless pool experience for consumers,” said John Stauch, Pentair President and CEO.

The planned acquisition also expands Pentair’s Industrial Filtration portfolio, with complementary air filtration products to serve the needs of its industrial customers.

“We look forward to welcoming the Pleatco employees to Pentair and to growing the relationship with Pleatco’s existing customer base,” continued Stauch. “The planned combination will provide Pleatco entry to Pentair’s global distribution and sales channels, and deliver increased production capacity and utilization, as well as build on Pleatco’s track record of product innovation.”

Total consideration for the transaction is approximately $255 million in cash, subject to customary adjustments. Pentair expects Pleatco to generate approximately $95 million of annual revenue in 2021. The transaction is expected to be accretive in its first full year.

The acquisition is anticipated to be completed in the fourth quarter, subject to customary closing conditions and necessary regulatory approvals, including expiration of the applicable waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, as amended.

ABOUT PENTAIR PLC

Pentair makes the most of life’s essential resources. From our residential and business solutions that help people move, improve and enjoy their water, to our sustainable innovations and applications, we deliver smart, sustainable solutions for life.

Pentair had revenue in 2020 of $3 billion, and trades under the ticker symbol PNR. With approximately 9,750 global employees serving customers in more than 150 countries, we work to help improve lives and the environment around the world. To learn more, visit pentair.com.

ABOUT PLEATCO FILTRATION

Pleatco is a leading designer and manufacturer of aftermarket pleated filter cartridges, pleated bags, and other filtration products for the industrial air and pool / spa markets across USA and Europe. Pleatco Filtration brings together the combined forces of former brands APEL, Milton, and TVS and incorporates stand-alone brands Guardian Filtration, EFI and ECO Filtration under the one umbrella, leveraging collective engineering, manufacturing, and logistics resources to deliver best-in-class products backed by industry leading sales, marketing, and customer service teams. For more information, visit pleatco.com.

CAUTION CONCERNING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This release contains statements that we believe to be “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements made about the anticipated acquisition, including the anticipated time for completing the transaction, the expected financial results of the acquired business and the anticipated benefits of the acquisition, are forward-looking statements subject to risks and uncertainties, such as the company’s ability to satisfy closing conditions, integrate the acquisition successfully, and retain customers and employees of the acquired business; the impact, duration and severity of the COVID-19 pandemic, virus variants and vaccination rates, including actions that may be taken by us, other businesses and governments to address or otherwise mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the global economy; overall global economic and business conditions; supply, demand, logistics, competition and pricing pressures related to and in markets we serve; failure of markets to accept new product introductions and enhancements; the impact of raw material costs, labor costs and other inflation; the impact of seasonality of sales and weather conditions; our ability to comply with laws and regulations and the impact of changes in laws, regulations and administrative policy, as well as other risk factors contained in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this release. Pentair plc assumes no obligation, and disclaims any obligation, to update the information contained in this release.

Contacts

Jim Lucas
Senior Vice President, Treasurer, FP&A and Investor Relations
Tel: 763-656-5575
Email: jim.lucas@pentair.com

Rebecca Osborn
Senior Manager, External Communications
Tel: 763-656-5589
Email: rebecca.osborn@pentair.com

As the 20th anniversary of the attacks on September 11th approach, we take a moment to look at the 9/11 Memorial and the two reflecting pools that mark the footprint of where the Twin Towers once stood.

We are now looking back at a point in history that occurred before approximately 28.5% of Americans were ever even born. There are many memorials for the victims of 9/11, but none clearly encapsulate the raw emotions of absence the way the 9/11 Memorial does.

A look at the two reflecting pools at the 9/11 Memorial

Two reflecting pools mark the exact place of the World Trade Center and stand as a permanent place of remembrance. Both pools commemorate the names of nearly 3,000 killed in the attacks on September 11, 2001 and the World Trade Center bombing of February 26, 1993. Each of the victims names are inscribed on bronze parapets surrounding both of the memorial pools.

It’s hard to believe that two decades have gone by since the day happened that would forever change the course of our modern history. 9/11 is a moment in time that will live in as much infamy as December 7th (the attack on Pearl Habor), perhaps even more so in our generation. September 11th is important to people, and the memorial embodies what it means not only to New Yorkers who were first-hand witnesses, but to Americans who watched the events of September 11th unfold live on television.

The mourning and sorrow the nation still feels even twenty years later is evident in the amount of visitors the 9/11 Memorial draws each year. The memorial site was built to remember the victims as well as those involved in the rescue and recovery efforts.

Why did they choose reflecting pools for the memorial site?

Tracing their roots back to the ancient Persian gardens, reflecting pools have been a time honored traditional memorial structure and a water feature typically found in gardens and parks. One of the most iconic reflecting pools is at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. Most reflecting pools are shallow vessels and can range in size from as small as a bird bath to as large as a major civic center water feature like the one found at the 9/11 memorial site.

The 9/11 Memorial Design Competition

An open competition for designing the memorial site drew 5,201 entries from 63 countries. The thirteen-member jury chose eight finalists on November 19, 2003.

At a press conference held at Federal Hall National Memorial on January 14, 2004, the final design for the 9/11 memorial was revealed to the public. Israeli-American architect Michael Arad of Handel Architects and landscape architecture firm Peter Walker and Partners concept ‘Reflecting Absence‘ was chosen as the winning design. Their design consisted of a forest with two large, recessed pools that represent the Twin Towers’ footprints.

The deciduous trees (swamp white oaks) form informal clusters, clearings, and groves when arranged in rows. The park is located above the Memorial Museum, at street level. The names of the victims of the attacks (including those from the Pentagon, American Airlines Flight 77, United Airlines Flight 93, and the 1993 World Trade Center bombing) are inscribed on the parapets surrounding the waterfalls.

‘Reflecting Absence’ stands in the footprints of the Twin Towers

‘Reflecting Absence’ consists of two 1-acre pools. The structures are the largest man-made waterfalls in the United States. Both pools symbolize the loss of life and the physical void left by the attacks. The dual waterfalls are meant to drown out the sounds of the city, and create a peaceful haven of remembrance for what was lost.

Remembering those who were lost

On 152 bronze parapets on the memorial pools, the names of 2,983 victims are inscribed: 2,977 killed in the September 11 attacks and six killed in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.

The two reflecting pools at the 9/11 Memorial

The North and South Fountains at the 9/11 Memorial have combined recirculating systems that pump up to 26,000 gallons of water per minute non-stop every day of the year. The water flows over the memorial’s two deep reflecting pools’ walls before being recirculated into catch basins.

The September 11 Memorial utilizes a method of keeping water constantly flowing from a 30-foot drop regardless of the weather New York City gets. The pool is engineered in such a way so that it’s reflective qualities and the sound of falling water remain consistent through the changing seasons.

The Builders of The 9/11 Memorial

You may not know this, but Delta Fountains are the pool builders responsible for building the 9/11 Memorial pools. Joe Petry, President of Delta Fountains said the company has done architectural and floating fountain designs for universities, police memorials, parks and more. They are also the firm behind the Oklahoma City memorial reflecting pool, built in honor of the lives lost on April 19, 1995 and the memorial at the Pentagon. Delta collaborated on the project with Siemens for the automation, pump and flow controls. Dan Euser of Waterarchitecture also worked on the project as well

Challenges in Engineering

There were more than a few challenging engineering feats Delta had to achieve in order to build the pools for the 9/11 memorial site. The weir structure they devised had specific requirements, one was the ability to easily adjust and level water flow to within 1/16th inch over 1400 linear feet.

Another challenge for Delta was avoiding dry spots. Engineers accomplished this thanks to integral-design adjustability which allows for constant expansion and contraction of adhesive materials while still maintaining structural integrity. They devised a method of adding ribs which helped to prevent buckling and allowed field welding.

How the reflecting pools are controlled and maintained

By far one of the most impressive aspects to these two reflective pools is the sophisticated smart chemical filtration system they use. The system is able to anticipate and react to New York’s inclimate weather conditions on the fly.

Chief Engineer – Anthony LoCasto, says it takes a crew of three men to clean the pools 5 nights a week and roughly 8 hours to clean, vaccuum and brush each of the memorial pools.

Both of the pools utilize a total of 16 pumps to circulate 26,000 gallons of water each minute. The system is responsible for circulating over 480,000 gallons of recycled water.

There is also a cutting-edge networked control management system which effectively monitors over a thousand different data points about the pools to maintenance personnel, making it one of the smartest pools on the planet.

The maintenance crews perform goes far beyond simply maintaining the pools; displaying a reverence for the victims with gestures of remembrance. One of their duties is placing a white rose on top of each victim’s name who has a birthday each day before the memorial opens to the general public.

The project, which also includes an underground museum that utilizes parts of the fallen towers, had a budget of $610 million and offically opened to the public on September 12, 2011; ten years and one day after the September 11th attacks.

Watch a time lapse of “How the 9/11 Memorial Was Built“. We hope you’ve enjoyed this article on learning what role folks in the pool industry had in creating the September 11 memorial. If you think it’s important to share the story, please do so. Feel free to make a donation to the 9/11 Memorial & Museum who are preserving the history of the events of September 11th for future generations to come.

The entire Gulf Coast region is reeling after Hurricane Ida made landfall in Louisiana, knocking out power to virtually the entire state. The category 4 hurricane obliterated roofs and actually reversed the flow of the Mississippi river as it pounded the region, causing a swath of devastation to whatever was in its path.

So far the Hurricane has been responsible for at least one reported death and has disrupted most services to a good portion of Louisiana. The pool industry still vividly recalls the effects of Hurricane Katrina which caused $81 billion dollars in property damage back in 2005 and impacted about 90,000 square miles of the Gulf Coast region. That particular storm was a Category 5 Hurricane and was responsible for over 1,800 deaths.

Pool builders got wind Hurricane Ida was coming, but scarcely had time to prepare job sites. At this point, given the level of damage the storm caused to the local area, many pool companies are looking at potentially millions of dollars in damage to vessels currently under construction.

Weather conditons such as hurricanes and tornadoes are capable of flattening a home within seconds. In many instances, the sheer force of the storm can destroy swimming pools. One storm in Australia a few years ago completely ripped a pool from the property and shows the power that severe coastal storms have and the damage they can inflict.

We all have seen first hand what ravaging hurricane winds can do to vessels. When confronted with storms of this magnitude, there is no guarantee that even the best built structures can withstand winds that exceed over 150 mph.

Jefferson Parish Emergency Management Director Joe Valiente gave his assessment of the current situation and said that local area residents may be without power for 6 weeks or more. “There are about 10 parishes that the electrical grids are completely collapsed and damaged, smashed, out — however you want to put it,” said Valiente.

The storm caused a main electricity tower to collapse into the Mississippi River, severing a critical link between power stations and five parishes. Although much of the region is currently flooded, Valiente said the one piece of good news was that the region’s levee system held up well, with only minor issues.

One of the most powerful storms to hit the area in recent years has left many communities isolated. Virtually no one in the state has electricity and many water systems are also out, Governor John Bel Edwards told media. Many local parishes throughout the New Orleans area are still flooded. President Biden declared a state of major disaster in Louisiana, coordinating 3,600 FEMA personnel to begin distributing aid immediately.

It’s difficult to gauge the exact impact on the pool industry at this point. Attempts to reach out to many local area pool builders met with failure. Many of the phone lines are down and millions currently remain without electricity. Emergency 911 services are also still down for many portions of the region.

A winter storm hit the pool industry hard last year and caused a deep freeze the contributed to supply shortages hindering builders and service techs this season.

A 100 year storm of this nature is one that few are ever prepared for. Louisiana has already been desperately trying to cope with overwhelmed hospitals that are dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic. Local area residents are struggling with what little resources remain and can use whatever help they can get.

How Can The Pool Industry Help?

Mule Men, a charitable foundation that distributes humanitarian aid and is organized by such pool industry figures such as Shane Le Blanc, Jimmy Smith and others is already organizing relief efforts to distribute goods. Making a donation there is a great way to make an impact if you want to make a difference.