Grand Rapids, MI – Haviland Enterprises, Inc. is commemorating its 90th anniversary as a premier supplier of chemicals for cleaning, water treatment, plating, and recreational water solutions. Since its founding in 1934 by chemist J.B. Haviland, the company has evolved from a modest laboratory in Michigan to a globally recognized chemical manufacturer with facilities across the United States.

For 90 years Haviland has been delivering innovative chemical solutions tailored to meet the evolving needs of its customers. “Our drive to exceed expectations is fueled by our commitment to our customers and our community,” said Meg Post, Haviland Enterprises, Inc. President and CEO. “As a 100% employee-owned company, our employees are deeply invested in ensuring the highest level of service and product excellence. We are excited to continue delivering value that not only meets but anticipates the needs of our customers.”

Post attributes Haviland’s success to its Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP), which was initiated by the Haviland family in 1997. The company first transitioned to a partial ESOP with 54% ownership retained by the Haviland family and 46% by employees. In 2012, the family transferred its remaining shares to the ESOP, making Haviland fully employee-owned. “The ESOP empowers our workforce, encouraging a culture of ownership and continuous improvement at all levels of the organization,” added Post.

Coinciding with its anniversary milestone, Haviland is constructing a new $7 million flagship laboratory, envisioned as a hub for product development and innovation. “This investment reflects Haviland’s enduring commitment to technical excellence and innovation, key principles that have been integral to the company’s operations since our beginning,” said Rob Pawson, Vice President of Haviland Products Company.

Haviland’s 90th anniversary will be officially commemorated at its Annual Shareholders’ Meeting in June, marking a significant occasion to celebrate the company’s legacy and its ongoing efforts to develop innovative chemical solutions in new and existing markets.

“As we look to the future, our mission remains the same. Haviland will continue to create chemical solutions that solve our customers’ challenges,” said Post. “Providing solutions and building partnerships is in our DNA, and I’m excited to leverage this expertise in both emerging and established markets.”

ABOUT HAVILAND ENTERPRISES, INC.

Founded in 1934, Haviland Enterprises, Inc. is a chemical supplier for cleaning, water treatment, plating, and recreational water solutions, manufacturing premier brands like ProTeam and SpaPure. It is an employee-owned ESOP company comprised of two divisions, Haviland Pool and Spa and Haviland Products Company. The company has 300+ employees with six production and warehousing locations throughout the United States including its headquarters in Grand Rapids, with additional manufacturing facilities in Kalamazoo; North Bend, Ohio and Chandler, Arizona

Polaris, the leading manufacturer of premium automatic pool cleaners, has added to its robotic offering with a new lineup of cordless cleaners to accommodate any backyard pool or spa.

The Polaris® FREEDOM™, which debuted last Spring, was the first Cordless Robotic Pool Cleaner launched by the iconic brand. Now Polaris builds on the success of FREEDOM with the advanced FREEDOM™ Plus, PIXEL™ and the groundbreaking new Spabot™ cleaners.

“Pool cleaners aren’t always a one-size-fits-all solution; pool sizes vary as do the individual conveniences that every pool owner is looking for,” said Sarah Martin, product manager for automatic pool cleaners at Fluidra. “Our new collection of cordless robotic pool cleaners, seamlessly addresses the diverse requirements of various spas, pools and pool owners, embodying a commitment to efficiency, adaptability, and cutting-edge technology—all without the hassle of cords.”

With their new cordless robotic cleaner lineup, Polaris provides cleaning solutions for those looking for remote control capabilities, above-ground pool cleaners and an automatic cleaner specifically created for attached spas or stand-alone hot tubs:

NEW Polaris® FREEDOM™ Plus

Offering the utmost convenience with cutting-edge LiFi technology, the FREEDOM Plus cordless robotic pool cleaner allows you to communicate with the cleaner while it’s under water. The Lifi remote control uses light pulses to direct its movements so pool owners can start or stop the cleaner at will, redirect the cleaner to target debris cleanup and call the cleaner up to the surface with the Easy Lift System for lightweight removal at any time. The FREEDOM Plus also comes with a premium outdoor-rated charging caddy that makes transporting and recharging the cleaner simple.

As with the previous FREEDOM cordless cleaner, this cleaner connects with the iAquaLink® app and features four cleaning modes, including floor only; floor, walls and waterline; waterline only; and Polaris’ customized SMART Cycle mode whichcalculates the optimal cleaning time for a pool based on size, shape and surface.

NEW Polaris® PIXEL™

Powerful and compact, the Polaris PIXEL compact cordless robotic cleaner cleans the floor of above-ground and simple in-ground pools without the clutter of a cable laying across the backyard. Easy to use, with one cleaning cycle and a single button start, when the cleaning cycle is completed, PIXEL waits underwater at the wall where it can be retrieved using the included hook attached to a standard swimming pool pole to pull the cleaner to the surface.

Polaris® Spabot™

This first-ever automatic spa cleaner, Spabot introduces special SpaNav™ Technology, a unique guidance system that enables the cleaner to maneuver out of tight spaces by floating up and diving back down to resume cleaning, and navigate with ease over floors, walls, benches and concave seating typical of in-ground spas and portable hot tubs.

Providing the ultimate hands-free convenience of automatic cleaning, Spabot is completely cordless and cleans in just 60 minutes— scrubbing surfaces and collecting debris within its filter canister. Easy to use, simply start it up, set it in the spa and walk away while it does the work — once done, it floats to the surface using specialized Float Finish™ technology so it can be readily removed and plugged back in to recharge for its next use.

All Polaris cordless cleaners are powered by long-lasting lithium-ion batteries and are engineered with brushes to help agitate stuck-on dirt from surfaces.

Florida Water Products, LLC (FWP) finds itself at the center of a proposed class action lawsuit stemming from a cyberattack in May 2023, which may have compromised the personal data of thousands of people.

Florida Water Products Lawsuit Alleges Inadequate Security Measures Left Data Exposed

The lawsuit asserts that inadequate cybersecurity measures by the pool and spa equipment distributor were directly responsible for the breach. Compromised information may include the names and Social Security numbers of both current and former FWP employees, as well as those affiliated with the company.

According to FWP’s data breach notice letter, the incident targeted a repository of “legacy data” within its network, referring to information stored in outdated systems or formats. Subsequent investigation suggests that an unauthorized third party may have accessed FWP’s systems and obtained certain data from legacy databases.

Although specifics regarding the duration and precise dates of the cybercriminals’ access remain unclear, the breach is believed to have occurred between May 22 and May 28, 2023.

Plaintiff Alleges Inadequate Cybersecurity Left Data Vulnerable

The lawsuit contends that FWP’s failure to enforce adequate cybersecurity measures and provide sufficient training to its employees left its data vulnerable to exploitation by cybercriminals. The complaint argues that Florida Water Products notification to affected individuals was delayed and insufficient. The plaintiff, Stephen Basson, an employee of FWP affiliate Aquarius Supply, claims to have received notice from the defendant only in early December 2023, nearly seven months after the breach allegedly took place.

FWP’s notification letter, as per the filing, obscured crucial details about the breach, such as the number of affected individuals, the methods used by hackers to access the system, and the reasons for the delay in notifying victims.

The lawsuit further alleges that FWP’s tardy and inadequate notice left victims exposed to potential identity theft without proper guidance on monitoring their financial accounts or credit reports to mitigate unauthorized use of their personal information.

A request for comment by FWP about the current litigation was not received in time for publication of this article.

Not The First Or The Last

While the validity of the class action lawsuit against Florida Water Products remains uncertain and subject to legal proceedings, one thing however is certain. The pool industry is clearly not immune to cyber attack threats, as demonstrated by the increase in breaches since 2021. Most recently, Brenntag, a major chemical distributor, fell victim to a ransomware attack by the DarkSide hacker group, resulting in a staggering $4.4 million payout.