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.

Unable to obtain the copper liner he needed to perform pump repairs, Ben Solakian decided to manufacture the part himself. In his garage workshop in Van Nuys, California, he started to turn out the liners and sell them through a local wholesale distributor. A cast-iron adapter for the same line of pumps was added shortly thereafter as the original manufacturer stopped making them.

The initial demand for Val-Pak’s repair parts was overwhelming. As equipment makers discontinued various parts, Val-Pak began producing them. Starting with a single part, the Val-Pak line has grown to include more than 1,200 repair and replacement products.

In 1984, joined by his son, Mike, Ben Solakian opened a 2,500-square-foot building in Saugus, California. Val-Pak continued to expand its parts line and also began packaging private-label chemical products, adding silk-screen bottle-decorating and filling to its list of services.

The company soon outgrew its Saugus plant, and in 1986 relocated to a 6,800-square-foot facility in Valencia, California. Just one year later, it expanded to a 10,800-square-foot building in nearby Canyon Country, California, where it remained until 2002.

To gain greater control over the quality of its manufacturing operation, Val-Pak in 1990 purchased a state-of-the-art machining center. A pair of computerized lathes and an additional machining center were added as the business expanded throughout the 1990s.

Also in 1990, Val-Pak began to manufacture D.E. filter grids, purchasing the molded grid frames from an outside supplier and sewing on the fabric to produce the finished product. An 1,100-square-foot building was opened specifically for this operation. And in 1993, an additional 1,800-square-foot building was opened to accommodate Val-Pak’s silk-screen operation.

To further increase its ability to control every step of the manufacturing process, Val-Pak in 1998 purchased an injection molding company in Chatsworth, California, enabling it to mold all of its plastic parts in-house. One year later, it began to build a mold-making shop so it could actually produce the molds from which its plastic parts are made. Currently, Val-Pak has three full-time tool and die makers to run its mold-making operation.

Val-Pak has never stopped growing. In 2002, it moved to its present location — a new 34,000-square-foot facility in Santa Clarita, California — and consolidated all of its operations there. With 20 employees, all of the company’s manufacturing, mold making, injection molding and machining is performed in-house, with no outsourcing. This permits the company to react quickly to customer demands and to maintain absolute control over the quality of its products.

In April 2006, Val-Pak purchased the assets of Martin Pump Co., which made 1/3- to 3-horsepower residential brass pumps and 3-, 5-, 7½- and 10-horsepower commercial brass pumps. And on June 1, 2007, Val-Pak acquired the assets of Aqua-Flo, another maker of residential and commercial brass pumps. The acquisitions allow Val-Pak to meet demands of other industries worldwide.

With the vast in-field experience of its owners, Val-Pak is able to keep a watchful eye on market demands and over the quality  and durability of its products, which always exceed the specifications of the original manufacturer.

All Val-Pak parts are produced to the highest standards and sold through distribution. The quality and reliability of its products have made Val-Pak the brand that professional pool and spa service and repair technicians ask for by name.