Back in the Game

When its founder died in 2011, many wondered if Dynasty Spas would survive. 

The company has been part of the spa industry for nearly three decades after being established by Mike Deans in 1995. The family business — headquartered in Athens, Tennessee — was once the third-largest spa manufacturer in the world and perfected its products by focusing on comfort and relaxation with innovations like the reverse-pull neck jet. 

Without Deans’ hands-on approach, the company’s growth slowed, and Dynasty Spas stepped out of the spotlight. That changed in 2021 when family-owned and Quebec-based Trévi stepped in to acquire Dynasty Spas. 

The two companies were already friendly with each other since Trévi’s founder, Clément Hudon, and Deans had been close collaborators. 

Trévi, which began as retail stores for in-ground and above-ground pools, now has a manufacturing operation that accounts for one-third of its revenue. Today, Benoît Hudon, the founder’s son, heads the company and has expanded Trévi’s production facilities. 

“Because Trévi and Dynasty worked together for such a long time, they knew each other, and if you are familiar with a situation, factory or product, there are fewer unknowns and less risk,” says Denis Malaket, a Trévi veteran acting as a consultant to build up the Dynasty team.

Trévi’s prior knowledge of Dynasty proved to be exceptionally valuable. Due to pandemic-related travel restrictions, which heavily limited cross-border travel for the Canada-based company, Trévi made the decision to acquire Dynasty sight-unseen.

When Jeremy Falls, customer service manager for Dynasty, initially learned Trévi was acquiring the company, he felt relief, given the longstanding relationship between the two. 

“Trévi’s values as a company align well with the values the team at Dynasty were accustomed to,” Falls says. “Any uncertainties of the future of Dynasty were quickly extinguished. It didn’t take long to realize that Trévi appreciates its employees.”

Malaket adds that Trévi has put people in place who work well with the Dynasty team. 

“Under the Trévi umbrella, we are seeing a lot of investments in manufacturing equipment, in quality and in our employees,” Malaket says. “Not only is the company improving and progressing, but each of us is progressing as well.”

Falls also values the pathway Trévi provided to instituting advancements in Dynasty’s production processes and quality-control improvements. Some of these investments include a robot for drilling plumbing holes in the shells and plans to obtain a CNC machine for its cover factory.

Even though the pandemic was a turbulent time to undergo an acquisition, it’s proven successful. Dynasty has expanded its swim spa capabilities, introduced lean production methods, reinstated technical seminars for dealers and created a comprehensive training program for factory workers and managers. 

“There are many things I enjoy about working at Dynasty Spas, but at the top of the list right now would have to be simply being a part of the history of this company,” says Dynasty’s accounting manager Angie Thompson. “After knowing the feeling of holding such a place in the pool and spa industry as we have in the past, it just inspires me to want that for this company once again.”

Because Trévi has survived its own growth pains over 50 years in business, it knows the success of Dynasty lies in things like quality, trust, rigor, innovation and continuous improvement. Most importantly, though, the two companies agree that the customer should always be front of mind. 

We recognize that we produce and sell more than spas. We are offering wellness and bringing families together by giving them relaxation, health benefits and special downtime.”

Denis Malaket, Dynasty Spas

“We recognize that we produce and sell more than spas,” Malaket says. “We are offering wellness and bringing families together by giving them relaxation, health benefits and special downtime.”

The company’s spirit of service is what’s behind what employees refer to as “the Dynasty way.” 

“When we serve our customers better than our competitors do, focusing on our customer’s success rather than our own, our customers will thrive, grow and ultimately lead in their marketplace — and so will we,” Malaket says.

Dynasty recently made its return at the International Pool | Spa | Patio Expo, where it introduced the company’s new 11-foot spa. 

Of course, Dynasty’s comeback hasn’t been without its challenges. For Malaket, the biggest hurdle in any turnaround is the people. 

“Figuring out what to do is only one part,” he says. “Putting new things in place and getting people to buy in is the biggest challenge. I always say, there is no such thing as individual success, there is only team or company success.”

Luckily, Malaket adds, during the acquisition, key Dynasty employees were identified and stepped up to work together with Trévi while embracing the company’s new direction. 

One such employee is Falls, who started at Dynasty in January 2005 as an electronics technician on the production line and today oversees all aspects of the customer care department, as well as inside sales. 

“What I enjoy most about working at Dynasty has remained constant,” he says. “In one word, it is family. You feel like you are part of something larger than just showing up for work and collecting a paycheck each week.”

“We are a family business that, above all, cares about its customers and is proud of who we are and what we do,” Malaket says. “A family business has a long view of relationships with its customers and employees.”

For long-term employees like Falls and Thompson, the new Dynasty outlook brings excitement. 

“Dynasty has been at the top, and we know what it takes to get there again,” Falls says. “It is what we call the Dynasty way and our spirit of service. Now with the structure and resources Trévi provides, I know we are on our way to be at the top again.”