South Tyrol, Italy — A ski industry leader is investing in a top snowmaking company in North America.
This week, HKD Snowmakers announced that HTI Group has taken an ownership stake in the company. They will join the current ownership team of Charles Santry, Anni Dupré Santry, and Ian Jarrett. The HTI Group owns Leitner-Poma, Prinoth, and DemacLenko.
“We are proud to work together with HKD’s impressive team,” says Anton Seeber, the President of HTI. “HKD will maintain its full autonomy to continue to efficiently respond to the needs of its customers. Our goal is to pursue sustainable, long-term success that ensures jobs and creates value in the different regions where we operate.”
As part of the deal, HKD Snowmakers will take over operations of DemacLenko’s North American operations. The two teams will collaborate on new products, but the two brands will now have all their products labelled as HKD.
“This is a tremendous opportunity for all of us at HKD,” says Charles Santry, the President and co-founder of HKD. “Over the last 35 years, HKD has become the market leader in reliable energy-efficient snowmaking technology. Our strong market position in North America combined with HTI’s worldwide presence is a win-win. Additionally, we will work closely with the DemacLenko team, incorporating their worldclass technology to complement our existing product line, thus expanding our capabilities in ways that truly matter to our customers.”
It’ll be interesting to see whether this consolidation will hurt the brand or whether this collaboration will lead to further innovations in snowmaking infrastructure that help ensure the future of skiing and riding.
Image/Video Credits: HKD Snowmakers, U.S. National Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame
