Acquisition honors Jennifer Feller; passionate diver, industry icon and community volunteer
OMAHA, Nebraska (November 2, 2021) – Omaha, Nebraska-based Diventures, the nation’s largest and fastest-growing network of swim and scuba centers, announced its rapid expansion continues, with the acquisition of The Playground Dive Shop, in Blue Springs, Missouri, a suburb of Kansas City.
“This is a notable acquisition for Diventures and for the entire scuba industry,” says Dean Hollis, founder of Diventures. “For Diventures, it immediately strengthens our presence in the greater Kansas City market, by following the announcement yesterday of our acquisition of TD Scuba.”
For the scuba industry, this acquisition recognizes and honors Jennifer Feller, a true icon, who tragically passed away on October 25, 2020.
Dean Hollis, Diventures Founder
While I never personally knew Jennifer, I consider it an honor and privilege to take care of her customers, honor her contributions to our industry and continue her legacy. We don’t take this responsibility lightly, so we want to publicly share our commitments to Jennifer’s family:
- We will take care of Jenn’s customers, in the same way Jenn did, with Diventures’ philosophy and values of exceptional customer service and teaching with grace.
- Jennifer’s faith was very important to her and was instrumental in her servant leadership approach. At her daughter’s request, we will make a donation, in Jenn’s honor, to Central Assembly of God, which had been her home of worship for over 40 years.
- We will honor Jenn’s passion and Diventures’ commitment to expanding the demographics of the dive industry, and continue her legacy in that regard, by chartering “Scuba Girls of Missouri” a group focused on increasing the number of female divers in the region.
- We will honor Jenn’s contributions to and Diventures’ core value of water safety, by making a donation, in her honor, to the Lee’s Summit Underwater Rescue team.
- We will honor Jenn’s commitment to and Diventures’ value of supporting local community organizations by making a donation, in her honor, to RISE Community Services.
- We will also continue the annual “SCUBA Olympics” and match all 2022 donations, with all proceeds going to a community charitable organization.
- We will also ensure Jenn’s passion and Diventures’ value of traveling with customers, who quickly become friends, by organizing an annual “Scuba Jenn memorial dive trip” to her favorite location: Bonaire.
“Since its inception in 2012, The Playground Dive Shop has always been not just a retail storefront, but an extension of everything our mom was: fiercely passionate and a friend to all. Having to decide the future of The Playground is a responsibility that was not taken lightly by my sister and myself. When we initially met with Diventures, we were overwhelmed and inspired by their passion for their customers and the industry, in a way I have only previously seen through mom. Most importantly, their vision and opportunities for The Playground, aligned with everything mom wanted for the future of the shop. We are confident that partnering with Diventures will not only honor our mother’s memory but will continue her legacy through serving her dive family, friends, and community” said Angela Dickey, on behalf of her and her sister, Elaine Harrison.
William Munroe, Diventures General Manager
“These two successive acquisitions in the Kansas City market give us a strong presence to build on and expand. As we announced yesterday, our plans are to build a state-of-the-art swim and scuba center to better serve the Kansas City market. Until then, we will serve all our Kansas City area customers from the existing TD Scuba facility location at 1173 NE Rice Rd. in Lee’s Summit,” said Will Munroe, general manager of Diventures.
“I very much appreciate Angie and Elaine trusting the Diventures family with their mother’s legacy. The entire Diventures family does not take this responsibility lightly and is committed to making Jenn’s shadow in the scuba industry a long and bright one,” added Hollis.
About Diventures
Diventures was founded in 2009, with one location in Omaha, Nebraska. It since has expanded to ten locations (Omaha, Nebraska; Springfield, Missouri; Columbia, Missouri; North Liberty, Iowa; Fitchburg, Wisconsin; Sun Prairie, Wisconsin; Atlanta, Georgia; Lexington, Kentucky; Lee’s Summit Missouri and Blue Springs, Missouri). Diventures provides concierge-level customer service for swim lessons, scuba certifications, equipment sales and service and group and private travel. Diventures is committed to safety and fun in the water, as well as giving back to support local and global communities. Employing hundreds of people and serving thousands of customers per year, Diventures uses their passion, and the power of the water, to impact lives and change the world…and have fun doing it!
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