Penn-Plax began in 1956 when Marvin Goldman, an engineer and fish hobbyist, together with his wife Anita, opened Saratoga Tropiquarium, a pet shop in Brooklyn, N.Y. Soon after, Marvin’s brother Jerry joined the team as an industrial designer. Today Penn-Plax distributes 4,000 SKUs throughout the U.S. and in 44 other countries. They established joint ventures with overseas manufacturers, opening distribution centers in California, Memphis, Tenn., Europe and China.