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Rick Hunter ProSlide Q Lines
Based in Ottawa, Canada, ProSlide Technology manufactures traditional open and tube waterslides alongside innovative waterpark attractions such as water coasters and its signature funnel-shaped Tornado slides and Bowl slides. It also provides design services for new and expanding indoor/outdoor waterparks. Yet company president and CEO Rick Hunter comes from a background in an activity enjoyed in much colder climes: alpine ski racing. Following the company's participation in this month's World Waterpark Association Show and symposium in New Orleans, Rick takes time to reflect on ProSlide's progress
How did you get started? When I began ProSlide almost 30 years ago, the waterpark industry was in its infancy. What drew me in so deeply was the pioneering energy in the parks and the entrepreneurs with the attitude, "If we build it, they will come." Our customers are dreamers at all levels, from the land owner or family-run parks in rural America to the largest theme parks around the world. And the dream they share is the experience they offer to their customers, and the driving desire to create that experience in a market that promises great potential for high return. As exciting as those early days were, none of us could
have predicted just how far the industry would come ...waterparks that rival theme parks, hotel resorts centred on water attractions, strong growth in all corners of the world, and so much more. My background skiing for the Canadian national team
translated perfectly into water rides; mirroring ski racing’s smooth turns, steep grades and big drops. For ProSlide, it was always about creating the highest performance, most innovative attractions to help our customers differentiate their parks and deliver the most memorable guest experiences. To this day, we have the very good fortune of working with the best of the best; driving continuous innovation and delivering premium quality.
Can you design and supply an entire waterpark?
The Tornado is a ProSlide Classic
We’ve designed and built lots of full parks. But it’s not only about designing a park; it’s about designing a “best park.” That’s a park that’s well-planned, expertly manufactured, artfully built, and instantly recognised; a park that thrills guests while performing with exceptional operational efficiency and effectiveness now and for decades into the future. That’s a ProSlide park.
Why do you believe Canada has such a strong waterpark equipment manufacturing legacy, in spite of relatively few waterparks of its own? Well, it was never actually about Canadian waterparks. When ProSlide started there were at least 15 other companies (three in Canada, 12 in the US) designing and manufacturing water rides, and the early years were focused on servicing the US market, the pioneers in the waterpark industry.
While it’s coincidental that the two survivors of the subsequent market convergence are Canadian, it’s not at all a surprise that we’re one of them. ProSlide has pioneered almost every major water ride innovation in the past 30 years. We’re the only company in the world to win the IAAPA Impact Award more than once. We’ve won it three times! In fact, we’ve won more Best Water Ride awards than all other water slide manufacturers combined.
How do you remain competitive against suppliers in other countries with lower labour and manufacturing costs? We help create the best parks in the world. We don’t compete on price alone (though we’re certainly competitive, it’s not what we lead with). We produce the highest quality products with the highest possible performance. The others don’t, it’s as simple as that. The premier parks of the world understand we produce the most innovative, safest and longest-lasting rides. You get what you pay for.
OCTOBER 2016
ABOVE: Hybrid rides such as this TornadoWave and Behemoth Bowl combination at Six Flags Over Georgia are becoming increasingly popular within the industry
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“
What
drew me in to this industry was the pioneering energy in the parks and the entrepreneurs with the attitude, "If we build it, they will come." Our customers are dreamers at all levels
“
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