forward. In 1985, WhiteWater merged with Brookside Engineer- ing so it could tend to all its engineering needs in-house, and in 1987 it joined forces with a North Vancouver company that added wave-generating technology and more engineering expertise. Andrew Wray, the company’s owner, became a partner and White- Water’s chief development officer. Semi-retired today, Wray still serves on the firm’s executive board. Asked about the traits that fuelled Chutter’s success, Wray says, “Geoff has great foresight. He has an uncanny ability to see where the market is going. He’s immersed in this business and understands it in depth.” Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, WhiteWater inked deals to


acquire companies with iconic products such as the AquaLoop, in which riders drop 16 metres down a near-vertical slide, reach- ing a speed of 60 km/h in two seconds, before entering an in- clined 45-degree loop; the FlowRider, a continuous wave people can surf; and the Master Blaster, a flashy, roller-coaster-style attraction where raſts are propelled uphill by powerful water jets. It also licensed the international rights to the first interactive water-play structures and eventually hired the inventor. This tactic of licensing or buying popular products outright


proved to be a key driver in the company’s evolution. By scooping up other manufacturers and expanding on its designs, WhiteWa- ter was eventually able to manufacture every piece of equipment that goes into building a waterpark, lending the company a dis- tinct edge, as most of its competitors are single-product compa- nies. “We don’t just supply the equipment; we typically develop the master plan and design the entire project,” says Wray. “WhiteWater is a great company, but it has competitors,


including several in the US,” says Dan Martin, a Chicago-based consultant and managing principal of Market & Feasibility Advi- sors. Martin feels that WhiteWater’s one-stop-shop identity works better in Asia than in the US. “In emerging markets they’re more likely to buy the whole kit and caboodle. Here the market is more sophisticated and operators oſten like to buy rides from dif- ferent suppliers, angling for the best deal.” Unlike its rides, WhiteWater’s rise has been a steady upward


climb. Only twice has growth been threatened. “The 9/11 attacks had a real impact on the industry,” says Chutter. “Americans didn’t want to get on an airplane anymore.” But this stay-at-home mentality gave rise to a new development — indoor waterparks, which have become a key component in the modern-day phe- nomenon of staycations. The 2008 recession was another setback as investment in


North American waterparks came to a standstill. At the time, more than 50% of WhiteWater’s clients were based in the US, but the company avoided a serious sales slump by aggressively chasing new markets in China. Today, about 30% of the compa- ny’s business emanates from the People’s Republic. Chutter believes his firm’s family-centric approach has en-


abled it to defy cultural biases and succeed in unlikely locales such as the Wild Wadi Waterpark in Dubai. Built in part by White- Water in 1999, it was the Middle East’s first waterpark. Many felt it was doomed to fail because of the restrictions oſten placed on


34 | CPA MAGAZINE | SEPTEMBER 2017


By scooping up other manufacturers and expanding its designs, WhiteWater was able to manufacture every piece of equipment that goes into building a waterpark


Muslim women publicly exposing their bodies in the presence of men. As predicted, few females attended aſter the park opened. Then general manager Glenn Davidson eventually opted to boost the gate with ladies-only nights. Not only would all the patrons be women, so too would the attendants, managers and lifeguards, a novel situation in Dubai. Only six women showed up for the first Ladies Night, but aſter six months 2,000 were attending. People also told Chutter that the waterpark concept would


flounder in Japan because Japanese women generally avoid the sun, associating a tan with the darker skin of the lower economic classes. “In 2000, our waterpark in Tokyo set a one-day world attendance record of 68,000,” says Chutter. It was true about the desire to avoid a tan, but it didn’t stop people from coming. That being said, Chutter notes they did incorporate significant shade structures into their designs. It was a similar story when WhiteWater geared up to “bring


the fun” to Boksburg, South Africa. Chutter was informed that the locals didn’t swim. It turned out there was good reason to avoid the water — the rivers were rife with crocodiles and there were great white sharks in the sea. Even so, the waterpark drew crowds, albeit with a slightly tentative attitude. “I remember looking at an overhead shot from a helicopter just after it opened,” recalls Chutter. “The scene was all black and orange — black from the skin of the people and orange from the lifejackets they were all wearing.” Today, WhiteWater has built waterparks in 33 countries and


maintains 23 offices and six manufacturing facilities around the world. It has also expanded its client base, creating aqua-play fea- tures for 32 Carnival cruise ships and two Disney cruise ships. Yet, despite the globalization of the marketplace, company


headquarters remain in BC. The plant, which opened in Rich- mond in 1995, has special meaning for Chutter, who can look through his office window across a field and see the Lafarge cement plant that his father once managed. “He was the first non-French engineer hired by Lafarge,” says Chutter. In the early 1990s, aſter his father had leſt Lafarge, Chutter hired him to oversee the installation of giant surf pool equipment


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