Industry Insider
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Clair Hain, Jr. – President of Great Coasters
Mystic Timbers
Park World’s Matt Broughton spoke to Great Coasters’ President, Clair Hain, Jr., about the past, present and future – as well as all things wooden!
Clair Hain, Jr.
Matt Broughton: Please tell us about your background in the industry and how you came to be President of Great Coasters. Clair Hain, Jr.: I began my career as a carpenter working under Charlie Dinn at Dinn Corporation. I continued working there until Charlie's retirement and was the first employee hired by Charlie's daughter, Denise Dinn, at Custom Coasters Incorporated in the early '90s. I developed my carpentry
skills while working for George H. Ross and Sons, starting at the age of 12 and continuing until I graduated high school in 1984. Following high school, George H. Ross and Sons were asked to assist in building the Phoenix at Knoebels, which was completed in 1985. It was after this project that I started my roller coaster construction journey under Charlie Dinn. While working under Denise Dinn, I experienced a major accident while
building the Hoosier Hurricane at Indiana Beach Park, falling approximately 55 feet through the structure while prepping and constructing the wooden track. I sustained severe injuries, including two broken bones in my neck, two in my back, a fractured right wrist, collarbone, all of my ribs, a mangled liver, punctured lungs, and a spinal cord injury resulting in permanent paralysis on the left side of my body. I was bedridden in the hospital for 100 days and then spent three months at my mother's home undergoing physical and occupational therapy. After my halo was removed, I joined a work-hardening program tailored to rebuild my strength and adapt to the work I did prior to the accident. As part of my rehabilitation, I had to relearn how to write due to the paralysis in my hand. This process involved preparing and bidding for projects, which
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ultimately helped me regain my writing abilities. After completing the two-month program, Michael Boodley, the previous co-owner of GCI, began discussing projects with me. In November 1994, we attended the IAAPA Expo in Miami, Florida, where we announced the founding of Great Coasters International. As names in our room, I asked, "Have you ever ridden a great coaster lately?" We both immediately knew it was the perfect, or rather, the Greatest name for our company!
MB: What does your role entail on a week-to-week basis? CHJ: My weekly schedule is like a roller coaster - full of ups and downs, twists and turns, and organized chaos! My responsibilities range from drafting and reviewing pricing and bidding sheets, to meeting with current and potential clients, checking in on field teams working on repairs or new projects, and visiting past
White Lightning train
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