Generational Companies: The Past, Present, and Future of the Water Park Industry. Presented by WhiteWater

Geoff Chutter was introduced to the international world when attending high school in Paris. After a successful career as a CPA with KPMG in Toronto and Vancouver, Geoff saw his first water slide park in Kelowna in 1980. In 1981, he opened WhiteWater Waterpark in Penticton, manufacturing his own waterslides in the process. The engineering and supply of water park equipment followed with diversification along many axis… covering all water park rides including water slides, wave pools, interactives, and surfing systems; offering services from design to manufacturing to installation; developing the international market with 98% of WhiteWater’s sales outside of Canada and 75% outside of North America; and entering the amusement park sector. 

Today with over 500 employees, WhiteWater is the largest designer of water parks globally and the largest supplier of water park equipment with over 125 patents and over 100 awards including the B.C. and Canada Export Awards and the Best Managed Canadian Companies Award. Geoff has been active politically on the federal scene for over 20 years and sits on the boards of Covenant House and the Small Medium Enterprise in Ottawa Board under Minister Freeland.

Raised in Vancouver, Paul Chutter attended French Immersion high school and studied at McGill University in Montreal, where he completed a bachelor’s degree in political science and law. Following his graduation, he moved overseas where he received his LLB from the University of London in the United Kingdom. 

Paul brings a depth of financial and legal knowledge to his role as President. He began his career in corporate finance, working as a mergers and acquisitions advisor for the Bank of Nova Scotia.  He subsequently served as Director of Institutional Equity Sales for UBS Investment Bank in London and Toronto, where his clients included many of Canada’s largest corporations and Europe’s largest financial institutions. In his current role, he is responsible for business development as well as strategy and corporate development for WhiteWater
 

Santo Gulino is an explorer, an adventurer and a risk taker. In the late 1970s, he travelled the world and found himself on the mystical tropical island of Bali. Half a decade and a few professional/career changes later, he saw an opportunity to develop a smaller scaled waterpark. At that point, Bali’s tourism was growing, and Santo liked visiting waterparks but was never a fan of the aesthetics. However, he was fixed on creating a waterpark without being it becoming an eye-sore and without destroying the flora that surrounded the land. Unbeknownst to him, this principle laid the foundation and culture of the Waterbom Bali; a principle that strengthens by the day.  Santo had no background education or knowledge of the waterpark world, he applied his guts, instincts, and attention to detail/quality to Waterbom Bali and that’s how he simply made it work. Passion drives him and passion gets him there.

Sayan Gulino had a unique upbringing. Both of his parents are from different countries, and he was born in the Netherlands and raised in Bali, creating a perception of the world that contrasts from the norm. Due to these circumstances, Sayan speaks 5 different languages: English, Indonesian, French, Balinese and Dutch. He spent his middle and high school years in Singapore at United World College where he would make friends with likeminded individuals. Afterward, he attended the University of Sydney and Curtin University of Technology and graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce in Tourism Management and Entrepreneurship. After University, Sayan worked in Jakarta for 1.5 years before returning to Bali in 2007 to start working for the Waterpark he loves, Waterbom Bali. 

Sayan worked within every aspect of the Waterbom Bali business including pool attendant, engineering and operations, and sales and marketing, before becoming General Manager and then CEO in 2017. Sayan works with his father, Santo, they complement each other harmoniously in what they bring to the park. Sayan, is a nature boy, and along with his father’s principles and his own educational experiences, Sayan’s focus is to take Waterbom Bali a step further in sustainability and design, as well as to continue spreading happiness for all of those who step through the doors of the park

Charles "Chuck" Neuman, founder of WTI in 1983, has a broad range of experience in the design and construction of aquatic facilities, which have been greatly diverse in size, scope, and function. They include indoor and outdoor, public, and private projects varying from family aquatic centers to large commercial destination waterparks and resorts in the United States and abroad. He is well known in the aquatic, waterpark, and entertainment industry and has been the recipient of Aquatics International Power 25, been recognized and has been a board member of the World Waterpark Association, participated in the Model Aquatic Health Code 2013 from its inception, and has spoken at many industry conferences.

Chuck has been personally involved in projects from conceptual planning through design and development of the engineering and mechanical designs to pool start-up and operations. Participation in the industry and a hands-on role in the company have resulted in new and innovative design placing WTI at the leading edge of aquatic industry standards and development.

Nicholas Neuman is responsible for Project Development at WTI and his primary role is to develop and expand the commercial, entertainment and design/build sectors of the business. His experience working internationally with developers, architects, and design teams for large water-entertainment projects gives WTI a solid understanding of cultural influences on concept development, design/engineering, project management, on-site construction, and operations of waterpark facilities.

Nick has spoken at various industry events, including the World Waterpark North American conferences, and in 2012 he was named one of Aquatics International Power 25 as one of the industry's most influential people in the waterpark and aquatics industry.
 

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