cOMMitMent tO eXcellence aWarD

AL TURNER MEMORIAL
cOMMitMent
tO eXcellence
aWarD
Awarded to individuals, parks or organizations
that have through their consistent business and
professional excellence provided leadership and/or
fostered a sense of community in the
World Waterpark Association membership.
A l Tu r n er M emo ria l Co m mitme n t to Exce lle n ce Award
Glenn Davidson
Farah Leisure Parks ManageMent LLC
Abu DhAbi, uniteD ArAb emirAtes
Glenn Davidson graduated in 1978 with a bachelor’s of science
degree in park and recreation administration from Mississippi
State University.
After graduation, he joined the Mississippi Park Commission,
later the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks,
serving as Assistant Park Manager at Hugh White State Park, Paul
B. Johnson State Park and Buccaneer State Park. Buccaneer State
Park had one of the first five wave pools built in the United States
and was an introduction into what became the waterpark industry. Buccaneer State Park was an early member of the American
Waterpark Association, now the World Waterpark Association.
Davidson joined the team developing Rapids on the Reservoir, which opened in June
1984, outside Jackson Mississippi as Operations Director, later becoming General Manager.
While the Oasis Water Park—later the Oasis Water Resort, then Knott’s Soak City, and
now Wet ‘n’ Wild Palm Springs—was under construction, Davidson moved west to become
Operations Manager in 1986, later becoming Vice President and General Manager.
Becoming the first member of the management team as General Manager in 1988 during
the design stage of Wild Waters, now Wild Island in Reno/Sparks Nevada, Davidson saw
the park through construction and the first year of operations. The park opened with one of
the first three computerized admissions systems in any amusement park in the world.
Davidson joined Raging Waters San Jose as Operations Manager in 1990. After taking on
the role of General Manager in the fall 1991, he saw the park add the first SCS family play
structure in the world and the addition of a wave pool and a larger family play structure.
Moving on to White Water Canyon (later Knott’s Soak City San Diego and now SeaWorld’s Aquatica San Diego) at the end of design and the beginning of construction in
1997, Davidson worked with the owners and contractor to bring this waterpark in Chula
Vista to life and established the opening management team.
In 1999, Davidson moved east to Newport, Kentucky, as the Operations Director of The
Newport Aquarium.
Wild Wadi called in 2000 and Davidson moved to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates to
become the General Manager in early 2001. Seven years—and a major expansion to the
facilities and increase in attendance—later there was a call from the south.
That call was not from the south of Davidson’s birth but the Emirate to the south, Abu Dhabi. Working for ALDAR Properties PJSC and its subsidiary Farah Leisure Parks Management,
Davidson was active in operational overview during construction of Ferrari World Abu Dhabi
and served one year as the interim General Manager in 2011. At the same time, he spearheaded the design and development of Yas Waterworld Abu Dhabi, which opened in 2013.
He is currently working on development and design on five amusement-related projects
planned to open over the next ten years.
Davidson served on the WWA’s Board of Directors from 2006 to 2014, including two year
as Vice Chair, two years as Chair and two years as Past Chair.
6
u
W WA AWA R D S P R O G R A M 2 0 15
Al Tu r n e r M emor i a l Commi t ment t o Ex c el l enc e Awa rd
Chris Landgrave
DeeP river WaterPark
Crown Point, inDiAnA, u.s.A.
Chris Landgrave began working for Deep River Waterpark
under Jim Basala as an intern from Indiana State University’s
school of Sports Management in 1998. According to Landgrave,
his internship wasn’t one of the coffee fetcher, but one of emptying trash cans in the park. You have to start somewhere and that
oddly enough was the beginning of a long and dedicated career
at Deep River.
“I really enjoy the technology it takes to run a waterpark. I am
fascinated by all of the aspects of making water move and have a
real passion for anything mechanical.”
At the end of that internship, Landgrave was offered a job
on Lake Michigan managing a beach for the Lake County Parks Dept., and being an avid
boater and PWC enthusiast, this was even more appealing; so he left the waterpark only to
return in 2001 where he became the second General Manager following Jim Basala’s promotion who became Landgrave’s boss once again. Over the years with Lake County/Deep
River, Landgrave has performed about every job at one time or another from lifeguarding,
pulling and installing pumps and motors, painting pools, rescuing distressed boaters, maintaining aids to navigation,
serving food, being a mentor and a leader, etc.
“I really enjoy
Landgrave is currently the Chair of the Education
Committee for the WWA, a position he has held
the technology it
for many years. His greatest contribution to the
takes to run a waterpark.
committee is helping the committee members
I am fascinated by all of
express their ideas and experiences during their
the aspects of making
meetings because the WWA Show and its sucwater move and have
cess is a direct result of these dedicated volunteers. He is very proud of the group of people he
a real passion for
gets to work with on the committee because they
anything mechanical.”
are some of the most active and dedicated people
in this industry.
“I have learned so much over the years from these
folks including my long time boss and friend, former WWA
Chairman, Jim Basala.”
In 2009, Landgrave received a special recognition award from the WWA and was the
Lake County Parks and Recreation Dept. employee of the year in 2007. He is also the only
two-time winner of the Alumni of the Year award from Indiana State University’s school of
Kinesiology, Sport and Recreation Management receiving the most recent one in 2015.
Landgrave was also honored this year by being asked to become the Executive Director
of the Lake Heritage Parks Foundation, which supports the Lake County Parks Department among other groups, and organizations who operate in and around Lake County,
Ind. Landgrave resides in Crown Point and Monticello, Indiana with his wife, Sunshine and
6-year-old daughter, Alexandra.
W WA AWA R D S P R O G R A M 2 0 15 u
7
A l Tu r n er M emo ria l Co m mitme n t to Exce lle n ce Award
Rachmat Sutiono
P.t. FunWorLD
JAkArtA, inDonesiA
Rachmat Sutiono started his business in 1963, while still studying at the university majoring in engineering. A year later, he was
appointed by Pertamina, Indonesia’s largest national oil corporation to become an authorized distributor for its petroleum products, including oil lubricant products, liquefied gas, chemicals
and other oil-based products.
In 1980, as he travelled many parts of the world, Sutiono initiated an idea to build a company focusing on family entertainment.
He started his business in the amusement industry by operating
a few small rides, kiddie rides and video games in Jakarta, and
he continued to expand his business by adding some travelling
amusement rides and carnival equipment.
He currently owns and operates more than 150 amusement facilities, including small
parks, outdoor Family Entertainment Centers (FECs) and indoor FECs throughout the Indonesian archipelago. The corporation currently staffs more than 2,500 employees altogether
and plans to expand to other regions outside Indonesia. As the amusement industry grows
in Indonesia, Sutiono and a few businessman involved in the amusement industry established ARKI, the Indonesian Family Recreation Associations in 1997.
At the moment, he serves as senior adviser with ARKI, and he is involved in several
other business associations in Indonesia, such as retail associations and shopping
center associations.
Sutiono served on the WWA’s Board of Directors from 2004 to 2012. He also built and
operated the first waterpark in Indonesia. Sutiono is now actively involved in planning, consulting, building, supplying, managing and advising about safety in almost all of the waterpark projects in Indonesia, as well as promoting WWA to potential park operator members
in Indonesia and other Asian countries to help grow new membership in the region.
He helps many parks investors, manufacturers and suppliers who are unfamiliar with business customs in Asia in
general or in Indonesia specifically. He also organized
Sutiono
the Fun Asia Trade Show, which included seminars
is now actively
on safety and operations to educate family enterinvolved in planning,
tainment centers about the right method on buildconsulting, building,
ing and operating a waterpark.
In addition, Sutiono built a school dedicated to
supplying, managing and
less fortunate children in Jakarta.
advising about safety
in almost all of the
waterpark projects
in Indonesia,
8
u
W WA AWA R D S P R O G R A M 2 0 15