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.

AL TURNER MEMORIAL

cOMMitMenttO eXcellence

aWarD

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 indus-try. 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 Sea-World’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 Dha-bi. 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 spearhead-ed 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.

Glenn DavidsonFarah Leisure Parks ManageMent LLC

Abu DhAbi, uniteD ArAb emirAtes

u W WA AWARDS PROGR A M 2 0156

Al Turner Memorial Commitment to Excel lence Award

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 empty-ing 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 pro-motion 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, res-cuing distressed boaters, maintaining aids to navigation, serving food, being a mentor and a leader, etc.

Landgrave is currently the Chair of the Education Committee for the WWA, a position he has held for many years. His greatest contribution to the committee is helping the committee members express their ideas and experiences during their meetings because the WWA Show and its suc-cess is a direct result of these dedicated volun-teers. He is very proud of the group of people he gets to work with on the committee because they 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 Depart-ment 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.

Chris LandgraveDeeP river WaterPark

Crown Point, inDiAnA, u.s.A.

W WA AWARDS PROGR A M 2 015 u 7

“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.”

Al Turner Memorial Commitment to Excel lence Award

u W WA AWARDS PROGR A M 2 0158

Rachmat Sutiono started his business in 1963, while still study-ing at the university majoring in engineering. A year later, he was appointed by Pertamina, Indonesia’s largest national oil corpora-tion to become an authorized distributor for its petroleum prod-ucts, including oil lubricant products, liquefied gas, chemicals and other oil-based products.

In 1980, as he travelled many parts of the world, Sutiono initiat-ed 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 Indo-nesian 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 estab-lished 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, con-sulting, building, supplying, managing and advising about safety in almost all of the water-park 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 suppli-ers who are unfamiliar with business customs in Asia in

general or in Indonesia specifically. He also organized the Fun Asia Trade Show, which included seminars

on safety and operations to educate family enter-tainment centers about the right method on build-ing and operating a waterpark.

In addition, Sutiono built a school dedicated to less fortunate children in Jakarta.

Rachmat SutionoP.t. FunWorLDJAkArtA, inDonesiA

Al Turner Memorial Commitment to Excel lence Award

Sutiono is now actively

involved in planning, consulting, building,

supplying, managing and advising about safety in almost all of the waterpark projects

in Indonesia,