Member Spotlight

Rick Hunter

Chairman & CEO 
ProSlide Technology Inc.
Ottawa, Ontario - Canada

Featured in World Waterpark Magazine, October/November 2020

WHAT IS YOUR EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE? 
I earned a bachelor of arts degree in 1975 from Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Then, in 1980, I received a master’s of business administration from the University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. As of May 2020, I have spent 40 years in the waterpark industry—34 of those years with ProSlide.
 
WHAT CERTIFICATION OR LICENSING DO YOU HAVE? 
I have held the following designation: Level 3 Canadian Ski Instructors Alliance 1972; Level 3 Canadian Ski Coaches Federation 1973; Canadian International Alpine Ski Team 1969-1974; World Pro Series Ski Professional 1976-1978. 

WHAT MADE YOU GO INTO THIS FIELD? 
In April 1980, I met a Vermont-based Alpine Slide Sales Manager in Chicago O’Hare International Airport. I was returning home from some dual slalom professional ski races in Colorado. I was just finishing up my MBA program at the University of Ottawa and had a job lined up with Spalding Sporting Goods in the ski industry. This chance airport meeting changed the course of my life. I ended up starting my waterpark industry career working for the Alpine Slide Company for the next 6 years. In December 1986, I founded ProSlide and have been designing, developing and delivering custom Water Rides ever since! 

WHAT ASPECT OF THE WATERPARK INDUSTRY DO YOU LIKE BEST? 
I love focusing on the planning, laying out and building of waterpark rides and attractions that take waterparks to the highest family entertainment levels. I built ProSlide to be a water ride design studio with the purposeful intent of de- signing and developing water rides that people would never have dreamed of... exceeding expectations of the riders and those of the owner/operators. It’s a life-long mission and I am lucky... I love it! 

WHO HAS MOST INSPIRED YOU IN YOUR CAREER? 
In my career, probably George Millay who founded Wet’n’Wild Orlando. He is considered the “Godfather of Waterparks” and right- fully so as he was the first to assemble a large number of waterslides with a wave pool, lazy river, children’s waterplay area, etc. into one park. It was 1977. I didn’t meet George until the mid ‘80s, but you didn’t do business with George until you were a proven innovator. He was an early adopter of the ProSlide MAMMOTH River family raft ride in 1990 and he single-sourced ProSlide on every expansion water ride in Orlando from then on... and in his next 5 Wet ‘n’ Wild parks in Mexico and Brazil! He legitimized waterparks as amazing standalone pay-one-price parks based on water activities that took the family entertainment world by storm in the ‘80s and ‘90s. We all continue to wave the waterpark flag of innovation to this day... 43 years after George put his stake in the ground at Wet’n’Wild Orlando! 

WHAT HAS BEEN THE GREATEST CHALLENGE IN YOUR WATERPARK CAREER? 
The greatest challenge in my waterpark career was and is the ongoing fun of visioning and building a highly specialized team that is constantly in motion designing, developing and planning the future evolution of waterparks and water rides that will lead the world. It’s a life-long commitment and it’s a blast! 

HOW DO YOU KEEP FOCUSED AND MOTIVATED? 
Luckily, focus and motivation are in my DNA. Growing up in Canada, I played competitive hockey from age 5 until 12, competitive gymnastics from age 9 until 15 and international competitive ski racing from 14 years old until 30. I trained every day and raced every day. It’s the pace you get used to and being the best mattered and still matters. Training and working hard to be the best you can possibly be carries on in my work at ProSlide. 

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE SOMEONE WHO IS INTERESTED IN WORKING IN THE WATERPARK INDUSTY? 
Take the time to talk with experienced industry pioneers both from the operations perspective and the supply side of the industry. We are all in this together and we do need to understand all aspects of well-managed and well-run businesses. You can and will learn how to vision, build and maintain the highest standards of entertainment and safety in waterpark-related leisure. You could not choose a better industry and environment to grow in and contribute to! 

WHAT BOOKS OR PUBLICATIONS DO YOU RELY ON MOST FOR INSPIRATION OR MOTIVATION? 
I rely on all the theme park and waterpark industry magazines and blogs. Being current on industry and park expansion events are critical on the supply side of the industry. Our focus is certainly on non-stop ProSlide water ride product invention and innovation. We need to be constantly aware of our customer/partners opportunities and challenges to ensure their ultimate success. 

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PART OF YOUR JOB? 
There are many favorite aspects to my job: #1) New inventions and on-going innovation of all our water ride categories; #2) Customer-facing strategic planning with customer/partners for new parks and expansions for growing parks; and #3) Growing and equipping the ProSlide team to be the highest quality designers and suppliers of exciting attractions for the waterpark industry.
 
WHAT CAREER OR BUSINESS WOULD YOU CONSIDER IF YOU WERE STARTING ALL OVER AGAIN? 
I would hope to be in this water ride business... bar none; but in another life, I would have loved to own a ski area and eventually build a resort and world-class waterpark there. 

HOW DID YOU FIRST GET INVOLVED WITH THE WWA? 
I went to the very first WWA Trade Show in Kansas City with Alpine Slide in 1981 and have never missed a show since! WWA is an important part of the ProSlide DNA! 

WHAT IS SOMETHING INTERESTING ABOUT YOU THAT FEW KNOW OR WOULD GUESS? 
I own 4 chainsaws and love to build with eastern white cedar logs and white pine rough cut lumber. I was a roofer for 4 summers while going to university and have shingled a lot of buildings over 45 years including the summer vacation spot pictured on page 16. .