Employee Spotlight: Andy Tymiak

It’s no secret that our installers, on-site supervisors, and salespeople rack up some serious airmiles throughout the year. If we had to guess, Andy Tymiak, from our Mechatronics department would have to be right up there. Having been with WhiteWater for the past 30 years, Andy has had a hand in almost all of our wave products and has helped us to completely revolutionize the way we do our hydraulics.

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Please tell us a bit about yourself.

I was born and raised in a small town in Saskatchewan. I moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, right after high school to work at Expo 86. I then studied Mechanical Technology at BCIT, graduated in 1990, and started working at WhiteWater the next day. During my first 30 years at WhiteWater I have been fortunate enough to travel extensively and still managed to raise two beautiful Millennial daughters.

What do you do at WhiteWater?

I am the Team Lead of Waves and Mechanical Systems within the Mechatronics Team in the Engineering Department at WhiteWater. Over the years, I have been involved in the design of hundreds of projects worldwide with a primary focus on waves. We have about 12 people on the Mechatronics Team with four people directly on my team.

What is one of your favorite memories over the past 30 years?

Wow! Way too many memories to even pick a favorite… Some from my highlight reel include a camel ride at the Pyramids, a stroll on the Great Wall, and working 24-hours straight with Geoff Chutter and the Marketing team to meet the deadline for the Yas Island proposal.

There are so many great memories. WhiteWater is a fantastic company with amazing people, being able to see the world and the projects that I have worked on firsthand have made the last 30 years unforgettable.

What’s your favourite WhiteWater product?

My favorite product would be our hydraulic wave pools. There is nothing more satisfying than hearing people scream and laugh as they run to the pool when the wave horn starts. No matter where in the world we are doing an install, the entire jobsite almost always comes to a standstill when they hear us test the waves. The workers all come by the pool and take selfies in front of the waves, it is such a beloved product.

What’s on your bucket list?

I have already talked a bit about the travel my job has allowed me to do; somehow my role has helped me to do 40 for 40 and 50 for 50 (turning 40 years old and having visited 40 different countries, 50 years old for 50 countries). Maybe a good bucket list item would be to continue the pattern (with some personal travel) and hit 80 for 80! Or I have always wanted to learn how to play John Lennon’s Imagine on my piano.

Do you have a hidden talent? Tell us about it!

I am very mechanical and like to problem solve and troubleshoot. When I was 12 my dad gave me a 1960 Ford Falcon with a burnt-out clutch and told me that if I could fix it, I could drive it.

The rest of course, is history.

What’s the most interesting place that you’ve visited and why?

Egypt. Since my grade 9 history class I have wanted to see the pyramids at Giza, and they did not disappoint. The sites were equally as wonderful as the people I met there.

Is it true you filled an entire passport with travel stamps?

Yes, I have filled up several before they were expired and had to renew my passport early to get extra pages.

What are some of your hobbies outside of work?

I enjoy gardening, searching for antique automobilia, and barbequing. I had to give up downhill skiing when I became an avid NFL fan and now try to see at least one home and away game each season. I have been fortunate enough to see games in New York, Pittsburg, Dallas, San Francisco, and Seattle.

Thank you, Andy, for your past 30 years… we look forward to seeing what your future holds!

Cassidy Newman