TWO WHITEWATER EXECUTIVES RECOGNIZED WITH PRESTIGIOUS INDUSTRY HONOURS

At WhiteWater, we have always believed that people are the secret to our success, and we’re happy to see that the industry agrees! Congratulations to two members of our executive team, Franceen Gonzales, and Rainer Maelzer, as we celebrate their recent awards.

Franceen Gonzales Recognized with the 2022 IAAPA Service Award

Presented annually, the International Association for Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) highlights exceptional individuals who have tirelessly served both the association and the industry for over 20 years with the Lifetime Service Award. This year, Franceen Gonzales, WhiteWater’s Chief Experience Officer, was honoured for her contributions to the development of water parks, especially in advocating for safety as well as helping emerging markets to succeed.

Franceen is no stranger to IAAPA, having served on the organization’s board from 2011 to 2013 and from 2019 to 2022. She has also been a member of IAAPA’s Global Manufacturers & Suppliers Committee since 2015, is a former board chair and board member of World Waterpark Association, and currently serves as the ASTM F24 Committee Chair. Her passion for safety is reflected in the committees she participates in as well as in her work. Always looking for ways to improve the attractions sector, you can often find Franceen reviewing recent safety incidents to determine if any changes or additions are needed in the standards.

From being a role model for female leadership to championing safety across the globe, Franceen continues to make indisputable impacts that strengthen the attractions industry. We are fortunate to have her insights and expertise at WhiteWater and are excited to see her recognized by IAAPA for her illustrious career.

Rainer Maelzer Named a Blooloop Top 50 Theme Park Influencer

Now in its fifth year, Blooloop 50 “aims to recognize the individuals developing the game-changing strategies, technologies, designs, and initiatives that are driving the theme park industry forward,” according to the organizer, a prominent attractions industry news outlet.

We are delighted to announce that Rainer Maelzer, President of WhiteWater ERA GmbH, was named to the 2022 Blooloop 50 Theme Park Influencer List. A visionary in the European market, Rainer started in the theme park industry in 1997 before co-founding wiegand.maelzer in 2006. Working passionately, Rainer transformed the German company into one of the top 10 water slide suppliers in the world and helped to contribute to the development of many European water parks, including Therme Erding, one of the largest thermal bath complexes in the world.

After joining WhiteWater, Rainer led the creation of a new office in Munich in May 2020. Explaining the motivation behind the relocation, he said, “We chose Munich because it is a perfect connection hub and has one of the biggest airports in Europe. The reputation of Germany is outstanding. When the time comes to expand, it will be easy for us to find strong engineers and new team members here. We wanted to have a local European company to simplify tax and legal transactions and to underline the idea of local for local.”

Still only at the beginning of his time with WhiteWater and already marking major milestones, we are excited to see what the future holds as Rainer continues to propel the European market forward with original ideas and a collaborative professional network.

WhiteWater is honoured to have Franceen and Rainer recognized for their hard work and dedication. Through leaders like these with decades of experience making a positive impact on the industry, we can offer our clients insider knowledge relating to successful design, operations, and even business development—above and beyond manufacturing.

For a full list of distinctions awarded to WhiteWater’s people and projects, click here or contact sales@whitewaterwest.com to discuss your ideas.