Geoff Chutter

Geoff Chutter (born 1952) is the founder, president and CEO of WhiteWater West, the world’s largest designer and manufacturer of water parks.[1]

Early life

Chutter was born and raised and in Vancouver, British Columbia. His father was an engineer for a Lafarge cement plant; his father’s work temporarily relocated the family to Paris where Chutter attended high school.[2] He earned a degree as an accountant from University of Toronto.[3]

Career

While working as an auditor for KPMG, he visited the first waterslide park in Canada, located in Kelowna.[4] He founded WhiteWater West in 1980, together with his uncle, in Penticton, Canada.[5] That location has since closed,[6] but in 2020, the company has over 5,000 installments, 600 employees, and international offices.[7]

He was a candidate in the Vancouver Quadra political race in 1993 as a member of the Conservative party.[2]

Personal life

Chutter is unmarried with one child from a previous marriage. His son Paul joined the family business in 2014 as chief business development officer.[4]

Awards
  • 2000: Chutter and Whitewater were inducted into The World Waterpark Association Hall of Fame.[8]
  • 2013: Chutter was named one of Aquatics International’s most influential people.[9]
  • 2019: Ernst & Young’s Canadian Entrepreneur of the Year in 2019[10][11]
  • 2019: Outstanding Service Award by the Global Association for the Attractions (IAAPA)[12]

References
  1. Murphy, Jessica (2020-04-01). "The man who designs the world's water parks". BBC News. Retrieved 2020-04-01.
  2. "Profile: Geoff Chutter, founder and CEO, WhiteWater West". Business in Vancouver. Retrieved 2020-04-01.
  3. "Bloomberg - Geoff Chutter". bloomberg.com. Retrieved 2020-04-01.
  4. "Whitewater West Industries Ltd.: Canada's Best Managed Companies 2019 - Canadian Business". canadianbusiness.com. Retrieved 2020-04-01.
  5. "WhiteWater West Celebrating 30 Years in Waterpark Industry". athleticbusiness.com. Retrieved 2020-04-01.
  6. Mckenzie, Kevin Hinton & Ryan. "BCBusiness". BCBusiness. Retrieved 2020-04-01.
  7. ago, Gabrielle • 4 months (2019-12-05). "Geoff Chutter is Ernst and Young's Canadian Entrepreneur of the Year 2019 winner". InterPark. Retrieved 2020-04-01.
  8. "2015AwardHistory.pdf" (PDF).
  9. "Geoff Chutter | Aquatics International Magazine". aquaticsintl.com. Retrieved 2020-04-01.
  10. "Geoff Chutter of WhiteWater named EY Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2019 national winner | EY Canada". ey.com. Retrieved 2020-04-01.
  11. Kleiman, Joe. "Ernst & Young names WhiteWater's Geoff Chutter as Entrepreneur Of The Year". InPark Magazine. Retrieved 2020-04-01.
  12. "IAAPA Awards Honor Industry Leaders | IAAPA". iaapa.org. Retrieved 2020-04-01.
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