Mt. Olympus Water & Theme Park Earns Recognition
Poseidon's Rage wave pool at the Mt. Olympus Water & Theme Park has once again been given accolades for its innovative design in the 2005-2009 Top Projects Edition of the Wisconsin Real Estate & Construction Review. The 48,000 square foot pool produces waves up to 9 feet tall with a capacity of 2,800 patrons and is the only pool of it's kind in the midwest. Ramaker & Associates provided the aquatic design and engineering, building design and mechanical, electrical and plumbing design for this massive pool.
Click here to view the article online (pages 22-23).
Daryl Matzke Promoted to Vice President
Ramaker & Associates is proud to announce the promotion of Daryl Matzke, Director of Aquatics, to the position of Vice President.
Reporting to James Skowronski, President and CEO, Daryl will continue to provide leadership and strategic direction for the aquatics department while working as part of the management team to ensure the optimization of the company's work flow, growth and development.
In his positions as Department Manager and Director of Aquatics, Daryl has been instrumental in positioning Ramaker as the go-to firm for engineering services. In addition to Daryl’s role as the Director of Aquatics, he will now join the accomplished management team of James Skowronski (President) and Andrew Rice, Michael Pinske and Brandon Finley (Vice Presidents) as they continue to lead Ramaker & Associates into a bright future.
"Daryl will make an excellent addition to the management team" said James Skowronski. "He brings a variety of experiences and a fresh perspective into the mix of a solid group of company leaders. We’re all excited to welcome and assist Daryl with his new responsibilities."
Daryl directs the Aquatics Department at Ramaker & Associates, responsible for a broad range of functions including budgeting, staffing, and day-to-day operations management. He brings with him over twenty years of experience in civil and aquatic projects. Daryl’s development in his professional career at Ramaker & Associates has largely followed the firm’s notable strides. He joined Ramaker & Associates in 1997 as a Project Manager in the Civil Engineering department. Over the last twelve years, his role has progressively evolved from Project Manager to Department Manager of the civil and structural divisions, to the Director of Aquatics and now as Vice President. Daryl holds a B.S. degree in Civil Engineering from Michigan Technological University and is a licensed Professional Engineer in the state of Wisconsin.
Please share your warmest congratulations with Daryl!
Daryl Matzke, P.E.
Vice President / Director of Aquatics
(608) 643-4100
http://www.linkedin.com/in/darylmatzke
MIOX Technology Retained to Manage Water Quality at Radisson Hotel Albuquerque Water Park Opening in First Quarter 2010
"Albuquerque, NM – November 24, 2009 - MIOX Corporation, a leader in safe water disinfection, announced it has been awarded the service contract to provide aquatic sanitation for the new Water Park opening at the Radisson Hotel Albuquerque, New Mexico. The contract will include managing water quality and cleanliness for the Radisson’s five water features, including a 63,895-gallon river and slide plunge pool; 32,235-gallon activity pool; 12,577-gallon wading pool; 8,690-gallon spa; and a 57,230 gallon FlowRiderTM. The MIOX SmartStartTM lease program includes a mixed oxidant on-site generation system, training, remote monitoring and on-site preventive maintenance services."
Click here for a PDF of the full press release issued by the MIOX Corporation.
Industry Leader Honors Standout Aquatics Facilities with the 2009 Best of Aquatics
Each year Aquatics International magazine honors outstanding world-class public aquatic facilities of all varieties — including government, nonprofit and privately owned operations. This November will celebrate the eleventh annual Best of Aquatics issue.
Among this year’s winners is the Chaos Waterpark Resort in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Ramaker & Associates is the aquatic designer for the brand new 30,000 square foot, action-themed waterpark complete with entertaining water slides, activity pools, a lazy river and whirlpool!
Chaos Resort, the World’s First Comic Book Playground, is a departure from the usual "Lodge" or "Tropical" water park theme. Your child’s imagination will be let loose in the various "play zones" as they become the superhero that stops the bank heist, prevents tidal waves, or fends off alien abductions. The fun at this waterpark is not limited to just racing down the water slides. The focus is on interactive play in the waterpark and throughout the adjoining Action City Family Entertainment Center and the Metropolis Hotel.
Ramaker & Associates is proud to have been a part of such a unique and fun project and we want to congratulate the Owner and all the subcontractors for coming together to make this a reality!
The winners will be featured in a special Best of Aquatics supplement to the November/December issue of the magazine. All entries were judged by an independent panel of five industry experts. Judges considered factors including programming, promotional materials, aquatic amenities and community involvement.
For more information on Action City please visit: http://www.chaosresort.com/
Ramaker & Associates' Designs Earn Top Project of 2008 Award
Ramaker & Associates' Metropolis Hotel project received acknowledgement as a Top Project of 2008 by the Daily Reporter and the Wisconsin Builder. The project was also featured in the May edition of the Wisconsin Builder magazine.
Click here to view the feature article.
Virginia Graeme Baker Pool & Spa Safety Act Compliance
All public pools and spas have until December 19, 2008 to have ASME/ANSI A112.19.8-2007 compliant drain covers safely and securely installed and a 2nd anti-entrapment system installed where there is only a single main drain.
Click here to find out what this means for your facility!
New information posted 12/31/09.
Wisconsin DHFS Codes (HFS 172.37) have changed!
Your water slides must be inspected by a structural engineer every 5 years!
Ramaker & Associates can help!
Call us for a free inspection estimate at 1-800-332-7532.
Click here to review the new code (see page 15).
Wisconsin Comm 90 Code: Public Swimming Pools and Water Attractions - Under Review
A public hearing was held on Tuesday, July 8, 2008 to consider possible code changes.
Click here for a summary of the public hearing information.
Click here to review the proposed rules.
Ramaker & Associates' Designs Earn Top Projects of 2007 Awards
February 2008: On April 29, 2008, two of Ramaker & Associates' projects
received acknowledgement as Top Projects of 2007 by the
Daily Reporter and the
Wisconsin Builder.
The projects are Poseidon's Rage at Mt. Olympus Water & Theme Park in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin and the University Club Tower in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The projects were also featured in the May edition of the
Wisconsin Builder magazine.
Click here to view the article.
Poseidon's Rage at Mt. Olympus
Surf's Up in Wisconsin
Press Release 07/09/07: Ramaker & Associates’ newest pool
design launched with a splash last Friday with a grand opening celebration. Poseidon’s Rage, a massive surf pool with
nine-foot waves opened at Mt. Olympus Water & Theme Park in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin. This pool is the second of its
kind in the nation and the only one in the Midwest.
The idea for the surf pool was conceived in November 2006 at an industry trade show. The project was coordinated and
fast-tracked so that Mt. Olympus’ summer visitors could ride the wave. Construction began in January and the pool was
opened June 30, 2007. Ramaker & Associates provided the aquatic design, engineering, mechanical/electrical/plumbing, and
construction inspection services.
Nearly 100 of Ramaker & Associates’ employees and their family members joined the public to attend the grand opening
celebration on Friday, July 6 and enjoyed the surf first-hand.
Poseidon's Rage WOW Stats
- Pool Area: 48,000 square feet
- Waves ride the full 350 ft length of the pool
- Pool system volume: 1.3 million gallons
- Surf pool price tag: $7 million
- Capacity: 4,000 people, without inner tubes. Surfing takes place only after the pool is cleared of guests
- Amount of Concrete to Construct the Pool: 4,650 cubic yards (5,000 cubic yards including deck)
- Second largest surf pool in the U.S. (Typhoon Lagoon at Disney World holds 2.7 million gallons)
- Four turbine pumps move 20,000 gallons per minute each, total 80,000 gallons per minute to
create a 9-foot surfing wave. The wave is almost twice as high as Typhoon Lagoon’s.
- A chamber holds 116,000 gallons of water until it is released as a 9’ surf wave every 90 seconds. Only seven similar pools exist world-wide.
"Satisfying Surfers"
Article in the July 7, 2007
Wisconsin State Journal about the new surf
pool at Mt. Olympus.
Click here for the article.
Ramaker Family Listed as a Power Family
The Ramaker family, of Sauk City, Wisconsin, is among those listed as Power Families in the February 2007 Power Issue of
Aquatics International magazine.
Click here for a PDF of the article.
"Wave of the future: Waterpark industry goes to the extreme"
James Skowronski, President of Ramaker & Associates, contributes to an article in the
Wisconsin State Journal
about the growth of the water park industry.
Click here for a PDF of
the article.
Ramaker & Associates’ Experts Speak at Waterpark Conference for Developers
Hotel and resort developers from across the USA, Mexico & Canada met in Glendale, Arizona on March 1 & 2, 2007 to learn more
about the phenomenal growth of indoor water parks as part of mixed-use resort projects as well the details of how to do it
successfully. Focused on the future, the workshop featured new sessions on surfparks, whitewater river parks, indoor skiing
on real snow, condo-hotels, preparing to meet the money, raising equity and arranging for loans on such projects.
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James Skowronski, P.E., President of Ramaker & Associates spoke about his experience with Holiday Inns and their new Holidome® concept spreading across the U.S.
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Duane Wepking, P.E., a Project Manager with Ramaker & Associates spoke about the mega-resorts
the company is working with and how they are influencing the water park industry.
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The development workshop was held at the Thunderbird School of International Management. The conference was limited to the
first 180 registrants. For more information, go to the
conference website.
Ramaker Addressed ARDA 2007 Attendees
Terry Ramaker, CEO of Ramaker & Associates, was invited to speak at the American Resort Development Association’s
(ARDA) annual conference in Orlando in March. He was part of a panel discussion titled, "Are We There Yet? –
Increasing Owner Satisfaction." The discussion focused on today’s travelers and their high expectations for recreation
and leisure programs at resorts. Ramaker addressed the keys to offering high-quality recreation and activity programs
and how to match these programs to varying market areas.
ARDA is a professional association representing the vacation ownership and resort development industries. The ARDA Convention
& Exposition is the industry's leading event that provides new information and services for all resort development professionals. For more information, visit
www.arda.org.
