Wednesday, December 02, 2009

Cudos to the Avant-Garde

Is there a particular reason that we keep seeing our users in the news for top performance recognition? Is it just chance that these facilities keep scoring accolades for their organizations. I'm not suggesting that it is because they are using SureWater products that they are garnering recognition, but there is an interesting correlation. SureWater users tend to operate within the realm of the avant-garde. Innovation is the hallmark of these people who search for the "best" answer to an issue, not just any answer. People who are motivated to go above and beyond in seeking solutions for the future, not just to get through to tomorrow. Courageous people, who strive to open pathways through political and industrial bureaucratic terrain for their peers to follow.

Wikipedia took this definition of avant-garde from encyclopedia.com and I love how it frames the innovators in our industry. The term, "avant-garde", was originally used to describe the foremost part of an army advancing into battle (also called the vanguard) and now applies to any group that considers itself innovative and ahead of the majority. It goes on, the vanguard, a small troop of highly skilled soldiers, explores the terrain ahead of a large advancing army and plots a course for the army to follow. Great word picture! This is exactly what the avant-garde in the recreational water industry are doing every day in their respective work places and industry networks. They apply this attitude to every aspect of their jobs. This is why you will not only find them employing cutting edge technologies in their pump rooms, but you will also find innovation uniquely present in every element of their operation. Does everyone who operates in the realm of the avant-garde receive recognition for this attribute? Not hardly! But recognition is superfluous to the avant-garde. Above all is service. Service to their industry, service to their employer, and service to themselves. Nothing more, nothing less will do.

I see it as part of my job to high light some of the successes of our users that might otherwise and unfortunately go unnoticed. Congratulations to the Fox Valley Park District in Aurora, IL for receiving theGold Medal Award (Class II) for Excellence in Park and Recreation Management presented by the American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration at the recent NRPA Congress in Salt Lake City, UT. Special cudos goes out to the Fox Valley Aquatics Staff for their leadership and dedication to innovation in the field of Aquatic Facility Management. A long term user of SureWater Technologies feed systems, Fox Valley very successfully utilizes both "The Solution" for disinfection purposes and "The Solution X-2" for pH control in all of their indoor and outdoor swimming pools.

Fox Valley's Splash Country Waterpark



Congratulations are also in order for the Chaos Waterpark Resort in Eau Claire, WI for being selected by Aquatics International Magazine as the Best Waterpark Resort in their 2009 Best of Aquatics Competition. Chaos Waterpark, an exiting new themed attraction of the Metropolis Resort, employs SureWater High Capacity Feed Systems as an integral component of their innovative "green-friendly" strategy to facility management and resource conservation. Special thanks and congrats to Barry Thompson of the Metropolis Resort and Al Neumann of AJ Contract Services in Wausau for their avant-garde approach to water quality and facility management!

Chaos Waterpark Resort



Who will be the next wave in the Aquatics Avant-Garde? Forge on people!

No comments: