With 25 Years of Hands-On Experience and an Owner-Operator Perspective, Nielsen Brings Unmatched Expertise as Landmark Enters the Next Era of Waterpark Innovation

Landmark Aquatic is pleased to now have Craig Nielsen as Vice President of Strategic Partnerships. Nielsen founded and led CEM Aquatics for over 25 years before CEM’s acquisition by Landmark in early 2026. Bringing a rare blend of design, construction, and owner-operator experience to Landmark’s leadership team, Nielsen’s elevation to this role signals Landmark’s commitment to leading the waterpark industry through what Nielsen calls its most exciting period of transformation yet.

Nielsen has watched the waterpark industry evolve from the ground up. “In the early 2000s, the model was remarkably consistent — flume slides, tube rides, lazy rivers, and a snack bar,” he recalls. “The most sophisticated technology on the property was probably the water chemistry controller.” The first seismic shift came when brands like Great Wolf Lodge inverted the traditional waterpark model, making the indoor waterpark the hotel’s core amenity rather than a side attraction. “Suddenly, a family destination that once operated 90 days a year was generating revenue 365 days a year — making it a fundamentally different business.”

Today, the competitive field has widened dramatically. Hotel chains, casino operators, cruise lines, and mixed-use real estate developers are all investing in waterparks as proven drivers of occupancy and revenue. Nielsen speaks from firsthand experience as co-owner of Cowabunga Canyon in Summerlin and Cowabunga Park in Henderson, Nevada. “Consumers today are often selecting their vacation resorts based on the waterpark offerings,” he says. “The secret is out — waterparks attract people, and everyone is building them.”

Looking ahead, Nielsen points to surf parks, next-generation adventure rivers, and AI-powered guest experiences as the defining frontiers of waterpark development. “Surf parks today are where indoor waterpark resorts were in the early 2000s — those who embrace them in the next three to five years will have a significant first-mover advantage,” he says. On technology, Nielsen is equally bullish: “AI is already improving everything from water chemistry to pump operations.

Soon, interactive AI experiences that track guests, create competitions, and reward participation will become the norm — it’s genuinely exciting.”

It is precisely this convergence of technology, capital, and consumer appetite that Nielsen intends to help Landmark Aquatic navigate. “Technology, capital, and a genuinely evolved consumer appetite for water-based experiences are converging in a way I haven’t seen in 25 years,” he says. “The barriers that once limited this industry — seasonality, demographic reach, geographic constraints — are all disappearing simultaneously. The wave is building, and I’m proud to help Landmark ride it.”

About Landmark Aquatic

Landmark Aquatic is a premier provider of commercial aquatic facility design, construction, and maintenance, with more than six decades of industry leadership. Serving clients nationwide, Landmark delivers construction-led solutions supported by its CPO-certified AquatiCare maintenance team, ensuring excellence “for the life of your pool.” Committed to the full lifecycle of every facility, Landmark prioritizes long-term partnerships while adapting to client needs through exceptional service, operational excellence, and forward-thinking solutions.

Contact info:

Website: www.landmarkaquatic.com

Email: [email protected]

Ph:1-888-871-2887

RENOLIT is pleased to offer its ‘Natural Pool’ collection of reinforced membranes specifically developed to be used on ‘natural’ or ‘bio’ swimming pools and ponds. Manufactured without biocides or fungicides, this product is completely compatible and safe to use with plants and aquatic life. The ‘Natural Pool’ product is a non-toxic polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pool membrane created to help builders and landscape designers easily offer this trending ‘natural swimming pool’ to environmentally conscious consumers.

A natural swimming pool is a constructed body of water that replicates the conditions found in naturally occurring ponds or lakes and optimizes these conditions to provide high water quality for bathers. The system is often completely chemical-free, with no devices that disinfect or sterilize the water (e.g. UV, ozone, ionizers, etc.).

For the most successful ‘natural swimming pool’ applications, the pool interior needs to be non-porous. As a result, a PVC membrane is ideal rather than plaster or gunite which are both porous and allow excessive biofilm growth, making it difficult to keep the pool clean.

Natural swimming pools are becoming more popular as consumers demand more sustainable and eco-friendly alternatives. Advancements in biofiltration and PVC membranes are making these pools more accessible and efficient. Learn more at https://renolit-alkorplan.com/collections/natural-pool

Phone number: (219) 324-6886 I Website: https://renolit-alkorplan.com/

Location: LaPorte, Indiana

HENDERSON, NV—April 7, 2026—Structure Studios is redefining the gold standard in pool and landscape design with the launch of Version 4. Today’s major update to Vip3D, Pool Studio, and VizTerra streamlines the workflow for thousands of professionals worldwide who rely on the suite to deliver more than two million projects every year.

Built on a redesigned 3D engine, the update introduces significant advancements in rendering quality, real-time performance, workflow efficiency, and the most comprehensive library expansion in company history. This update is designed to help pool and landscape professionals create photorealistic 3D designs faster and produce precise, accurate, construction-ready plans.

Version 4 redefines what’s possible in outdoor design by pairing high-end visualization with an intuitive workflow. The next-generation rendering engine introduces Path Tracing to simulate real-world lighting behavior with incredible accuracy. With options like DLSS and dynamic Global Illumination, designers can now leverage the key tools in Version 4 to achieve significantly improved performance without sacrificing visual quality, even when rendering complex scenes with realistic lighting, reflections, and indirect light.

“Version 4 is the most significant leap forward we’ve taken,” said Noah Nehlich, Founder and President of Structure Studios. “We rebuilt our engine from the ground up to deliver dramatically better visuals and faster performance. Our goal wasn’t just to make the water look better; we wanted to make the entire design-to-build workflow feel completely seamless. Whether you’re a new designer, an experienced professional, or part of a high-volume design-build firm, Version 4 provides you with tools to achieve spectacular results straight out of the box and close more sales.”

Key Features in Version 4

• Path Tracing & Advanced Lighting: A redesigned rendering engine delivers beautiful, instant results with precise new controls for fine-tuning specific moods and artistic styles.
• DLSS & Global Illumination: Real-time performance is dramatically improved. Fully dynamic indirect lighting and reflections now simulate how light interacts between objects with greater accuracy than ever before.
• HDRI Skies: Designers can now create more realistic skies and lighting environments by selecting from the library of HDRI skies or importing their own custom options.
• 1,000+ New Library Assets: Version 4 adds 456 new plant and tree models, 148 new materials (including 65 brick options, 14 marble styles, and 30 stacked stone options), 165 new furniture pieces, and 380 additional library items, including a completely new Dynamic Door System and updated Dynamic Rockwork.
• Expanded GIS Data: Designers can now automatically generate parcel lines, setbacks, 3D structures, and property information directly within the workflow.
• Cross Sections & Scaled 3D Plan Views: New features allow designers to cut precise cross sections through any project and export full-color scaled 3D plan views, simplifying the path from concept to construction.
• Expanded Grid Size: The design grid now supports projects up to 2,550 ft x 2,550 ft, accommodating even the most ambitious commercial and residential projects.
• Default System: Designers can now save preferred settings, styles, fonts, and page templates as defaults, which can be applied automatically to every new project to streamline the design process.

Availability

Version 4 of Vip3D, Pool Studio, and VizTerra is available now. Current members can download the update immediately. New users can start a free 30-day trial or learn more about Structure Studios’ professional landscape and pool design software at structurestudios.com.

About Structure Studios

Structure Studios is the developer of Vip3D, Pool Studio, and VizTerra—the professional standard in 3D outdoor living and landscape design software. Used by pool builders, landscape designers, and outdoor living professionals worldwide, Structure Studios software helps designers create compelling 3D presentations that earn client trust and close more deals. Headquartered in Henderson, Nevada, Structure Studios has spent two decades building the tools that help designers do their best work. Learn more at structurestudios.com.