ABOUT THE PANELIST

William (Bill) L. Haralson is the principal of William L. Haralson & Associates Inc., which he founded in 1981. The Alto, N.M.-based economics consulting firm specializes in market and financial feasibility studies for waterparks and other types of recreation and entertainment attractions. Since conducting his first water attraction feasibility study, Haralson has conducted nearly 1,000 studies for wave pools, waterparks and hotel/waterpark resorts. Prior to founding WLHA, he worked 10 years for Economics Research Associates. Haralson is a graduate of the University of Missouri.

 

Owner:City of North Richland Hills

Year opened:1995

Size:17 acres

Retail price of adult 1-day ticket: $23.99

Staff:400, peak season

NRH2O is one of the nation’s most successful publicly owned waterparks. It is owned and operated by the city of North Richland Hills, hence the use of the initials NRH, combined with the chemical symbol for water, H2O. Since the waterpark opened in 1995, operators have added several signature attractions, including the Green Extreme water coaster. Attendance during NRH2O’s first year was approximately 180,000, and has ranged between 214,000 and 265,000 since then.