PYEK Group

Ray DeLaughter is one of the partners and founders of Pyek Group. He has a unique skill-set that comes from experience as a small business owner and experience consulting with Fortune 500 companies. Ray is also the founder and CEO of VantageCFO, a consulting firm that offers fractional CFO services to a variety of small and medium-sized companies. Prior to starting VantageCFO, Ray worked in the Mergers & Acquisitions and Restructuring Group at Deloitte Consulting. He has extensive experience in finance, including capital sourcing, performance management, organization restructuring, and investment due diligence. Ray has a BA in Finance from Texas A&M University and an MBA from the University of North Carolina.

Keith Dalton, a graduate from Texas A&M, is an accomplished commercial construction professional with 28+ years of experience. As President/Owner of KDW, he leads a skilled team that has completed diverse projects totaling 10 million sq. ft. Keith collaborates with global companies constructing single-tenant industrial facilities in Houston. Notable clients include Goya Foods, NOV ReedHycalog, TAM International, Aker Solutions, Bauer, Schlumberger, Noble, among others. With a background in projects at Disney, Universal, and Sea World, Keith brings expertise from his eight-year tenure in Orlando.

Additionally, Keith is a partner at Kingham Dalton Investments, focusing on real estate developments—offices, retail centers, multi-family complexes, and raw land investments. A native Houstonian residing in Katy for 15 years, Keith actively engages with organizations like the Greater Houston Partnership, CorNet, Katy EDC, and Waller County EDC.

Terry Hlavinka, the principal at Hlavinka Equipment Company, has a remarkable background in farming and ranching that dates back to his high school days. Upon graduating from Texas A&M, Terry joined Hlavinka Equipment, a company originally established by his grandfather, Joe Hlavinka. Through his efforts, Terry successfully ventured into new markets and established the company as the leading Case-IH dealer in the state, in terms of sales volume. Under his guidance, the business has flourished and now operates from nine different locations.

In addition to his role at Hlavinka Equipment, Terry is also a landowner with approximately 22,000 acres of land in the greater Houston area. This land is utilized for various agricultural purposes. Furthermore, Terry recently made an acquisition that further solidifies his presence in the industry. He purchased the second largest commercial rice and grain storage facility in the Texas Gulf Coast, expanding his reach and influence in the region.

Evan Barnett is a 25 year veteran of the waterpark industry. Currently, Evan serves as the President Pyek Group, LLC Typhoon Texas & Cowabunga Vegas, Houstons, Austins & Las Vegas' premier waterpark destination. At just age 16 he started as a park services employee cleaning up trash and restrooms. Not a glamorous job, but one that highlights Evan’s servant leadership attitude and mindset.

Under his leadership, the park has received the Executive Board Award from the World Waterpark Association and the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) Brass Ring Award for the best employee recognition program. Barnett graduated from The University of Texas at Dallas with a Masters in Business Administration.

Brannan Holland is an avid problem-solver, a technology enthusiast, and the Solutions Architect for Pyek Group, leading strategic planning, hardware and software solutions design, and management in four major water parks – Typhoon Texas Waterpark and Cowabunga Vegas – across two locations in the United States.

Brannan has had extensive experience in the parks and recreation industry, spanning over 13 years. He started his career in operations and maintenance for water parks and resorts, working in multiple leadership positions and leading operations and maintenance teams.

Recently, Brannan has channeled his love for problem-solving into providing technological solutions to problems within the parks and recreation industry.

In 2019, he took over managing the technological needs of Typhoon Texas Waterpark and, in two years, transitioned to managing hardware and software solutions architecture for Pyek Group, taking on the challenge of strategic planning, training, operations, and maintenance, from a technological perspective.

Beyond his work at Pyek, Brannan enjoys relaxing with friends, family, and his pups. He enjoys seafood, anything Asian, and spice! He also has a passion for home automation!

With instructor certification in Aquatic Facility Operations, Lifeguard Training, Pool and Spa Operations, Brannan is a well-rounded solutions architect with a deep-rooted foundation in operations and maintenance.

John Pham serves as the Director of Marketing for PYEK Group. In his current role, he specializes in brand management, social media, digital media, traditional media, creative, partnership, public relations, and much more! He began his career in the waterpark industry at Typhoon Texas Houston as the Operations Manager in December 2015 and has since overseen multiple departments, including water safety, risk management, admissions, partnerships, points of sale, and guest experience.

During his time at Typhoon Texas, the park has been awarded the 2022 #1 Best Waterpark in Houston & Austin, Texas by the Houston Chronicle and Austin Family, received the Executive Board Award from the World Waterpark Association, the Brass Ring Award for the best employee recognition program from IAAPA and the World Waterpark Association’s Wave Review Award for all categories within the last two years. Pham is always seeking new opportunities to develop others, learn from industry professionals and network with the best in the industry. He currently serves on WWA’s Marketing & Communications Committee.

Before joining Typhoon Texas Waterpark, Pham graduated from Sam Houston State University in 2014 with a bachelor of business administration degree then worked as a real estate agent in the State of Texas, where he focused on commercial leasing and residential sales.

When he has time in his schedule, he enjoys practicing real estate by referral, spending time with his loving family, attending every crawfish boil, and hanging by the non-waterpark pool with friends.

Vineeta Juthani serves as the Controller for Pyek Group and brings over 13 years of professional experience in the Accounting, Audit, and Finance realm. She specializes in delivering financial statements, fraud management, and data analytics, with a strong background in point-of-sale systems. Vineeta graduated with honors during her first Master's in Commerce from Mumbai University, India. She pursued her second Masters in Professional Accounting from Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. Vineeta thrives in the dynamic and versatile environment of the Waterpark and Entertainment Industry and works with the principle – Stay humble, working hard and being kind.

Walter is a 43-year veteran of the Theme Park/Water Park business, having started at Six Flags at the age of 16. He spent the next 30 years working at various Six Flags parks (Atlanta, Houston and Los Angeles). He later spent time at Alabama Adventure near Birmingham and after a few years as an industry consultant he returned to the parks at Schlitterbahn in Galveston in 2015. Walter joined Typhoon Texas Waterpark in Houston, Texas in 2016 as the Revenue Director, where he oversaw Food & Beverage, Retail, Rentals, Front Gate and Group Sales.

In November of 2021, Typhoon Texas branched out to include Water Parks in Las Vegas, Nevada. Walter was named to the newly created position of Senior Director of Revenue Operations for the company’s parks in Texas and Las Vegas. Walter received his BS in Hospitality Management from Georgia State University and is a member of the IAAPA Food & Beverage Committee.

Chisholm Tate is a graduate of Texas Tech University and currently serves as the Director of Human Resources. He brings 12 years of Human Resources experience to Pyek Group, Typhoon Texas, and Cowabunga Vegas with his last position being Director of Human Resources for an Engineering Consulting firm.

In June 2021, Chisholm passed the SHRM – CP HR certification test. Chisholm also has experience in the hospitality/restaurant industry and is excited about learning all about the Amusement/Water Park industry. Chisholm has a passion for ensuring the employees that are hired for the Company enjoy what they do and are placed in the best possible position for success that will allow the Company to succeed.

Jesse is a 23-year veteran in the aquatics industry, managing and operating municipal facilities, competitive aquatic facilities and water parks. He began his career as a 15 year old lifeguard, quickly rising in the ranks as a LGI and WSI. From there, Jesse has held numerous leadership positions in the industry.

Jesse is also a Veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom and served in the United States Army Reserves for 18 years. His skill set as a wheeled vehicle mechanic and recovery specialist have provided Jesse with unique maintenance skills and team leadership.

Jesse also holds a Global MBA from the University of Houston-Victoria, where he also earned his undergraduate degree. He enjoys teaching others in the industry on a number of maintenance and water quality subjects, and is now a resident presenter for the annual AIMS International Safety Seminar.

In his spare time, Jesse enjoys movie nights with his wife Mandy, and two kids, Jackson and Anya. Jesse is also an amateur astronomer, Youtuber, and action sports camera operator.

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Allannha Eyerly began her career in the waterpark industry in 2014 over seeing day-today operations. In 2017, she continued her career with Typhoon Texas Austin managing admissions, the point of sale system, guest experience, and accounts payable. Currently, she serves as the Point-of-Sale Manager for PYEK group where she manages the operation of our point-of-sale system. While employed for Typhoon Texas, Allannha earned a Bachelor’s of Arts in Business with a concentration in management from Texas A&M Central Texas University.

On her days off, she enjoys spending time with her husband Neil, 4 children (Scarlette, Evalynn, Beckham, and Harper), and dog Stetson. She loves movie nights on the lawn, reading, visiting family and friends in Texas, and exploring local shops in Waterford, Pennsylvania.

Cade Vereen is the Regional General Manager for Cowabunga Las Vegas Waterparks. Vereen has worked in the waterpark industry since 2010 starting as a lifeguard. Vereen quickly climb the ranks and has had the opportunity to lead in many different areas of the industry. Vereen was the Regional Director for Hawaiian Falls, and then was selected to be the Director of Operations at Typhoon Texas. After a very successful inaugural season, he transitioned into the Director of Revenue.

From a young age Vereen knew that he wanted to work in the waterpark industry; he now has the privilege to live out his dream and have a positive impact on thousands of people each day.

Jessi started on the front lines when she was 19 and worked her way up in the company. Fast forward 7 years later as she held her position as the youngest Vice President at Kentucky Kingdom. As the VP of Guest Experience, Jessi oversaw more than 1,000 seasonal team members. Her operational and business expertise include Admissions, Revenue, Attractions, Sales, PR and Security as well as many behind the scenes operations including.

Outside of her day job, Jessi continues to volunteer her time to IAAPA as the chair of the Young Professionals Subcommittee and serving on the North American Regional Advisory Committees. Jessi is thrilled to bring her experience and passion for the water park industry to Typhoon Texas! Jessi is driven to continue the legacy of the Typhoon Texas brand as well as continue to provide the best possible experience to all guests.