Company Backgrounder
Company History
Bruce McFarland’s love of surfing and skill in engineering lead him to design, develop and manufacture a new way to create artificial waves so that people of all skill levels could learn how to surf. McFarland grew up surfing in Manhattan Beach, CA and has a long family history of surfers, starting with his great uncle, Charles Wright, who is recognized as one of San Diego’s first surfers, taught by the great Duke Kahanamoku. ”. In 1989, Bruce met an attorney looking to develop sheet flow for waterparks. A partnership in WaveLoch Tool & Die ensued and for 10 years Bruce helped transform the fledgling operation into a well-known supplier of sheet flow machines. Independently consulting in 2000, Bruce was introduced to river surfing. By observing nature, researching, and scale modeling he realized he could replicate standing waves in an endless wave machine. McFarland founded American Wave Machines, Inc. (AWM) to focus on the development of artificial wave technology. The core focus of the company since then has been on engineering consulting, research and development. The company introduced the first standing wave machine, SurfStream, in 2006. AWM’s approach to achieve real innovation requires flexibility, a seasoned, multi-disciplined team, and frequent use of prototyping. The AWM team is comprised of engineers and hydraulics modelers who merge practical experience with experimental and scientific methodology. The team takes an incremental approach to prototyping that mitigates uncertainty before full scale production.
The Team
- Bruce McFarland, founder, President and CEO Prior to AWM, Bruce was a partner in Biomotive Engineering, providing mechanical design and engineering services to the aerospace, amusement and biotechnology industries. His background also includes engineering positions at TRW and as a consultant at Structural Dynamics Research Corporation (SDRC). While there, Bruce simulated the structural dynamics of spacecraft in a highly analytical environment. Bruce received a Master of Science degree in engineering with an emphasis on fluid dynamics and experimental methods from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 1982.
- Marie O’Reilly McFarland, Principal Marie’s professional background includes partner at Biomotive Engineering and positions at Scripps Institute of Oceanography, Hewlett Packard (HP) and Hughes Aircraft Company. At HP, she won the System Engineer of the Year award providing strategic sales support. Marie received a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 1980.
- Jenna Munguia Business Operations