Posted: July 30, 2010

Don Shearon, partner, Ocean Innovations, Virginia Beach

By Danielle Walker

danielle.walker@insidebiz.com

For Don Shearon, being in the wave technology business has been a wild ride. Ocean Innovations, a Virginia Beach business that specializes in creating patented wave and water technology, officially started in 2006 - just a couple of years before the economy tanked.

So when special effects studio Zircon FX contacted Ocean Innovations in October 2009 to use its patented, portable wave generator for Universal Pictures' film, "Charlie St. Cloud," Shearon saw the opportunity as a "light at the end of the tunnel."

Universal was "trying to use different sources to get one key shot, a pivotal scene in the movie," Shearon said. "They called us up, and we [became] the 'martini shot' - the very last shot in the movie. They needed a very specific wave," Shearon said.

He is a partner in the business with principal Garrett Johnson, a Virginia Beach native who founded the company. From the time Zircon called, the business had two weeks to get its portable wave generator to Vancouver, Canada, where the film was being shot.

Johnson, who also owns his own development company, Garrett Johnson Inc., which he started in 2000, came up with the concept for Ocean Innovations because it seemed like a perfect fit in this location.

"We are in an ocean town and wanted to be creative with wave technology," Johnson said. The business works in a diverse range of industries - from water sports and parks, to water-pumping systems used for flood protection and high-volume debris pumping.

Some of the company's patented technologies include its "liquid slide" wave-ride and pool invention, and its surf kayak simulator.

Its entrance into the film industry was cemented when its "Charlie St. Cloud" project was completed last fall.

Ocean Innovations has slowly but surely been able to reap the benefits of diversifying. Shearon explained that while many resorts within the water park industry had been "in a survival mode" during the recession, his company's willingness to branch out has been the key to staying above water.

"The sales cycle in our industry is very slow," said Shearon. "To go through everything, you may have to [spend] six figures - attorney fees, patent fees."

But, he added, "If you come up with something everyone wants, it's well worth it."

Since Ocean Innovations' start, Shearon has helped Johnson with the creative, sales and marketing aspect of the business. Johnson's first invention was "the crusher," an ecofriendly machine that crushed and recycled concrete from demolished buildings.

The company has worked with engineering giant Cloward H20 for about two years. Cloward H20, a Provo, Utah-based company, has completed projects such as Atlantis the Palm, a 120-acre water park in Dubai.

While Ocean Innovations' entrance into the film industry may have seemed like a stroke of luck for the company, Johnson said the tables have been turning for a while.

"It's just a good industry to get into," he said. "Construction is slow, and they're still making movies and money in Hollywood."

Jeff Frizzell, director of the Hampton Roads Film Office, said the economic impact of the film industry for the region has reached a $120 million average over the last four years. He also said about 750 jobs are created annually.

The figures were compiled by the state's film office.

Despite the fact that Ocean Innovations is a relatively new company, its perseverance is beginning to pay off, Johnson said.

"It takes a little while to get it off the ground. We've been working on it for eight or nine years, but it's matured a lot."