Kodi and Victor Imondi are a couple of dreamers with a passion for water sports. That passion and lot of hard work led to the creation of the Imondi Wake Zone on a 30-acre lake west of Fruita.
Building a water sports park in the middle of the high desert of western Colorado may not seem to make the most sense. Don’t tell that to Kodi or Victor, whose venture is starting its seventh season.
Imondi Wake Zone is the Rocky Mountain region’s only cable park operation. The concept is relatively simple, but widely unknown: a cable park for water sports is similar to what a ski lift is for snow sports. An overhead moving cable allows participants to enjoy water sports without the need (or expense) of a boat. The mechanical system gently tows wakeboarders around the lake, allowing them to simply cruise or try any of the rails and ramps the Imondis have installed. The upright pull and consistently smooth water allow water sports aficionados from beginner to pro practice their skills. The Imondis recommend their clientele be six or older and they must be able to swim.
Kodi grew up on the water, spending much of her childhood on Lake Powell. Her love of boating and water was something she would carry into adulthood. In his youth, Victor was pushing the limits of speed and skill on land racing motocross. A delayed motocross competition in Texas would put him on a wakeboard for the first time. That chance encounter opened a new world of adrenaline and adventure. He was hooked. Victor never returned to motocross after that weekend. He had no way of knowing then that this newfound experience would change the course of his life.
Kodi was continuing to embrace her longtime hobby while Victor was just beginning to immerse himself in wakeboarding. Separately, they both became familiar with the cable park model that was gaining popularity throughout the country. It’s common for local wakeboarders to connect online. The sport requires a boat and at least 3 people, making community essential to riding. Serendipitously, it was a wakeboarding meet-up website that brought Kodi and Victor together.
Their first date was on the water and today they have been married for 10 years. Their love for the sport and their vision of making wakeboarding more accessible became a shared passion, which they pursued together.
Actualizing the dream would prove to be a steep challenge.
Seventeen banks denied the Imondis a loan. They cited everything from lack of business experience to the banks’ own unfamiliarity with cable park systems.
Then they discovered the Business Loan Fund at the Business Incubator Center. The Loan Fund was created to enable businesses to grow, create jobs and improve the local economy. Ninety-five percent of the businesses that have received loans have succeeded, adding jobs and additional tax dollars to the Mesa County economy. The Imondis also took the Incubator’s Bookkeeping Boot Camp class.
The Business Incubator Center and its various programs enabled the Imondis to turn their passion into a thriving business.
They’re not done. What started as a wakeboarding cable park has expanded to include western Colorado’s largest inflatable water park, paddleboarding, and a fully stocked pro shop. This spring they will open an on-site bar and grill. The couple also have big plans to bring wakeboarding competitions to the western slope, adding to the outdoor mecca that Grand Junction is known to be, and further solidifying their place in the sport that inspired it all.