Leisure

BUSINESS & MONEY : BUSINESS PROFILEA QuackingGood Time!WRITTEN BY Cristina De León-Menjivarphotographed by CHRIS ROBERTSONIts big, its yellow and it likes water and land. You’ve probably seen it. Infact, you’ve probably stared at it and wondered what it does and whyit’s shaped like a large duck.inception, business has been steadily growing, and Gerald Tautenhahnstated that they are eagerly anticipating business this summer as moretourists make their way to the city.It’s the hydra-terra vehicle used by the Rubber Duck Tours of LongBeach, and if you have an hour, their guides will make even city nativesfeel like they’re a tourist in their own backyard.The Rubber Duck Tour is a part-land, part-water historical tour ofdowntown and the Harbor, which attracts both locals and visitors dueto its unique nature and fun guides. The company was founded by twinbrothers Carl and Gerald Tautenhahn and friend Brent Harrison. It isrelatively new to the downtown area.This June will mark their first year in business. Since the company’sThe inspiration to begin the tour company in this city came from a tourthat Harrison took while visiting Miami. With all the hustle and bustleof the downtown area and its neighboring Harbor, Harrison proposedcreating a similar touring company in Los Angeles County. While theconcept may seem unique and rare, similar Rubber Duck tours can beexperienced in San Diego and all over different parts of the world. Fornow, though, the Rubber Duck Tour of Long Beach is the only one ofits kind in both L.A. and Orange County.The interactive tour begins with the distribution of “quackers”, which aremini plastic bills that make a duck sound. These little noise-makers are46JUNE 2010 TRAVEL & LEISURE