Latest news with #UnitedParks
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Dutch coaster titan Vekoma establishes downtown Orlando office
You can't hear the rumble of roller coasters in downtown Orlando, but thrill rides have a new presence there. Vekoma Rides, a manufacturing giant based in the Netherlands, has opened a North American office in the downtown business district. 'This is the place to be in terms of theme parks, even though we work all over the U.S.,' said Ricardo Etges, vice president for sales and marketing for the Americas. Etges was Vekoma's first Orlando-based employee. Now there are eight people working out of its office near the intersection of Orange Avenue and South Street, including research and development engineers. 'We basically have an extension of our engineering department in the Netherlands,' Etges said. 'In the Netherlands, we have between 250 and 300 people, and we found out that we can expand our engineering capacity with local resources in Orlando.' The company, founded in 1926, originally made farm equipment and later steel products for the coal-mining and petrochemical industries. It started shifting to amusement park rides in the 1970s and in 2019 decided to focus more on North American markets. United Parks: SeaWorld attendance, revenue dip in 1st quarter In March, Vekoma opened the Flash: Vertical Velocity at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, New Jersey. It's the first 'super boomerang' style coaster in the western world, Etges said. Coming up is Siren's Curse, a tilt coaster under construction at Cedar Point in Ohio. It's 'a traditional lift-hill coaster with the seesaw element on top,' Etges said. 'The train parks in the horizontal position, and there is a track section that goes from horizontal to vertical, like a seesaw. And then once it locks on the vertical position, it releases a train.' Among its Florida coasters are Expedition Everest at Disney's Animal Kingdom as well as Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and Tron / Lightcycle Run at Magic Kingdom plus Epcot's Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, which debuted in 2022. It has also produced rides for Universal Orlando and Legoland Florida. The move into Orlando was designed to help expand the business in Central Florida and to become 'more proactive and present to our clients,' Etges said. 'A roller coaster is almost like you have a long-term relationship with the park,' he said. 'Because the roller coaster is not only about installing the ride and making sure that the ride is up and running, but also keeping the ride up and running and reliable for decades.' Other plusses for a Central Florida office include proximity to parks ('We actually had a field trip to Epic [Universe]'), vendors, potential employees and November's IAAPA Expo at Orange County Convention Center, Etges said. Disney Jollywood Nights show among Brass Ring winners 'We usually have 15 to 20 people from our team coming from the Netherlands, and we have a lot of meetings with clients,' at the Expo, he said. 'We usually have at least one vehicle being showcased' on the convention center floor, which is produced by Orlando-based International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions, he said. There are other projects in the works, but they remain hush-hush. 'We always need to wait until the park announces the ride to be able to start to talk about it,' Etges said. 'But at IAAPA this year, we're going to have some surprises.' Email me at dbevil@ BlueSky: @themeparksdb. Threads account: @dbevil. X account: @themeparks. Subscribe to the Theme Park Rangers newsletter at Epic Universe: Exec blends arts, engineering in theme park roles
Washington Post
12-05-2025
- Business
- Washington Post
United Parks & Resorts: Q1 Earnings Snapshot
ORLANDO, Fla. — ORLANDO, Fla. — United Parks & Resorts Inc. (PRKS) on Monday reported a loss of $16.1 million in its first quarter. On a per-share basis, the Orlando, Florida-based company said it had a loss of 29 cents. The results did not meet Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of five analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for a loss of 23 cents per share.
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
SeaWorld's parent company trying to fill 5,000 jobs in U.S.
United Parks & Resorts, parent company of SeaWorld Orlando theme park, is looking to fill more than 5,000 jobs across the country. It is planning a 'summer hiring event' for May 5-9, the company announced Monday. 'The summer season is right around the corner, and we have a great line-up of new rides and attractions, presentations and shows, exclusive experiences offers and craveable food and beverage options for our guests to enjoy,' Marc Swanson, CEO of Orlando-based United Parks, said in a news release. There are full-time, part-time and season positions in the mix, including jobs at SeaWorld Orlando, Aquatica water park, Discovery Cove day resort and United corporate offices in Orlando and Miami. Among the openings currently posted at are bartenders, lifeguards, ride operators, merchandise warehouse workers, zoological specialists and corporate tax director. There are so-very SeaWorld sounding jobs including divers, coral rescue aquarists, filtration mechanics and cabana service ambassadors, although some postings have been up for more than 30 days. SeaWorld Orlando delays Expedition Odyssey ride's debut by a week There also have been posted auditions for pearl divers plus dancers and vocalists for stage shows scheduled for summer. Employee perks include free park admission, complimentary and discounted tickets for friends and family, in-park discounts, employee referral bonuses and ambassador events and previews, the news release says. United Parks has 12 attractions across the U.S., including Busch Gardens Tampa Bay. Epic's ticket sales, hotel bookings strong, Comcast leaders say Email me at dbevil@ BlueSky: @themeparksdb. Threads account: @dbevil. X account: @themeparks. Subscribe to the Theme Park Rangers newsletter at
