Since Debbie Adcock joined LARC, she has gained a lot of admiration, appreciation and insight for the entertainment industry.
Upon joining the LARC team, Mrs. Adcock became responsible for the entire accounting department. Because of her accounting organization and accuracy, she has implemented a superb accounting system. This includes accounts payable, accounts receivable, job cost analysis, cash flow and financial reporting. Because of these responsibilities, she works very closely with the research and design departments. Due to her many years of office and accounting experience, she has been helpful in assisting with the opening of park offices which LARC manages.
Wanda Beth joined LARC in 1975 as an administrative assistant to Michael Jenkins, which allows her to bring many years of experience in the amusement and recreation industry to current projects. Through her various responsibilities and duties, she has been recognized by LARC's clients around the world for her proficiency and capabilities.
Her familiarity with LARC's extensive library and Research Department allows her to provide support to the company's architecture, planning, research, management and marketing divisions.
During her tenure, Mrs. Beth has developed the ability to sense the needs of the organization and to expedite time-consuming tasks, enabling LARC's management and professional staff to devote full attention to client needs and requirements.
With an extensive background in graphic art, Lyndon Gaither brings to LARC valuable experience as a graphic artist. Serving the company as Art Director, Mr. Gaither provides LARC’s clients with concept designs, logos, renderings, and all aspects of graphic artwork needed for their particular projects.
He received his training from North Texas State University, where he was awarded a degree in Advertising Design. He used this training to begin his own business, which he owned and operated for several years. He provided his clients with comprehensive graphics, and three-dimensional exhibit design, along with other artwork needed by his clients for advertising purposes. He also served as Art Director for Museum Arts in Dallas, Texas, and as Exhibit and Graphic Designer for the U.S. Army Recruiting Support Center (Design Branch).
Among the projects that Mr. Gaither has been involved with since joining the LARC staff include exhibit designs and graphic artwork for Park City Silver Mine Adventure in Park City, Utah; logo, concept illustrations and sign program for Fantasy Island in Singapore; and logo, concept illustrations and sign package for WonderLand in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. He has been involved in numerous other projects, making him a valuable asset to the company.
Angus Jenkins, having been virtually born into the amusement business through his namesake, the late Angus G. Wynne, Jr., has been actively involved in the industry during the past five years of his association with LARC. Concurrently with his position at LARC, he has been obtaining double major degrees in management and finance from Texas Christian University.
During this period, Mr. Jenkins' assignments included writing and integrating various software applications to efficiently handle the collection, upkeep and retrieval of materials from LARC's extensive library. By creating this new system, he has enabled the Research, Design and Art Departments to have all the vital statistics, schematics and pertinent information at their disposal.
Also during his term at LARC, Mr. Jenkins has personally overseen the construction, disassembly and removal of every ride installation performed by LARC. In the last two years alone, this department has been involved with over 33 ride installations ranging from coasters to carousels.
Berniece Jenkins joined the LARC staff after 36 years with the Southland Life Insurance Corporation. Her duties with LARC as Chief Librarian include management of the company's extensive leisure industry files.
This unique data base is one of the most extensive facilities of its kind in the world. It contains technical information on more than 2,300 parks worldwide, as well as demographic statistics on population and tourism visitation for cities, states and many nations. This research library serves a vital role, not only for the company, but the entire leisure industry throughout the world.
Bill Radtke has been a member of the LARC research team for 5 years and the Director of Research for the last 3 years. Nearly 100 feasibility studies, business plans, operational reviews and forecasts have been completed under the direction of Mr. Radtke. Areas of concentration have included theme parks, amusement parks, water parks, FECs, LBE Centers, aquariums, natural attractions and specialty attractions.
Recent projects completed under his direction include the recently opened Underwater World® aquarium at Pier 39 in San Francisco; soon-to-open Underwater World® at Mall of America in Minneapolis, Minnesota; Park City Silver Mine Adventure® in Utah; Fantasy Island water park in Singapore; soon-to-open WonderLand Family Fun Park in Dubai, U.A.E.; Dinosaurs of Jurassic Park® Exhibit at the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History; The National Constitution Center® in Philadelphia; a Theme Park Industry Analysis for NBC; and many others.
Mr. Radtke is a graduate of the M.J. Neeley School of Business at Texas Christian University and has brought a unique perspective into the progressive Research Department of LARC. He has integrated his organizational and technical skills with business acumen to compliment the existing research information database. His study concentration in both accounting and finance has played an instrumental role in the successful analysis of many projects. His studies involved many aspects of research and communication ranging from the organizational to industry level. Specific studies focused on the analysis and presentation of market and financial information with emphasis in business development. Mr. Radtke has worked as a research assistant at the TCU Library and is an Alumnus of Phi Kappa Sigma fraternity.
Mr. Radtke has been directly involved with projects throughout the United States as well as foreign projects in Canada, Southeast Asia, Europe, the Middle East, South America and the Philippines. In the course of his tenure, Mr. Radtke has gathered detailed data on each of the various segments of the entertainment industry including a thorough review of the LBE’s and aquarium industry’s recent phenomenon. Through this and other research, LARC has become an invaluable source to the leisure industry.
A veteran of LARC for more than 20 years, Ron Shook has directed and contributed to the planning and design of theme parks, water parks, retail complexes and entertainment attractions in all parts of the world. In his current position, he directs and coordinates the preparation of master plans and architectural and engineering designs. As a designer, he is most concerned with the crucial relationships among the various elements of a project--landscaping, water, structures and rides.
Projects recently completed or currently in design which he has directed and participated include The Battersea, a re-use project of a power station to become a major indoor leisure-retail-restaurant complex in London, England; Dragon Lake Park in the People's Republic of China which includes, in addition to a western-style theme park, a hotel and retail space; Lake Compounce, a redevelopment project of the longest continuously-operating theme park in the U.S.; the redevelopment of Alton Towers in North Staffordshire, England; TusenFryd, a family theme park located in Oslo, Norway; Trophy Park in North Carolina; Scotty's Golf Park in Dallas, Texas; Fort Fantasy in Copperas Cove, Texas; and SamaWorld in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Other notable projects include the redevelopment of Boblo Island Amusement Park located on the Detroit River in Ontario, Canada; Fantasialand Theme Park in Sao Paulo, Brazil; The 1982 World's Fair in Knoxville, Tennessee; Dreamworld and several other projects in Australia; Lagoon A Beach water theme park in Farmington, Utah; and Jazzland in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Prior to joining LARC, Mr. Shook gained an extensive civil engineering background with the firms of Rady and Associates, and Freese, Nichols and Endress Consulting Engineers. This experience included work on the Dallas/Fort Worth Airport.
George Slavik, a 1967 graduate of Texas A & M University with a Bachelor of Architecture degree, is licensed to practice architecture with credentials certified by the National Council of Architectural Registration Board. He has practiced architecture in Texas and Louisiana for over 25 years, concentrating on commercial, residential, hotel and entertainment architecture.
In an association that began with LARC in 1971, Mr. Slavik worked on an amusement attraction in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Prior to joining LARC, he worked on projects including Lion Country Safari, Seven Seas Life Park, Ranger Stadium and the Southwest Historical Wax Museum. His design abilities are also evident in the Loews Anatole Hotel and World Trade Center in Dallas, Texas.
Since joining the LARC staff and directing the architecture department, Mr. Slavik has worked on numerous projects. His recent tasks have included SamaWorld in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; the Marketplace in Irving, Texas; arcade facilities for both "Tilt" and Scotty's Golf Park.
Other projects include Jazzland in New Orleans, Louisiana; Anaheim Kiddie Park in Anaheim, California, and several indoor entertainment centers. He has additionally provided architectural services for Peony Park in Omaha, Nebraska, and for a multimedia theater at the Royal Gorge Bridge in Cañon City, Colorado.
Mr. Slavik supervises and coordinates efforts of the design personnel on numerous projects and provides liaison with various consultants. On individual projects, he designs specific buildings and ensures that the proposed master plans are compatible with existing site conditions.