Meet the President of LARC

Michael A. Jenkins

Michael A. Jenkins, President of Leisure and Recreation Concepts, Inc. (LARC), founded this unique company more than 25 years ago. Today, LARC is more than ever on the leading edge of worldwide trends in the planning and design of theme parks, resorts, retail areas and major attractions that will entertain millions of people each year.

In establishing LARC, Mr. Jenkins recognized the need for a single firm which could conceptualize, evaluate, plan, build and operate leisure-time facilities. While there were other companies performing some of these functions, none offered a total package which could deliver a financially feasible, aesthetically pleasing and highly functional attraction to a developer or owner. In doing this, Mr. Jenkins has consciously developed a staff having the appropriate technical knowledge and experience to provide clients with the highest quality and most appropriate project possible.

Mr. Jenkins has wide ranging experience in the leisure industry in a career spanning more than 35 years. More than 850 LARC projects throughout the world have been completed under his direction. Included among these are the redevelopment and renovation of existing parks such as Alton Towers in North Staffordshire, England; Dorney Park in Allentown, Pennsylvania and Lagoon Park in Farmington, Utah.

In 1982, the Knoxville World's Fair called on Mr. Jenkins to organize and execute their Family FunFair amusement area, turning over to LARC responsibility for design, financing, construction and management throughout the six-month exposition. The Family FunFair was awarded the best amusement and entertainment zone developed at a World's Fair. LARC was chosen to develop the first western-style theme park in the People's Republic of China and was selected by the government to build the first theme/amusement park in Africa. Other projects under Mr. Jenkins' direction, both completed and currently underway, include one of the first indoor family entertainment centers; Jazzland Theme Park in New Orleans, Louisiana; management of the Royal Gorge Bridge in Cañon City, Colorado; planning, design and management for the Park City Silver Mine Adventure in Park City, Utah; the feasibility and design of the Dubai Theme Park in the United Arab Emirates; the construction and operation management of Fantasy Island in Singapore; the design of SamaWorld in Genting Highlands, Malaysia; and the business planning for and design of the Discovery Island Theme Park on the site of World Expo '92 in Seville, Spain.

Indicative of the breadth of his experience is his planning and design of such diverse projects as: convention/conference centers, entertainment shopping centers and multi-use projects such as Paradise Centre in Australia. Mr. Jenkins has been involved with the design of more than 44 water theme parks including Atlantis, currently one of the largest in the U.S., as well as a major film attraction for the Trammell Crow Company. His experience has taken him to all major areas of the world including North America, Central and South America, the British Isles, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Australia and New Zealand.

Mr. Jenkins has been the recipient of five awards given by the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions for outstanding contributions to the amusement industry, and an award from the Texas Showman's Association. He is in constant demand for seminars and panels dealing with industry trends and issues, including a speech on the future of the film industry for the prestigious Institute for Social Engineering in Tokyo, Japan. He was also a speaker at the first, second and third annual Asian Investment Conferences on theme parks. Mr. Jenkins has served on the Board of Directors of the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions and the Board of Directors for International Broadcasting Corporation. He currently serves on the Board of Trustees of the Southeast Tourism Society.

In 1995 Mr. Jenkins was appointed to serve as Managing Director of the Dallas Summer Musicals. He has been involved with more than 120 Broadway national touring show productions.

Before forming LARC, Mr. Jenkins was a Vice President of Six Flags Over Texas, Inc. Over a nine-year period, he participated in the development of all major Six Flags projects such as Six Flags Over Texas, Six Flags Over Georgia and Six Flags Over Mid-America. For six years Mr. Jenkins co-produced the national telecast on CBS of the Miss Teenage America Pageant and served as co-producer and director of Texas' Frontier Palace presentation at the New York World's Fair.