ABOVE: Baha Mar, Bahamas. AOA services on project: Program Development, Cost Estimation, Project Management. Image courtesy CTF BM Operations Ltd.
NEW YORK (December 21, 2020) – AOA – award winning, global provider of design, production, technology and project management services in themed lands and attractions, location-based entertainment (LBE), hospitality, themed retail, themed restaurants, family entertainment centers (FECs), museums, aquariums, and the space and medical industry – was named one of the 100 Top Construction Management/Project Management Firms by Engineering News Record (ENR). ENR’s definitive lists of top firms serving the construction sector are published annually and a trusted resource for project owners.
Mike Ostendorf, AOA Co-Founder and CEO said, “We owe this mark of prestige and success to our clients: to their vision and their confidence in us. AOA has helped create some of the world’s most visible and storied attractions, integrating multiple disciplines and technologies. That’s especially valuable to owners today, who are likely to be working with fewer staff and tighter budgets, and in need of a robust external team to dovetail with their internal team. AOA teams support clients from concept to opening day with a turnkey suite of professional services under one roof, including world-class project management. As a mid-size company of about 55 employees, we’re small enough to be nimble and responsive but large enough to handle anything that comes up – and there’s always a project manager on board to support communication, collaboration and best practices.”
AOA has a portfolio of high-profile, public facing projects each valuing between $2 million to $400 million, from fully immersive entertainment environments to live shows to hospitality spaces, resorts, themed dining and retail, architecture and show set design, rides, training and simulation and more. The company’s international client list includes major Fortune 500 companies and top brands such as Disney, Blackstone, Coca-Cola, Wyndham, Virgin, Tesla, Google, and Meow Wolf as well as numerous distinguished museums, aquariums, nonprofits and corporations. AOA is active around the world with work in 11 different countries and throughout China and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as well as spanning the US, Hawaii, and the Caribbean, with new offices in the works in Denver, Los Angeles, and New York City.
Mote Aquarium, Sarastoa, FL. AOA services on project: Cost Estimation, Project Management, Program Management, Construction Management, Exhibit Design. Image courtesy Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium.
Current projects include the multiple immersive and interactive experiences for Meow Wolf in Las Vegas and Denver and the new 110,000 SF Science and Education Aquarium for Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota, FL. AOA has been collaborating with Meow Wolf, since July of 2019, to bring their experiences to life through overall project management, design development, scheduling, estimating, and field management. For Mote, AOA is responsible for project management and show design for the project from start to finish and will be leading the design of the exterior skin, future exhibit design, and will staff construction managers and superintendents as the project moves into the construction phase.
About AOA
AOA is an industry leader in immersive experience design, production, and full-service project management. We lead the creation of innovative and transformative destinations worldwide with a limitless range in the space of themed lands and attractions, live shows, impactful museums and interactive exhibits, highly kinetic retail and world-class themed dining. The focus throughout our process is to transform our client’s vision into a one-of-a-kind experience that will astonish guests and exceed expectations. Our clients are industry leaders with worldwide daily presence in the lives of consumers, and we continue to be their go-to company for their most complex and challenging experiential work. AOA proudly boasts a history of prolific projects that are more than attractive images: Our work gets built. AOA appears on the ENR list of Top 100 construction management/project management firms.
Morimoto Asia, Disney Springs, Walt Disney World Resort. AOA services on project: Cost Estimating, Financial Analysis, Turn-key Project Management. Image courtesy Patina Restaurant Group.
Founders Tom Acomb and Mike Ostendorf have recently been named to the 2020 Blooloop 50 theme park influencer list. In addition, AOA and AOA projects have been singled out for numerous creative and business honors, including Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) Thea Awards for more than 20 projects, a Digital Graffiti Best-in-Show Award (with Panasonic) and four Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) Excellence in Construction Eagle Awards. In 2019, at the annual Smart Awards of the Association for Corporate Growth (ACG, Orlando chapter) AOA won the Emerging Middle Market Award for successful management of assets, revenue, and teams. In 2020, AOA was selected for the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies in America for the third time and was named one of Orlando Business Journal’s Best Places to Work for the sixth consecutive year. AOA has also been named Panasonic Innovation Partner of the Year.
Visit www.insideaoa.com
