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PGAV Destinations 2010 Year-in-Review

(St. Louis, MO – PGAV Destinations, a global leader in destination planning and design, released its 2010 year in review, which highlights the firm’s performance throughout the preceding twelve months.
This year, the firm again bucked industry trends by showing increased growth and diversification with six major project openings at destinations including the Biltmore Estate, the Georgia Aquarium, and SeaWorld San Diego. During 2010, PGAV worked on dozens of projects in twelve US states and five countries.
The company’s key markets include Zoos and Aquariums, Cultural Destinations, and Entertainment Attractions. “Balanced strength in all of these destination market sectors, plus a significant increase in international projects has kept our billing volume very strong, even in a tough economy,” according to Jim Moorkamp, Principal, PGAV Destinations.
During 2010, PGAV also announced its involvement at several projects that will open in 2011 at places including Discovery Cove, Busch Gardens Tampa, The Louisville Zoo, and The Saint Louis Science Center. “We are also very busy on planning and design work for several projects that will open in 2012 and 2013,” according to Mike Konzen, Principal, PGAV Destinations.

Selected projects:
· Great Bear Wilderness at the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago, Illinois. $27.3 million exhibit.
· Cold Water Quest at the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, Georgia.
· Polar Bear Passage at the Kansas City Zoo in Kansas City, Missouri. $10 million project.
· Sea Lion Habitat at Glacier Run at the Louisville Zoo. First phase of a $24 million project.
· Design on Georgia Aquarium’s Dolphin Expansion, which opens in early 2011. This $110 million project won top honors as the “Best Overall Project of 2010” by Southeast Construction Magazine.
· The Saint Louis Zoo announced the PGAV-designed Sea Island Sound project. This innovative exhibit features the popular sea lions and an underwater viewing tube.
· Selected to develop Columbus Zoo Master Plan.
· Antler Hill Village opened in April at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina. $18.6 million project.
· Selected to develop a ten-year Master Plan for Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
· Saint Louis Science Center commenced construction on the PGAV-design Exhibit Hall Expansion. This $9.5 million project will add 13,000 square feet of changing exhibit space.
· Terracotta Warriors Museum Expansion in Xi’an, China. UNESCO World Heritage site.
· Destination Master Plan for St. Johns County, Florida.
· Lead project planner and designer for Ocean Kingdom in Zhuhai, China. Part of a 20 billion RMB (US $3 billion) development undertaken by Chimelong, and will open in 2013.
· Blue Horizons opened at SeaWorld, San Diego. PGAV served as architect for this state-of-the-art show that includes bottlenose dolphins and an array of exotic birds.
· Busch Gardens Tampa announced the 2011 opening of Cheetah Hunt, an innovative new coaster that celebrates the spirit of the cheetah.
· Discovery Cove in Orlando, Florida announced the 2011 opening of The Grand Reef. This project is the first major expansion of this PGAV-design park, and includes SeaVenture, an innovative underwater walking tour.

Photo: SeaWorld

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Judith Rubin
Judith Rubin
Judith Rubin ([email protected]) is a leading journalist, content marketing specialist and connector in the international attractions industry. She reports on design and technical design, production and project management, industry trends and company culture. From 2005-2020 she ran communications and publications for the Themed Entertainment Association (TEA). In 2013, she was honored with the TEA Service Award. She was development director of IMERSA and publicist for the Large Format Cinema Association, and has contributed to the publications of PLASA, IAAPA and the International Planetarium Society. Judith joined World’s Fair magazine in 1987, which introduced her to the attractions industry. She joined InPark in 2010. Judith earned a BFA from Pratt Institute. She has lived in Detroit, New York, Oakland, and now Saint Louis, where she is active in the local arts community.

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