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Board of Directors
JAMES D. ATCHISON
PRESIDENT AND CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER
BUSCH ENTERTAINMENT CORPORATION
James D. Atchison, 41, is the president and chief operating officer of Busch Entertainment Corp. He began his career with Busch Entertainment Corporation in 1985 as a teenager at Busch Gardens Tampa. Atchison has held leadership positions in park operations, finance, business analysis and marketing and has worked at six of the 10 BEC parks.
Since 2003, Atchison served as the executive vice president and general manager of the company’s three flagship parks based in Orlando: SeaWorld Orlando, Discovery Cove and Aquatica (opening March 2008). Atchison is recognized within the business and tourism industry for his strategic vision, ability to foster teamwork, and as a strong communicator. Through his leadership, the Orlando parks have achieved record attendance and growth, revolutionized entertainment offerings, accomplished unprecedented guest satisfaction ratings, and reached new heights in employee communication and job satisfaction.
Atchison holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing from the University of South Florida and an MBA from the University of Central Florida.
A strong supporter of the Orlando community, Atchison is active in civic projects and serves on the boards of Special Olympics, Boys & Girls Clubs, United Arts, Orlando/Orange County Convention and Visitors Bureau, Florida Chamber of Commerce, the UCF/Rosen College of Hospitality Management and the UCF College of Business - Dean’s Executive Council. Florida Governor Jeb Bush reappointed him to a second term on the Florida Commission on Tourism, the agency that oversees Florida’s tourism effort.
A former soccer standout from the University of South Florida, he also enjoys sailing and basketball. Atchison and his wife, Elli, have a four-year-old son, Caleb, a two-year-old son, Nathanael, and two-month-old daughter, Bethany. The Atchisons reside in Windermere.
SPECIFIC CAREER BACKGROUND: Atchison, 41, has had an extensive Busch Entertainment Corporation career. At age 19, he started as an Operations Host at Busch Gardens in Tampa, Fla. Atchison was promoted to Park Operations Supervisor and then Business Analyst. In 1992, shortly after the Anheuser-Busch acquisition of the SeaWorld parks, Atchison moved to SeaWorld San Antonio in as Manager of Business Analysis. He was promoted to Finance Director two years later and then transferred to Busch Gardens Tampa Bay in 1996 as Finance Director.
He was promoted to Finance Vice-President two years later. In February 2002, Atchison transferred to SeaWorld Orlando as Marketing Vice-President, serving in that role until February 2003 when he assumed the position of executive vice president and general manager for SeaWorld Orlando, Discovery Cove and the soon-to-open Aquatica.
BEC is the family entertainment subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch Cos., Inc. BEC operates nine U.S. theme parks: SeaWorld Orlando, SeaWorld San Diego, SeaWorld San Antonio; Discovery Cove in Orlando; Busch Gardens and Adventure Island in Tampa and Busch Gardens and Water Country USA in Williamsburg and Sesame Place in Langhorne, Pa. Its tenth park, Aquatica, is scheduled to open in Spring 2008.
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