Lembke has spent his entire career in the amusement park industry, starting at SeaWorld Orlando in 2000, and he’s been president of Busch Gardens Williamsburg and Water Country USA since 2018 (except for a brief break in 2019).
In preparation for the park’s 2023 season, he oversaw the opening of two new rides: DarKoaster, an all-indoor straddle coaster that brings the total number of roller coasters at Busch Gardens to nine, and Riptide Race, Virginia’s first dueling pipeline water slide, which opened in Water Country in May.
Just before the busy summer season started, the 4,000-employee parks also transitioned to all cashless operations.
In May, Busch Gardens’ parent company, SeaWorld Entertainment, opened its first park in over 30 years and the first one located outside the United States: SeaWorld Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates.
Lembke earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Buffalo and interned with the marketing sales department of the Buffalo Bills NFL team before joining SeaWorld. He serves on the board of the Williamsburg Tourism Council.
Williamsburg, Jamestown and Yorktown are all significant parts of the nation’s foundation, and historic tourism drove the region’s economy during the 20th century. But Colonial Williamsburg hasn’t been enough to keep
big crowds coming to the area consistently in the 21st century, even before the pandemic.
Visitation dropped from 960,000 in 1999 to 534,000 in 2019, officials reported, although after running at a $4.6 million deficit in 2017, The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation’s net income improved to $87.3 million in 2020. One reason for the decline in visitor numbers is that fewer people today visit historic sites compared with earlier generations, the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation’s former president and CEO, Mitchell B. Reiss, said in 2019 upon his retirement. He also said that Colonial Williamsburg in particular needed to update its marketing efforts to meet today’s digital culture.
“There was a time when we as a community had a notion that Colonial Williamsburg would always take care of us, that Busch Gardens would always be enough, but that’s just not the case,” Williamsburg Mayor Doug Pons says. “When I was in the hotel business, I realized that Williamsburg was seeing declining visitation. It was no secret.”
So, in 2016, Pons decided to convert his Quarterpath Inn into multifamily affordable housing.
Over time, as visitation to Williamsburg and other historic attractions (including Jamestown and Yorktown) declined, it became apparent to civic leaders that the so-called Historic Triangle needed another large investment in tourism to maintain the region’s quality of life and to keep its economy humming.
And unlike John D. Rockefeller’s rescue of Colonial Williamsburg in the 1930s, which extended to $79 million in family support through the 1970s, “there wasn’t going to be another billionaire showing up to make that investment,” Pons says.
Using teamwork
One way the Historic Triangle region’s three localities — York and James City counties and Williamsburg — decided to invest in the area’s economic development was an indoor sports venue, which they hope also will give a boost to Busch Gardens, Colonial Williamsburg and other attractions.
In March 2022, officials formed the Historic Triangle Recreational Facilities Authority to spearhead the development of a 160,000-square-foot indoor sports complex with 12 basketball courts that can be converted into volleyball and pickleball courts. It represents the largest intergovernmental project ever undertaken by the three localities. One estimate projected the cost could be $45 million or more, but many of the final details are in flux.
In September 2022, the authority approved an interim agreement with MEB General Contractors of Chesapeake for $2.3 million to initiate the design of the core sports center complex, about 35% of the project, according to York County documents. The next decision, expected to come in the next few months, will be to choose a construction firm.
Officials have identified a preferred site for the sports complex. It would be located on underused property next to the Colonial Williamsburg Regional Visitor Center, a site that may also allow room for an adjoining performing arts center or amphitheater.
“It’s going to happen,” Pons says. “The funds to service the debt are already identified, it’s already coming in. And, there’s money in the bank to begin.”
While Pons says the visitor center will remain a hub for tourism activity, the sports complex will add a new dimension to tourism in the city and adjoining counties by attracting youth athletics and other events from around the country.
Meanwhile, the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation is working closely with the Historic Triangle Recreational Facilities Authority to determine the best uses for the visitor center campus, but emphasizes that the proposed sports complex will have no impact on the visitor center itself.
James City County’s economic development director, Christopher Johnson, notes that all three localities must approve funding for the indoor sports complex this year. James City’s tax revenues have been stable, offering the county some room to invest in the sports complex, Johnson says.
Although Williamsburg will likely benefit most directly from the venue if it’s sited at Colonial Williamsburg, Johnson says that in James City County, “one of our main revenue sources is hospitality and tourism, [and] the complex [also] provides additional space for activities during the week for James City citizens.”
Additionally, the county has benefited from its busy manufacturing sector, including Anheuser-Busch Inc., which saw an increase in demand during the pandemic. Also, the county is seeing more traffic from the Port of Virginia and hopes to have a shovel-ready industrial site prepared at Hazelwood Farms Enterprise Center by next spring.
Owned by SeaWorld Entertainment Inc., the Busch Gardens Williamsburg and Water Country USA theme parks are the Historic Triangle’s largest tourism draws. Photo courtesy Busch Gardens Williamsburg
New and old attractions
In addition to planning the sports complex, the three localities have also collaborated on the Edge District, a restaurant and entertainment-driven locale at the shared borders of York and James City counties and Williamsburg. Established in 2019, the Edge District offers high-end food and boutique shopping, and the resulting tax revenue from lodging and meals taxes have led to a joint fund to help finance the sports complex.
In the past two years, further cementing the spirit of regional cooperation, Williamsburg has begun including the area’s two largest employers, Colonial Williamsburg and William & Mary, in its annual State of the City events, inviting the chief executives from each to deliver addresses covering highlights from the year and future plans.
During the 2022 State of the City event, William & Mary President Katherine Rowe said that the 250th anniversary of Williamsburg in 2026 will be an important opportunity to remind the nation of the city’s role in U.S. history. “We’re going to make the case for Williamsburg’s significance as the best place in the country to understand our nation’s complex history,” she said.
Unsurprisingly, Colonial Williamsburg is also geared up for the anniversary.
“Williamsburg was host to an astonishing number of events leading up to and including 1776 that contributed to America’s founding,” Colonial Williamsburg Foundation President and CEO Cliff Fleet said during his State of the City address. “Today, this history positions our region to lead the commemoration effort on behalf of our nation. The impact of this moment will rest on the preparations we make today.”
It’s also a time to focus on the largely overlooked roles of Black and Indigenous people in our history, to provide “a fuller account of the founding of the United States,” Fleet said.
In February, the 273-year-old Bray School, believed to be the oldest surviving building in America dedicated to the education of Black children, was moved from William & Mary’s campus to Colonial Williamsburg, Fleet said, where it will be fully restored by November 2024. University and Colonial Williamsburg staffers are working with the descendants of students who attended the school during the era of slavery, “so that everyone can see themselves in America’s story.”
The First Baptist Church, one of the nation’s oldest Black churches, was founded in 1776, and Colonial Williamsburg Foundation is working with the congregation to uncover the church’s original site on Nassau Street, with a goal of reconstructing the building by its 250th anniversary.
Meanwhile, Rowe noted that this year will mark the 300th anniversary of the Brafferton Indian School, which educated Indigenous students over several decades and sits on W&M’s campus near the Wren Building.
“Like the Bray School, the Brafferton tricentennial offers an opportunity to provide a fuller account of the founding of the United States,” Rowe said in her State of the City remarks.
Colonial Williamsburg also has opened an interpretive Native American camp that explores regional Indigenous peoples’ relationship with the Colony of Virginia. One of Colonial Williamsburg’s major events this year will be the groundbreaking for the Colin G. and Nancy N. Campbell Archaeology Center, which will become the hub of all archaeological endeavors in the former colonial capital.
York County is looking forward to tourism income that will come from Princess Cruises making Yorktown a port of call beginning in spring 2024, county Supervisor Sheila Noll says. Photo by Mark Rhodes
Into the present
Busch Gardens Williamsburg also has ramped up its act, following the pandemic. Since 2022, the theme park has expanded its operating months to include January through March, making it a year-round attraction.
That’s been good news for the region’s hospitality industry, says Ron Kirkland, executive director of the Williamsburg Hotel & Motel Association.
The region’s hotel occupancy rate for 2022 was 50.4%, up from 45.2% in 2021 and better than 2019. Also, the average daily room rate was $148.76, “which was [an] all-time best,” Kirkland notes, compared with $125.51 in 2019.
Virginia Restaurant, Lodging and Travel Association President Eric Terry has seen some good growth in the region and believes the Historic Triangle’s larger tourism marketing budget has significantly aided its recovery.
In 2018, the General Assembly passed a special Historic Triangle tourism tax, an added 1% sales tax that helped create Visit Williamsburg, a marketing organization with an annual budget of about $15 million, Pons says. “It really changed the landscape in how we are able to promote ourselves in a broader reach. Before that, we had budgets of $2 [million] to$3 million.”
In neighboring York County, tourism is also a big draw, and Supervisor Sheila Noll says that she was energized by a February announcement that Princess Cruises will be making Yorktown a port of call in late spring 2024, opening the door to potentially thousands of new visitors coming to the region and boosting historic tourism.
The cruise ships, which can carry between 2,000 and 3,000 guests each, will land at Yorktown on the York River five times next year, and the Virginia state Senate’s budget proposal this year includes $7.5 million to build a permanent pier to accommodate the cruise ships. Currently, the river has just floating docks.
“History is very, very important to people who visit here and to people who live here,” Noll says. “We have the benefit of the past.”
Historic Triangle at a glance
James City County, York County and the city of Williamsburg make up the Historic Triangle. Located between Hampton Roads and Richmond, the area includes historical attractions, the Busch Gardens Williamsburg theme park and William & Mary, the nation’s second oldest institution of higher learning, chartered in 1693. Joint Base Langley-Eustis is a U.S. military installation formed by the 2010 merger of Langley Air Force Base and the U.S. Army’s Fort Eustis. In use since 1917, Langley is the world’s oldest continuously active Air Force base.
Population
James City County: 76,484
Williamsburg: 15,590
York County: 68,890
Top employers
William & Mary
Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
Sentara Healthcare
York County
Walmart Inc.
Williamsburg-James City County School Board
SeaWorld Entertainment Inc.
Major attractions
The American Revolution Museum at Yorktown tells the story of the nation’s fight for independence. Yorktown Battlefield, the site of the Revolutionary War’s final major clash, offers a visitor’s center and guided tours. Colonial Williamsburg, a popular living history attraction showcasing Colonial American life, features museums, lodging, restaurants and shops. Historic Jamestowne is the site of America’s first permanent English settlement and features an archaeological museum with 17th-century artifacts unearthed on site. Jamestown Settlement features a rebuilt interpretation of America’s first permanent settlement. The nearby Busch Gardens Williamsburg and Water Country USA theme parks are the region’s biggest tourism draws.
Top convention hotels
Williamsburg Lodge, Autograph Collection 323 rooms, 45,000 square feet of event space
DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Williamsburg 295 rooms, 42,089 square feet of event space
Fort Magruder Hotel –Trademark Collection by Wyndham 303 rooms, 26,000 square feet of event space
Boutique/luxury hotels
Kingsmill Resort
Williamsburg Inn
Wedmore Place
Notable restaurants
Fat Canary,American fatcanarywilliamsburg.com
Food for Thought,American foodforthoughtrestaurant.com
A reported $3.4 billion acquisition bid from Orlando-based SeaWorld Entertainment Inc. could result in Virginia’s two major theme parks being under the same ownership.
SeaWorld, parent company of Busch Gardens Williamsburg, has made an unsolicited offer to acquire Ohio-based Cedar Fair Entertainment Co., which owns the Kings Dominion theme park in Hanover County’s Doswell area.
Bloomberg reported that SeaWorld’s bid is about $60 per unit in cash, totaling about $3.4 billion, according to sources it did not identify. Cedar Fair acknowledged to Bloomberg that it had received the “unsolicited, non-binding” acquisition offer and said that it is being advised on the matter by Perella Weinberg Partners LP and Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP.
Cedar Fair owns and operates 13 properties composed of 11 amusement parks, four outdoor water parks and resort accommodations totaling more than 2,300 rooms and 600 RV sites. It reported 2020 revenues of $182 million, down from $1.47 billion in 2019. Cedar Fair reported $753 million in revenue for the third quarter of 2021, up from the $87 million it recorded in the third quarter of 2020.
SeaWorld, owns 12 theme parks and reported $512.2 million in the third quarter of 2021, an increase of $415.1 million from the third quarter of 2020. In 2020, SeaWorld reported $431.8 million in revenue, a decline of $966.5 million from 2019.
DEAN AND MARKEL FAMILIES MEN’S HEAD BASKETBALL COACH, VIRGINIA CAVALIERS MEN’S BASKETBALL, CHARLOTTESVILLE
The University of Virginia men’s basketball team fell victim to a positive COVID-19 test in March, forcing it to withdraw from the ACC Tournament — a “gut punch,” Bennett called it.
The team was cleared in time to play in the men’s NCAA basketball tournament, where in 2019, Bennett had led the Cavaliers to the championship. In the unusual pandemic-era season, though, U.Va. earned a fourth seed but lost to Ohio University.
Bennett, a former backup point guard with the Charlotte Hornets, is one of only four former NBA players who have been the head coach for NCAA championship teams. He arrived at U.Va. in 2009, and he’s become a valued university asset, popular, respected and winning, with a record of 295-103 over his 12 seasons. He’s been named NCAA Division I National Coach of the Year three times, twice with the Cavaliers, and nine of his players have been selected in the NBA draft.
In 2019, Bennett turned down a raise, asking university officials to instead focus on more pay for staff and program improvements, the university reported. At the same time, he and his wife, Laurel, pledged $500,000 toward a career development program for current and former U.Va. men’s basketball players.
Bickmeier
DENNIS J. BICKMEIER
PRESIDENT, RICHMOND RACEWAY, RICHMOND
Bickmeier is entering his 10th year as president of Richmond Raceway, where roaring engines were replaced with idling ones earlier this year, when the complex’s acres of parking and exhibition space became a COVID-19 vaccination site. But Richmond Raceway will be back to full capacity for NASCAR Playoff Race Weekend Sept. 10-11, during the track’s 75th anniversary season.
The NASCAR-owned raceway is a key tourism draw, and Bickmeier is treasurer for Richmond Region Tourism. He also serves on the Henrico Police Athletic League board and teaches sports marketing as an adjunct faculty member at Virginia Commonwealth University.
BEST ADVICE:Never stop asking questions. The desire to learn and keep learning every day will continue to pay dividends personally and professionally.
WHAT A COMPETITOR WOULD SAY ABOUT ME:He’s a tactician. He studies things like a coach and then prepares and executes against a plan.
FIRST JOB:In high school, I worked for our town’s parks and recreation department in Bellaire, Ohio. We did everything from cutting grass at the parks to lining fields for games to operating sports leagues for the citizens. That helped spark my interest in sports management.
MOST RECENT BOOK READ: “Alexander Hamilton,” by Ron Chernow
Bywater
BRIDGETTE BYWATER
VICE PRESIDENT AND GENERAL MANAGER, KINGS DOMINION/CEDAR FAIR LP, DOSWELL
You could say that theme parks are in Bywater’s blood. After all, her parents met in 1973 while working as ride operators at the Worlds of Fun amusement park in Kansas City, Missouri.
In January, Bywater took over as Kings Dominion’s vice president and general manager from Tony Johnson, who began his career there in 1974.
Bywater comes to the amusement park at a pivotal time. Due to the pandemic, Kings Dominion was closed last year for the first summer in its 45-plus-year history. In May, she reopened the amusement park, raising the minimum pay for seasonal employees from $9.25 to $13 per hour. Bywater announced in August that the park will debut a new jungle-themed, 112-foot-high spinning roller coaster, Tumbili, in 2022.
A native of Kansas City, Bywater received her bachelor’s degree in business administration from Truman State University. Since beginning her amusement park career at Worlds of Fun in 1992, she’s held numerous leadership positions for Ohio-based Cedar Fair LP, which purchased Kings Dominion in 2006. She sits on the board of Richmond Region Tourism.
Capshaw
CORAN CAPSHAW
OWNER, RED LIGHT MANAGEMENT, MUSICTODAY, RIVERBEND DEVELOPMENT, CHARLOTTESVILLE
Capshaw has come a long way since owning the now-defunct Charlottesville bar Trax. In 1992, Capshaw gave the Dave Matthews Band its first weekly gig at the bar and then became the band’s manager, seeing it rise to international fame.
As the founder and owner of Red Light Management, he now provides management services for more than 300 touring and recording artists via a roster of more than 70 managers. Red Light’s client list includes Dave Matthews Band, Luke Bryan, Lionel Richie, Enrique Iglesias, Dierks Bentley, Odesza, Chris Stapleton, Lady A, Alabama Shakes and Phish.
The music mogul also founded entertainment marketing company Musictoday and has been involved with Bonnaroo, South by Southwest, Outside Lands, ATO Records, TBD Records and Starr Hill Presents. These efforts have landed Capshaw on Billboard magazine’s “Power 100” list.
He also has been heavily involved in real estate development in Charlottesville, including the building of the Downtown Pavilion, now the Ting Pavilion, and renovating The Jefferson Theater on Charlottesville’s Downtown Mall. He also owns many area restaurants.
Edmunds
ANDY EDMUNDS
DIRECTOR, VIRGINIA FILM OFFICE, RICHMOND
An accomplished musician and songwriter, Edmunds broke into the film industry through an unlikely method: by producing a music video for one of his songs that was broadcast on MTV.
That experience introduced the Virginia native to the film production industry. He worked as a film location scout before arriving at the Virginia Film Office in 1997. Since then, Edmunds has worked with some of the biggest names in Hollywood, including Steven Spielberg, Clint Eastwood, Ridley Scott and Terrence Malick.
Even amid the pandemic, Virginia served as a shooting location for movies and TV shows. Recent projects have included the indie flick “Tapawingo,” the Lifetime film “Dirty Little Deeds,” the Hulu limited series “Dopesick,” the AMC series “The Walking Dead: World Beyond” and the Apple TV+ sports drama series “Swagger.” According to a media release from Virginia Secretary of Commerce and Trade Brian Ball, the latter three projects generated $120 million for Virginia’s economy over a nine-month period.
Edmunds serves on the board of the Virginia Film Festival and has five children, including two adopted sons from Ghana.
JUSTIN FUENTE
HEAD FOOTBALL COACH, VIRGINIA TECH, BLACKSBURG
Taking over the Hokies football program from the legendary Frank Beamer – Virginia Tech’s head coach for nearly 30 years – would be a daunting task for anybody, but Oklahoma native Fuente seemed up to the challenge.
Taking the reins in 2016, Fuente, a former Murray State University quarterback and Walter Payton Award finalist, started strong, bringing the Hokies to three consecutive bowl game wins for the first time in the program’s history and being named 2016 ACC Coach of the Year.
Though Fuente and Tech agreed in 2017 to a contract extension through 2023, recent events led some to question whether his tenure would last that long. Last season, the Hokies went 5-6; in the five seasons Fuente has been coach, Virginia Tech holds a 43-32 record. Following a four-game losing streak last fall, some speculated that Fuente might be let go, according to ESPN. Last December, however, athletic director Whit Babcock said Fuente would return for a sixth season.
Lembke
KEVIN LEMBKE
PRESIDENT, BUSCH GARDENS WILLIAMSBURG AND WATER COUNTRY USA, WILLIAMSBURG
Lembke’s career in theme parks began in 2000 at SeaWorld Orlando. After spending 2004 through 2013 at SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment’s corporate offices, where he focused on retail product development and retail operations, Lembke came to Busch Gardens Williamsburg in 2013 as its vice president of merchandise.
Lembke transferred to Busch Gardens Tampa in 2016, then returned in 2018 to serve as president of Busch Gardens Williamsburg and Water Country USA. He left Busch Gardens briefly in 2019 to pursue other career opportunities but came back the same year.
During the pandemic, Lembke was one of the most vocal opponents of the state government’s 1,000-person mandated attendance limit on theme parks, saying it wasn’t financially feasible. Alongside other major venue operators, Lembke served on a task force that worked with state officials to develop COVID-19 protocols for large venues. A graduate of the University at Buffalo, Lembke oversees more than
4,000 full- and part-time employees during peak tourism season and serves on the board of the Williamsburg Tourism Council.
FAVORITE SPORTS TEAM: Buffalo Bills
FAVORITE SONG: “No Hard Feelings,” by The Avett Brothers
ONE THING I’D CHANGE ABOUT VIRGINIA: Add a pro sports franchise.
Neil
ERIK H. NEIL
DIRECTOR AND CEO, CHRYSLER MUSEUM OF ART, NORFOLK
Having previously served as the director of the Academy Art Museum in Maryland and executive director of The Heckscher Museum of Art in New York, Neil came to the Chrysler in 2014 with an eye toward leading it into the digital age.
Neil was an active curator earlier in his career, working with artists including James Turrell, Carrie Mae Weems and Tony Oursler. He’s published books and essays on contemporary art and the histories of architecture and photography. Currently, he serves on the boards of VisitNorfolk, the Military Aviation Museum and the Norfolk Innovation Corridor, and he’s a member of the Southeastern Art Museum Directors Consortium and the Association of Art Museum Directors. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Princeton University and master’s and doctoral degrees from Harvard.
In 2018, the Chrysler opened the Wonder Studio, an interactive gallery that provides children with hands-on art experiences and encourages them to use digital tools to create. During the pandemic, the 140-employee art museum tightened its belt but still developed new exhibitions and programs that speak to its community.
Nyerges
ALEX NYERGES
DIRECTOR AND CEO, VIRGINIA MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS, RICHMOND
In June, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts announced it would embark on a $190 million expansion, the largest in its history. The project will add a 100,000-square-foot wing, see 45,000 square feet of the current museum renovated and erect a standalone 40,000-square-foot collections center.
This major project will be the second such initiative since Nyerges took the helm of the VMFA in 2006. Under Nyerges, the VMFA has seen several blockbuster exhibitions, including works by Pablo Picasso and Edward Hopper; Kehinde Wiley unveiled his sculpture “Rumors of War” on the lawn of the VMFA in 2019.
A Rochester, New York, native, Nyerges is an affiliate graduate faculty member at Virginia Commonwealth University. This summer, he presented “Fleeting Light,” an exhibition of his own photography at Richmond’s Reynolds Gallery.
Nyerges previously served as director and CEO of Ohio’s Dayton Art Institute and as executive director of the Mississippi Museum of Art and Florida’s Museum of Art – DeLand.
FAVORITE APP: My running app — to see how far I have gone and how fast, although that is a declining number each year!
Parnell
TODD ‘PARNEY’ PARNELL
CEO, RICHMOND FLYING SQUIRRELS, RICHMOND
Following positions with other minor league teams in Pennsylvania and North Carolina, Parnell — who’s better known around Richmond as “Parney” — came to Richmond in 2010 to serve as vice president and chief operating officer for the Squirrels.
In July 2020, Parnell replaced the retiring Chuck Domino as the Squirrels’ CEO, overseeing all aspects of the team’s day-to-day operations. Under Parnell, the Double-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants led the Eastern League in average attendance in 2010, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2018 and 2019 and in overall attendance in 2010, 2012, 2014 and 2015. He is a three-time Eastern League Executive of the Year winner and has received Baseball America’s Minor League Executive of the Year award.
With the pandemic canceling the 2020 season, Parnell walked the bases 125 times in April 2020 to raise money for local COVID-19 relief efforts through an event called “500 Bases of Love.” He also serves as president of the Montgomery Biscuits, the Double-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays.
A graduate of Messiah University, Parnell volunteers with Metropolitan Junior Baseball League Inc. and serves on the boards of ChamberRVA, one Richmond Region Tourism and Flying Squirrels Charities.
Washington Football Team owner Daniel Snyder
DAN SNYDER
CO-OWNER, CO-CEO, WASHINGTON FOOTBALL TEAM, ASHBURN
This July, Snyder announced that he would be stepping away from day-to-day operations of the Washington Football Team following accusations last year from 15 female former employees who told The Washington Post they were sexually harassed and verbally abused at work by other executives during Snyder’s tenure, although Snyder was not accused of misconduct.
In June, Snyder’s wife, Tanya, was named as the team’s co-CEO, responsible for team operations and representing the club at all league activities. Days later, the NFL fined the team $10 million, citing its “highly unprofessional” workplace environment.
Snyder purchased the team in 1999 from the estate of Jack Kent Cooke, back when it was known as the Washington Redskins, a name criticized for decades as racist. The name and logo were retired in 2020 following pressure from corporate sponsors.
A lifelong entrepreneur from Maryland, Snyder co-founded a wallboard advertising company in 1989 with his sister, Michele Snyder, that became Snyder Communications LP. In 2000, Snyder sold the business, which employed 12,000 people, for more than $2 billion.
This year, Forbes valued the Washington Football Team at $3.5 billion, making it the world’s 19th most valuable sports franchise.
Williams
PHARRELL WILLIAMS
MUSICIAN, PRODUCER AND DEVELOPER, LOS ANGELES/VIRGINIA BEACH
Is there anything Williams can’t do? The internationally renowned music superstar behind hits like “Happy” and “Blurred Lines” has garnered 13 Grammys, but he’s also increasingly gaining admiration for his business activities in Virginia, his home state.
In 2019, Williams launched Something in the Water, a three-day music festival in his native Virginia Beach that featured the likes of Janelle Monáe, Missy Elliott, Migos and Dave Matthews Band, among others. The festival was canceled in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic, but sponsors hope it will return in 2022.
Williams also is co-developing the $325 million Atlantic Park mixed-use project and surf park at Virginia Beach’s Oceanfront, and he put forward a proposal to redevelop Norfolk’s former Military Circle mall.
In June 2020, Williams spoke at Gov. Ralph Northam’s news conference announcing that Juneteenth would become a state holiday. Last year, he also launched Black Ambition, a nonprofit initiative to provide support for minority entrepreneurs launching startups.
And this fall, Williams’ nonprofit, Yellow, will open an independent “micro” elementary school in Norfolk’s Ghent neighborhood, focusing on STEM and workforce preparation.
Updated Thursday, July 30: Busch Gardens will reopen to the public Aug. 6, although not the entire park, SeaWorld Entertainment Inc. announced Thursday.
The park will open for the first time this year Aug. 6-16 for its Coasters and Craft Brews event. Three roller coasters and the Screamin’ Swing ride will be open, and the park will serve beer and barbecue during four-hour stints Thursdays through Sundays. The park will open for members only Aug. 5. Reservations will be required to attend the event, and the park will observe social-distancing and mask requirements. More safety information is available here.
Earlier:
Busch Gardens may reopen in early August, according to SeaWorld Entertainment Inc., which owns the Williamsburg amusement park.
Under Phase Three of Gov. Ralph Northam’s reopening plan, the park was allowed to reopen with up to 1,000 visitors but chose not to because it was not economically viable, company officials said. The park, as well as neighboring Water Country USA and the rest of SeaWorld’s properties closed in March due to the pandemic. Water Country remains closed, and no announcement was made regarding its reopening plans.
SeaWorld made the announcement Wednesday in a preliminary report of its second quarter earnings. “The company expects its Busch Gardens theme park in Virginia to commence a phased reopening in early August 2020.” SeaWorld’s parks in Florida, Texas and Pennsylvania reopened in June and July, although its properties in California have not.
Busch Gardens Williamsburg employs 4,500 full- and part-time people, and during its initial closures, SeaWorld Entertainment had furloughed approximately 95% of its employees. This massive economic hit has been felt by Williamsburg and James City County. Williamsburg has for the past few months reported the greatest drop in hotel revenues across the state, and the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation has furloughed hundreds of people.
It was not clear whether the governor’s new executive order restricting gatherings of more than 50 people in Hampton Roads and the Peninsula, including Williamsburg, would impact reopening plans at the amusement park. The order, which also limits alcohol sales and seating at restaurants and other establishments, takes effect midnight Thursday. It will remain in effect until the governor rescinds the order.
SeaWorld, which has implemented new safety and hygiene protocols at its reopened parks, reported only 300,000 visitors in the second quarter, down 6.2 million from last year, and total revenue for the quarter is expected to reach only $18 million, compared to $406 million in 2019.
But since reopening its Aquatica and SeaWorld parks in Texas, its five parks in Florida and its Sesame Place park in Pennsylvania, SeaWorld has seen improvement, with a 14% increase in attendance from the last week of June to last week.
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JUSTIN FUENTE
