Gabrielle Russon
The creators behind some of Disney World’s biggest thrills have relocated to downtown Orlando with plans to continue expanding.
Vekoma Rides, a Dutch-based ride manufacturer, opened a new office last month on Orange Avenue near City Hall and the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts.
Vekoma’s Americas office was previously located in Windermere. But the firm needed the bigger office for more meeting space and relocated the eight employees who install rides, handle sales and engineer projects.
“The theme park industry is the main engine and the main driver of the economy in Central Florida,” said Ricardo Etges, Vekoma’s Vice President of Sales for the Americas. “This is the place to be for theme parks, but also for the whole supply chain behind the theme parks, which not a lot of people realize that there is a big industry behind the experiences.”
Everyone knows Disney World. But the average fan might not realize that Vekoma built the Magic Kingdom’s TRON Lightcycle Run and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Epcot’s Guardians of the Galaxy indoor coaster and Animal Kingdom’s Expedition Everest, along with Flight of the Hippogriff at Universal.
With a nearly 100-year history, Vekoma has manufactured more than 100 roller coasters running in the United States.
Vekoma rents a warehouse in Lakeland.
“We have spare parts available in Central Florida and the goal is to build this long-term presence in the market not only for new rides and new projects, but also for the existing ones that we have out there,” Etges said, adding that the downtown Orlando office plans to hire more engineers. “We will need more resources and more parts and more people to service those growing number of rides.”
The company is part of an industry where all the major players, from Disney and Universal to SeaWorld and Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, are investing in new rides.
Vekoma did not get any financial or tax incentives to relocate to downtown, Etges said. The city of Orlando confirmed that fact to Florida Politics.
The Orlando Economic Partnership (OEP) helped Vekoma find the office space at 420 S. Orange Ave.
“Vekoma’s decision to relocate in Orlando underscores the region’s global reputation as a hub for the attractions and tourism industry — not just for destination experiences, but for the companies that power them behind the scenes,” said OEP CEO and President Tim Giuliani.
