Leisure Business Advisors

What Leisure Business Advisors does

Leisure Business Advisors LLC (LBA) is a privately-held U.S. consulting firm headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, that provides feasibility studies, valuations, economic impact analyses, operations analyses, business plans, conceptual visualizations, project management oversight, and expert witness services to developers, operators, investors, and financing institutions involved in leisure attractions worldwide. The firm is a single-Principal practice led by Managing Director John Gerner, who has more than 40 years of leisure industry consulting experience spanning operational roles at Busch Gardens, Kings Dominion, and Walt Disney World (1975-1981), a Principal role at Economics Research Associates, and the presidency of Berkshire Ridefilm before establishing Gerner Consulting, which was later rebranded as Leisure Business Advisors LLC.

Name

Leisure Business Advisors

Legal name

Leisure Business Advisors LLC

Website

https://leisure-business.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Leisure Business Advisors LLC is a Richmond, Virginia-based consulting firm led by Managing Director John Gerner that provides feasibility studies, valuations, and economic impact analyses for developers, operators, and investors of leisure attractions worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Leisure and Attraction Development Consulting

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Sports Business Consulting & Advisory (Strategy, Valuation, Due Diligence) (MPAKAKAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Strategy & Corporate Development Consulting (BPAHACAA)

Keywords

• Feasibility study consulting
• Leisure attraction development
• Theme park consulting
• Business valuation services
• Economic impact analysis

Headquarters

HQ city

Richmond

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Consulting Services: Professional consulting fees for feasibility studies, valuations, economic impact analyses, operations analysis, business plans, project management oversight, expert witness services, and conceptual visualizations for leisure attractions. Revenue is project-based, typically one-time engagements required by investors and financing institutions.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Leisure Business Advisors LLC is a consulting firm that conducts feasibility studies, business valuations, economic impact analyses, operations analyses, business plans, conceptual visualizations, project management oversight, and expert witness services for developers, operators, investors, and financing institutions of leisure attractions including theme parks, museums, aquariums, water parks, resorts, and family entertainment centers. Engagements are typically project-based and often initiated as the first step in the development or expansion process, providing independent market validation and financial projections required by investors and lenders.

Product overview

Leisure Business Advisors LLC (LBA) is a consulting firm offering a suite of professional services for developers and operators of leisure attractions worldwide. The core service portfolio includes feasibility studies (the primary offering, typically the first step in development), business valuations using income/market/asset approaches, economic impact analysis, operations analysis, business plan preparation, conceptual visualizations with 3D graphics, project management oversight, and expert witness evaluation. LBA serves all major attraction categories including theme parks, museums, aquariums, water parks, family entertainment centers, and resort developments. The company is led by Managing Director John Gerner, a 40+ year industry expert, and has conducted projects across North America, Asia, Europe, Africa, Middle East, and South America.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Feasibility Study Comprehensive planning report evaluating market support, forecasting usage, determining financial performance, and establishing maximum warranted development costs for new leisure attractions. Typically commissioned by developers, operators, investors, and financing institutions as the first step of new attraction development or expansion.
• Valuation / Business Appraisal Business valuation service using income, market, and asset approaches to determine the value of leisure businesses. Used by operators and investors for transactions, financing, or internal planning purposes.
• Economic Impact Analysis Assessment of economic impact for tourist attractions and events, including estimating visitor spending and regional economic effects. Used by public and private stakeholders to quantify the broader economic contribution of attractions and events.
• Operations Analysis Analysis of attraction operations including crowd flow, pricing strategies, ticketing systems, and facility expansion alternatives. Targeted at operators of existing attractions seeking to improve efficiency or plan physical changes.
• Business Plan Preparation Comprehensive business plan development covering company structure, developer background, industry analysis, marketing strategy, financial projections, and development timeline. Used by developers preparing financing packages for new attractions.
• Conceptual Visualizations Visual concept development including 3D computer graphics and walk-through animations to help define project look and feel for financing presentations. Used by developers to communicate the project's vision to investors and financing institutions.
• Project Management Oversight Advisory services for project management selection and oversight during the construction phase after financing has been obtained. Targeted at developers transitioning from planning to construction of new attractions.
• Expert Witness Evaluation Expert witness services for court cases involving water park development, theme park valuations, and motion simulator entertainment technology. Provided by Managing Director John Gerner based on his 40+ years of leisure industry experience.

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Economics Research Associates (ERA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJohn Gerner previously served as Principal with ERA, managing one of the firm's regional offices. Currently works as subcontractor to ERA on various attraction projects including Nanshan Cultural Tourism Zone, Clark Planetarium, and Country Music Hall of Fame projects. ERA retained clients including Walt Disney Company, Marriott Corporation, and various museums.
• International Theme Park Services (ITPS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorks as subcontractor to ITPS on valuation and feasibility projects including Ripley's Aquarium (Myrtle Beach and Gatlinburg), Downtown Aquarium Denver, Adventure Aquarium Camden, and Hopi Hari Brazil. ITPS serves as primary consultant with LBA providing specialized market and financial analysis.
• Atkins (SNC-Lavalin Group)majorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLBA prepared attendance and revenue projections for National Museum of the United States Navy as subcontractor to Atkins, a member of the SNC-Lavalin Group. Project involves 270,000 sq ft museum campus in Washington DC.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• AECOM: Global infrastructure consulting firm that absorbed Economics Research Associates (LBA's historical peer and a prior employer of John Gerner) into its Economics + Advisory practice. Comparable in that AECOM now delivers leisure feasibility alongside much broader services, both partnering with and competitively encroaching on LBA's niche.
• Stantec: Large multidisciplinary design and consulting firm with an active aquatics and leisure attractions practice. Comparable as a broad incumbent that increasingly bundles feasibility, master planning, and engineering services for aquarium, water park, and resort developments—overlapping meaningfully with LBA's project pipeline.
• HVS: Long-established hospitality and leisure consulting firm specializing in hotel, resort, and entertainment property valuation and feasibility. Comparable to LBA because HVS performs business appraisals, market and financial feasibility analyses, and impact studies for tourism-driven assets across the same capital-source clientele.

Direct peers

• Thinkwell Group: Monrovia, California-based planning, design, and production firm focused on the themed entertainment industry. Directly comparable because it provides feasibility, master planning, and creative services for theme parks, attractions, museums, and destination resorts—mirroring LBA's leisure-development consulting practice.
• PGAV Destinations: St. Louis-based destination consulting and design firm serving zoos, aquariums, museums, and theme parks. Comparable because PGAV provides feasibility, market and financial analyses, and master-planning services for attractions—a near-identical service portfolio to LBA's core practice.
• The Hettema Group: Philadelphia-based attraction design and master planning firm founded by former Universal Creative executive Phil Hettema. Comparable because it engages on master planning, feasibility, and creative direction for major theme parks and themed entertainment venues globally—the same buyer and category that LBA serves.
• International Theme Park Services (ITPS): Specialty leisure-attraction consulting firm providing feasibility, valuation, and project management for theme parks, water parks, and aquariums. Comparable as a long-standing subcontractor partner of LBA on projects such as Ripley's Aquarium and Downtown Aquarium Denver, serving identical developer and lending clients.
• Jack Rouse Associates (JRA): Cincinnati-based consulting and design firm serving museums, aquariums, zoos, and visitor attractions with master planning and feasibility services. Comparable to LBA because JRA frequently performs market and financial feasibility studies for institutional and government-owned leisure attractions such as aquariums and museums.
• Forrec Ltd. Toronto-based international design and consulting firm specializing in theme parks, waterparks, museums, and resorts. Comparable because it routinely performs feasibility studies, master planning, and attraction-mix consulting for new-build and expansion projects targeting the same investor and lender clients as LBA.
• Falcon's Beyond: Orlando-based experience design and development firm for theme parks, museums, and entertainment destinations. Comparable to LBA as another mid-sized specialist providing master planning and feasibility-style advisory for leisure attractions, often competing for the same institutional and developer projects.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/leisure-business-advisors-llc-lba-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Leisure Business Advisors