ENORMOUS IMPACT: A recent report issued by consulting firm Arduin, Laffer & Moore stated Walt Disney World in Orlando and its related businesses generate an estimated $18.2 billion in economic activity in Florida and account for more than one in every 50 jobs in the state. Results in the impact study, which was paid for by the resort, included the operations of Walt Disney World, Disney Cruise Line, and Disney Vacation Club, all of which account for 2.5 percent of Florida’s gross domestic product. The analysis also found in 2009 the resort paid almost $1.8 billion in compensation to more than 59,000 workers and purchased $2.3 billion in goods and services. Its guests spent $1.7 billion at businesses off Walt Disney World property.
PARTNERSHIP DEAL: WhiteWater West Industries announced it has partnered with Rick Briggs and his company, Interactive Entertainment Concepts, to develop and deliver the next generation of interactive play products at waterparks. Briggs is known for introducing the interactive waterplay structure in 1989, the giant dumping bucket in 1995, and the Foam Factory in 1996, and is co-inventor of the live-action role-playing game MagiQuest. In this partnership he will lead a team at WhiteWater to develop new high-tech products, including SplashQuest, an interactive wet-play game for waterparks.
 MOVING ON UP: Arcade equipment sales and service company Brady Distributing announced four major promotions within its company. Bernie Robinson, serving as interim general manager at the company’s Memphis operation, is now sales manager for the company. Dave Sexton was named the firm’s new director of FEC development after working at the company for 18 years in sales and marketing. Neil Desio, who’s been with Brady since 1992, will bring 36 years of industry experience to his new role as general manager of the company’s Memphis office. Steve Fabian joined Brady Distributing and will now lead the company’s Southwestern operations.
 WELCOME ABOARD: Sight- Logix Inc. announced the appointment of Jack Tomarchio to its board of directors. Tomarchio is a homeland security and intelligence professional who served as Deputy Under Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis Operations under President George W. Bush. He recently retired as a colonel from the U.S. Army Reserve, where his last assignment was with the U.S. Special Operations Command.
SOLD! Five Adventure Landing family entertainment centers have been sold to National Retail Properties (NRP) in a sales-leaseback deal in which the original owners will lease the centers from NRP and continue to operate them. Two of the five properties are located in Jacksonville, Florida, one in Raleigh, North Carolina, and two in New York.
PRODUCTS
 SWIPING IN STYLE: Embed, provider of debit card and point-of-sale systems for the attractions industry, has been installing its new cashless game operation and prize redemption system at bowling centers. The system can include Embed’s Color-Glo HD Swiper, which features a full-color display, enhanced Color-Glo style effects, and full wireless-at-the-game network connectivity. The system interfaces with all of the leading bowling systems and allows guests to enjoy a one-card solution that can be used throughout an entire bowling center. www.embedcard.com
 TOP POPPER: As the latest addition to its hot air popping and puffing equipment, C. Cretors and Company has introduced OriginateAir. Designed for caramel corn shops and other concession locations, Originate Air continuously pops and puffs up to 40 pounds of popcorn and other snacks per hour. It pops kernels in a steady current of hot air, which Cretors says creates uniform popcorn with little scrap. A built-in sifter removes unpopped and undersized kernels, while a digital control panel lets the operator set the best temperature for popping, depending upon the grade of popcorn used. www.cretors.com
 POP-IT ON THE MOVE: Benchmark Games has launched a mobile application for the prime end-users of its top-selling game, Pop-It for Gold. The fast-paced arcade-style game challenges users to pop balloons as quickly as possible. The mobile app allows users to play the game alone or to see how they stack up against their friends. The application is available for the iPhone, iTouch, and iPad at Apple’s iTunes for a one-time fee of $0.99.
www.benchmarkgames.com
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