Press Releases

IAAPA Announces Service Award Winners

ATLANTA (Nov. 16, 2006) – Larry Cochran, Jerry Aldrich, and Hans Imanse were presented with Service Awards from the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions today at the IAAPA Attractions Expo 2006 General Managers and Owners Breakfast. The event took place during the association’s annual conference and trade show held at the Georgia World Congress Center.

The Service Awards are given in three categories: The Lifetime Service Award, The Outstanding Service Award, and The Meritorious Service Award.

The Lifetime Service Award recognizes a member individual or organization’s consistent and long-term achievements serving the association and the attractions industry.

This year’s Lifetime Service Award recipient is Larry Cochran, a man who has dedicated a considerable amount of time and energy to both the attractions industry as well as IAAPA. He began his career in the amusement park industry with Six Flags in 1961 and worked closely with the company’s founder, Angus Wynne. After an extensive tour as vice president and general manager at most of Six Flags amusement park properties, Cochran was promoted to executive vice president of the company in 1982, president and CEO in 1985, and chairman of the board in 1990. After retiring from Six Flags, Inc., in 2000, he became president and CEO for Palace Entertainment in 2003, only recently retiring from the company this year.

In addition to his impressive resume at Six Flags, Cochran has served IAAPA as chairman of the board in 1998, chairman of the Advisory Board in 2005, and has been involved with a number of committees with the association.

The Outstanding Service Award is presented in recognition of a member individual or organization who works to foster the spirit of goodwill, professionalism, and higher levels of performance within the industry on a regional, national, or international level. This year, the Outstanding Service Award was presented to Jerry Aldrich.

Jerry Aldrich has made protecting amusement park employees and guests his career, starting at Disney’s Magic Kingdom in 1971. For more than 27 years he worked tirelessly behind the scenes, ensuring the safety of families from around the globe. He managed projects at EPCOT, Disneyland Paris, and the Magic Kingdom before his promotion to the position of director of independent programs and maintenance support where he directed project management, disability etiquette, support systems maintenance, services for guests with disabilities, and decision-making for Disney World Resort in Orlando, Fla. as well as the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, Calif. Since retiring from Disney in 1989, Jerry Aldrich has operated his own company, Amusement Industry Consulting, become a spokesman for the amusement park industry on all issues of safety, and has been a driving force behind a number of IAAPA’s Safety initiatives.

The Meritorious Service Award recognizes a member individual or organization that has advanced the IAAPA mission of “serving the membership by promoting the safe operation, global development, professional growth, and commercial success of the amusement industry.” This year’s recipient is Hans Imanse of Jora Vision, a design and building company based in The Netherlands.

Hans Imanse has been recruiting new members and promoting the benefits of joining for ten years and has served as a tireless ambassador for IAAPA. This award was given in acknowledgment of Hans Imanse’s long-time service as an IAAPA volunteer.

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IAAPA is the largest international trade association for permanently situated amusement facilities worldwide. The organization represents over 4,500 facility, supplier, and individual members from more than 90 countries. IAAPA strives to help members improve their safety, efficiency, marketing, and profitability while maintaining the highest possible professional standards in the industry. www.iaapa.org