Sales & business development
Vice President of Sales experience, commercial initiatives, business development, and strategic relationships.
EXPERIENCE IN ACTION
More than one
kind of business.
My career spans bar and restaurant operations, medical manufacturing and sales, logistics and fleet management, theme parks and waterparks, resort operations, and leadership teams at the world's largest mall. The industries differ; the management fundamentals remain the same: people, customers, operations, revenue, and accountability.
03 / EXPERIENCE
A CROSS-INDUSTRY CAREER
Logistics & field services
General management for a logistics operation with a vehicle fleet, including the people, service standards, and day-to-day decisions required to keep the operation moving.
Resorts & hospitality
Leadership across two resorts, including operations for one of four core pillars at Margaritaville Resort Orlando.
Theme parks & waterparks
More than three decades in attractions leadership, alongside team leadership at the world's largest mall and broad general management experience.
CAREER MILESTONES
Three decades of leadership.
Built in the field.
From frontline operations to corporate leadership, international openings, and general management, this career has been shaped by responsibility for teams, customers, safety, revenue, and results.
Wildcat Hollow Boy Scout Camp
As a young Eagle Scout, Jim served as a lifeguard at a western Kentucky Boy Scout camp. That early experience helped set the direction for a long career in attractions and aquatics.
Kentucky Kingdom
Started in Cash Control, moved into Sales and Marketing, and advanced to Assistant General Manager. Helped lead the park's transformation and rebranding as a Six Flags property in 1999.
Park and corporate leadership
Held park-level management roles, including at SplashTown near Houston; returned to Kentucky Kingdom as Marketing Director; then became Corporate Director of Marketing and Entertainment. Later returned as Vice President of Water Park Operations and Park President of Frontier City, with a focus on revenue, safety, and guest experience.
EMAAR and The Dubai Mall
Helped EMAAR open The Dubai Mall and led teams in a major, complex retail destination on a global scale.
Waterparks, resorts, and destination operations
Returned to the United States and worked with properties in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and Birmingham, Alabama, before serving as General Manager at Hurricane Alley Waterpark and Schlitterbahn Waterparks and Resorts.
Island H2O Water Park
Accepted the General Manager role in 2018. His team led the park's reopening after COVID-19 shutdowns; the long-form biography describes Island H2O as the first waterpark in the United States to reopen.
Bar & restaurant operations, medical, logistics, and resorts
Alongside three decades in attractions, Jim brings experience in bar and restaurant operations, an eight-year medical-industry career spanning manufacturing and sales, Vice President of Sales experience with Eaton Medial Group, general management of a logistics company operating a vehicle fleet, leadership at two resorts, and responsibility for one of the four core pillars at Margaritaville Resort Orlando.
J Kunau Enterprises
Founded to help organizations tackle revenue generation, operational impact, crisis management, and EBITDA improvement. The consulting practice applies executive management experience across industries—not only hospitality and attractions.
INDUSTRY SERVICE & THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
Jim's industry service has included the World Waterpark Association Marketing Committee and Education Committee, the IAAPA Water Park Committee, speaking at WWA and IAAPA events, and participating in panels and podcasts. His aquatics background also includes work with Ellis Associates, the National Aquatics Safety Company, and Starguard Elite.
SELECTED LEADERSHIP WORK
Experience built
through execution.
A few examples of the kinds of challenges I've worked through. Each reflects the value of combining strategic judgment with hands-on management.
CASE 01REPOSITIONING
Repositioning a distressed property
Helped convert the foreclosed Holiday Springs property into a profitable operation and rebrand it as Big Dam Waterpark. The story combines asset repositioning, operating strategy, and practical execution.
CASE 02PERFORMANCE
Driving attendance and revenue
Prior leadership work in the attractions industry included reported year-over-year gains in attendance and in-park revenue. The focus was on aligning teams and operating decisions with business performance.
CASE 03TEAM LEADERSHIP
Leading complex, high-visibility teams
Led teams in a world-scale retail destination and across resort and attraction operations. The common work: align people, uphold standards, solve problems, and keep execution moving.
CASE 04COMMERCIAL
Sales and partnership development
Sales leadership and commercial development experience includes executive sales responsibility and initiatives that connect customer value, partnerships, and growth.
Historical examples reflect prior leadership experience and are not guarantees of future outcomes. Specific figures, scopes, and attribution can be discussed in context.
INDUSTRIES I'VE WORKED IN
The work is not limited to these industries. The management fundamentals apply wherever people, customers, operations, and financial performance intersect.
BRING ME THE HARD PROBLEM
Let's find the
way forward.
Every business has its own context. A productive first conversation starts by understanding yours.