Ocean Center
The Ocean Center opened in 1985 with 60,000 square feet of exhibit space and 18 breakout rooms located 400 feet from the Atlantic Ocean in the resort City of Daytona Beach. In February of 2009 the County finished a $76 million expansion resulting in a 205,000 square foot multi-use complex which more than doubled the previous facility. $3 million from a voter-approved ECHO grant program was also used, helping to construct a Cultural Information Center and “Art in Public Places” area within the expansion. The Ocean Center is now a state-of-the-art host of concerts, conventions, tradeshows, sporting events, weddings, banquets and family entertainments.
In 2011, the County of Volusia and the Ocean Center began the process of evaluating their maintenance and operational practices including facilities and parking garage maintenance. The purpose of this effort was to establish a “business like” approach to planning, budgeting, performing maintenance and managing the Ocean Center’s infrastructure and operations.
Through this process, LA Consulting identified sixty-three (63) findings and thirty-seven (37) recommendations. The project recommendations were categorized into the four basic management functions of Planning, Organizing, Directing and Controlling. This was done to facilitate a phased implementation of the recommendations by the Ocean Center.
LA Consulting believes that if implemented, tremendous positive impacts will result from the effectiveness of public dollars expended, efficiency of work performed and a positive attitude by the involvement of all staff in an approach to work being done.