Mike Konzen is chairman and CEO of PGAV, a multidisciplinary planning and design firm with offices in St. Louis and Kansas City. Now in its sixth decade, the firm has a staff of 135 professionals and provides services in three core areas: destinations, architecture, and planning.
Since starting his journey with PGAV in 1986, Konzen has pursued his love of travel by providing consultancy services for a variety of global projects pertaining to tourism, attraction development, master planning, display design, and construction. UNESCO World Heritage sites, large museums and amusement parks, as well as national parks and resorts have all been among his clients.
Konzen has co-led PGAV’s Destination Consulting Group, a world leader in planning and design, since 1998. The team has worked on projects at numerous must-see locations across the globe, such as the Grand Canyon, the Biltmore Estate, the Kennedy Space Centre, the Georgia Aquarium, Gettysburg, Niagara Falls, the Saint Louis Zoo, and Universal Studios. With projects across five continents, PGAV Destinations is currently the industry’s leading independent creator of attractions and destinations.
Konzen received his master’s degree in architecture from Washington University and his bachelor’s degree in environmental design from Miami University in Ohio.
Speaking to blooloop in 2018 about the appeal of creating engaging destinations, he said:
“Over time, I became aware that the kinds of experiences a person has when they are travelling for leisure, whether to an attraction or some destination in a far-off place, are very enriching, and life-affirming. I became a big believer in the fact that, when we did our job well; creating inspiring, highly entertaining environments, we were really making the world a better place.
“A sense of mission grew out of that, and it is a big part of the mission that our whole organisation has here today.”