Former VP and Director of Research and Development John Denham recently retired from Amusement Products, a leader in FEC attractions manufacturing. Since his retirement, however, John still spends several hours a week consulting and managing special projects.

Prior to John’s 24 years of service with Amusement Products, he owned and operated his own family entertainment venue, Jackson Golf World, in Jackson, MS for 19 years. His business consisted of an 11-acre golf driving range, 18-hole miniature golf course, three go-karts tracks with a total of 42 go-karts, snack bar, birthday party areas and a maintenance area.

John’s first encounter with Amusement Products was the day that “Big Dutch,” father of Dutch Magrath, president of Amusement Products, visited his driving range and miniature golf course and explained how the addition of go-karts would enhance his business. “Was he ever right,” recalled John. “I bought a fleet of go-karts from him, and the business took off. The go-karts grossed more revenue than all my other activities combined!” From that point, Amusement Products became John’s primary FEC supplier.

One of the reasons for the success of Jackson Golf World was John’s desire to give his customers the best experience possible. That desire, along with his meticulous attention to detail and his engineering aptitude led to his eventual employment with Amusement Products. For instance, John designed and built his own mini golf props and obstacles, including the “19^th Hole” concept which Amusement Products offers today as a miniature golf attraction option. John developed and constructed the last hole on his course as a “celebration hole” hole which featured a water tower structure that utilized sound, music, lights, and the top of the tower rising 10 feet into the air. The entire park could see, hear, and feel the excitement generated from John Denham’s vision to create a memorable experience for his customers.

After selling his business in Jackson, MS, John went to work with Dutch Magrath at Amusement Products in Chattanooga, TN. During his time as a customer, John was very helpful in providing feedback from an owner/operator viewpoint about the company’s newest products and technologies. This insight and John’s other attributes made him a perfect fit for Amusement Products with their dedication as a leader to provide innovative attractions to the FEC industry.

Among John’s many contributions to Amusement Products and the FEC industry were his ideas that led to the creation of the world-famous interactive Spin Zone bumper cars, the industry’s first Rookie class go-kart, and the development of the company’s most popular line of electric go-karts. He also taught himself auto-cad, designed numerous tracks, parks and other attractions, and produced countless mechanical drawings for fabrication. John worked with outside vendors to improve their products and technology to better serve Amusement Products’ customers.

“John kept things moving forward with all of our product lines so that all attractions were continually improving,” said Dutch Magrath. “He recognized and provided solutions for areas that needed improvement and was willing to learn whatever was needed to get the job done. His incredible work ethic and dedication has made John a key to the success of Amusement Products, to the customers we serve, and to the FEC industry.”