With a number of successes in master-planned community amenity developments under its belt, Miami-based technology company Crystal Lagoons is pursuing a new business model for amenity development, which consists of master licensing agreements for public access lagoons.
The company’s exclusive partners are set to use Crystal Lagoons' technology package to create public amenities across the U.S. anchored by beaches, retail, and other attractions. Between December 2019 and May 2020, the company had signed master licensing agreements for 16 new lagoons in the U.S., as well as many more overseas.
While the COVID-19 pandemic has placed restrictions on the company’s activity and prompted the closure of some amenities at the beginning of the pandemic—including the one at the Epperson community in Wesley Chapel, Fla.—Crystal Lagoons anticipates that its amenities will play important roles in a future economic recovery, particularly as sites for “mini-vacations” in a time when air travel is limited.
“Given that these are long-term projects that will not be completed in less than one-and-a-half years, the business' dynamism hasn’t been affected by the pandemic," says Iván Manzur, who is expected to assume the position of vice president of sales at Crystal Lagoons U.S. Corp. “On the contrary, we’ve seen investors moving forward, and these projects have been perceived as having a potential of reactivating the economy.”
BUILDER magazine spoke with Manzur about the company’s future plans and sales performance, as well as its management of the COVID-19 pandemic, opportunities as travel and recreation habits shift, and expectations for business under the “new normal.”
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