CompBrief BY VELARION

Companies United Parks & Resorts Inc.

United Parks & Resorts (PRKS): executive pay, fiscal 2025

Free brief. Every figure links to the company’s own filing.

Velarion Intel: free for 3 days, no card →

Email me United Parks & Resorts Inc.’s executive pay brief as a PDF

You get it on this page the moment you ask, and a copy by email. Every figure is cited to its filing.

After the PDF, up to three short notes on the deeper reports for this company. Reply “unsubscribe” to any of them, any time.

Also free: The Pay Desk, the weekly executive pay briefing.
CEO total pay$4,891,868CEO Marc Swanson · source
Say-on-pay support98.94%Latest vote · source
CEO vs. named peers17th pct.Of 12 peer CEOs
CEO pay ratio427.2:1To the median employee · source

CEO pay, last three years

  • $1,106,531FY2023
  • $1,078,031FY2024
  • $4,891,868FY2025

CEO total pay was $4,891,868 in fiscal 2025, up from $1,078,031 in fiscal 2024.

FY2025: salary $450,000 · bonus $33,750 · stock awards $4,134,963 · option awards $265,044

Executives and directors

Frequently asked questions

Who was the highest-paid executive at United Parks & Resorts Inc. in fiscal 2025?
As disclosed, Marc Swanson (Chief Executive Officer) was the highest-paid executive at United Parks & Resorts Inc. in fiscal 2025, with total compensation of $4,891,868.
How does United Parks & Resorts Inc.'s chief executive pay compare to its disclosed peer group?
As disclosed, Marc Swanson's total compensation ranked at the 17th percentile of United Parks & Resorts Inc.'s disclosed peer group.
What is United Parks & Resorts Inc.'s CEO-to-median employee pay ratio?
As disclosed, United Parks & Resorts Inc.'s CEO-to-median employee pay ratio was 427.2:1.
How did shareholders vote on United Parks & Resorts Inc.'s executive compensation?
As disclosed, 98.94% of shareholders supported United Parks & Resorts Inc.'s executive compensation in the latest say-on-pay vote.
How much does United Parks & Resorts Inc. spend in total on board compensation for fiscal 2025?
As disclosed, United Parks & Resorts Inc. reported total board compensation of $4,671,594 for fiscal 2025.

Answers are drawn only from the figures disclosed in this brief and cited to their location in the source filing. Where a figure required for an answer is not disclosed, that is stated rather than estimated.

Full detail

Every table from the filing. Open any section.

Summary compensation table
Named executive officerSalaryBonusStock awardsOption awardsNon-equity incentivePension / NQDCAll otherTotal
Marc Swanson$450,000$33,750$4,134,963$265,044$0$0$8,111$4,891,868
Chief Executive Officer
Byron Surrett250,0005,0001,277,36155,200007,6181,595,179
Chief Parks Operations Officer - Non-Florida Parks
Christopher Finazzo400,00001,066,613117,781001,0851,585,479
Chief Commercial Officer
Kyle Miller250,0005,0001,036,64255,200007,7381,354,580
Chief Parks Operations Officer - Florida Parks
James Forrester285,0009,120545,57062,945007,810910,445
Interim Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer
James Mikolaichik350,00000000857350,857
Former Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer

A dash means the company reported no figure in that column; 0 means it reported zero. Figures are as printed in the filing, without adjustment.

Three-year trend — total compensation per named executive

Named executive officerFY2025 totalFY2024 totalFY2023 totalΔ FY2024→2025
Marc Swanson$4,891,868$1,078,031$1,106,531↑ +3,813,837
Byron Surrett1,595,1791,000,396948,345↑ +594,783
Christopher Finazzo1,585,4795,347,252734,112↓ −3,761,773
Kyle Miller1,354,580641,135944,464↑ +713,445
James Forrester910,445—823,600—
James Mikolaichik350,8574,656,747—↓ −4,305,890

Prior-year totals as disclosed in the corresponding proxy; deltas are computed values with the derivation shown in the register.

Incentive-plan design — the Compensation Discussion & Analysis

We believe we must provide total rewards that will attract, retain and motivate an outstanding executive team to achieve our challenging business goals and create value for our stockholders.

CEO STI target (% of salary)150%
CEO LTI target (% of salary)—
Independent consultantW.T. Haigh & Company
Clawback policytrue
Anti-hedgingtrue
Anti-pledgingTrue
Equity grants and outstanding awards

Grants of plan-based awards — fiscal year 2025

ExecutiveAwardGrant dateThresholdTargetGrantedMaximumGrant-date fair value
James ForresterPSU2025-11-115311,328—1,660$45,590
Byron SurrettRSU2025-11-10——28,702—999,978
Marc SwansonRSU2025-12-15——113,765—3,999,977
Marc SwansonOPTION2025-11-11——3,932—79,505
Marc SwansonPSU2025-11-111,3763,932—4,915134,986
Christopher FinazzoRSU2025-11-10——28,702—999,978
Kyle MillerOPTION2025-11-11——819—16,560
Byron SurrettRSU2025-05-14——4,950—240,719
Byron SurrettOPTION2025-11-11——1,911—38,640
Byron SurrettOPTION2025-11-11——819—16,560
Kyle MillerPSU2025-11-114801,068—1,33536,664
Kyle MillerRSU2025-11-10——28,702—999,978
Christopher FinazzoPSU2025-11-118241,941—2,42666,635
James ForresterRSU2025-12-15——15,984—499,980
Byron SurrettPSU2025-11-114801,068—1,33536,664
Christopher FinazzoOPTION2025-11-11——4,078—82,457
James ForresterOPTION2025-11-11——2,180—44,080
Marc SwansonOPTION2025-11-11——9,176—185,539
Christopher FinazzoOPTION2025-11-11——1,747—35,324
James ForresterOPTION2025-11-11——933—18,865
Kyle MillerOPTION2025-11-11——1,911—38,640

Vehicle mix — grant-date fair value by award type

Named executive officerTime-vested (RSU)Performance-vested (PSU)Options / SARs% performance-vested
James Forrester$499,980$45,590$62,9457.5%
Byron Surrett1,240,69736,66455,2002.8%
Marc Swanson3,999,977134,986265,0443.1%
Christopher Finazzo999,97866,635117,7815.6%
Kyle Miller999,97836,66455,2003.4%

% performance-vested = PSU grant-date fair value ÷ (RSU + PSU + Options), a computed value with the derivation shown in the register.

Outstanding equity awards at fiscal year-end 2025

ExecutiveAwardShares unvestedExercise priceMarket value unvested
Byron SurrettOption35253.18—
Kyle MillerOption35253.18—
James ForresterOption40253.18—
Byron SurrettOption53152.96—
Kyle MillerOption53152.96—
Byron SurrettOption54956.92—
Kyle MillerOption54956.92—
James ForresterOption62656.92—
Christopher FinazzoOption75253.18—
Byron SurrettOption81934.33—
Kyle MillerOption81934.33—
Byron SurrettOption82353.18—
Kyle MillerOption82353.18—
James ForresterOption93334.33—
James ForresterOption93853.18—
James ForresterOption1,06252.96—
Christopher FinazzoOption1,17156.92—
Byron SurrettOption1,23952.96—
Kyle MillerOption1,23952.96—
James ForresterPSU1,507—54,704
James ForresterOption1,54064.94—
Byron SurrettOption1,54064.94—
Kyle MillerOption1,54064.94—
Marc SwansonOption1,69253.18—
Christopher FinazzoOption1,74734.33—
Christopher FinazzoOption1,75553.18—
Byron SurrettPSU1,909—69,297
Kyle MillerPSU1,909—69,297
Byron SurrettOption1,91134.33—
Kyle MillerOption1,91134.33—
James ForresterOption2,18034.33—
James ForresterOption2,47852.96—
Marc SwansonOption2,63556.92—
Christopher FinazzoPSU2,820—102,366
James ForresterRSU3,769—136,815
Marc SwansonOption3,93234.33—
Marc SwansonOption3,94953.18—
Christopher FinazzoOption4,07834.33—
Christopher FinazzoOption4,53252.96—
James ForresterPSU5,276—191,519
Byron SurrettRSU5,635—204,551
Kyle MillerRSU5,635—204,551
Marc SwansonPSU6,346—230,360
Byron SurrettPSU7,544—273,847
Kyle MillerPSU7,544—273,847
Christopher FinazzoRSU7,956—288,803
Marc SwansonOption9,17634.33—
Marc SwansonRSU9,831—356,865
Christopher FinazzoOption10,57552.96—
Christopher FinazzoPSU10,776—391,169
Marc SwansonPSU16,177—587,225
James ForresterRSU21,867—793,772
Byron SurrettRSU37,619—1,365,570
Kyle MillerRSU37,619—1,365,570
Christopher FinazzoRSU89,125—3,235,238
Marc SwansonRSU100,527—3,649,130
Director compensation
DirectorCash feesStock awardsOption awardsNon-equity incentiveAll otherTotal
Timothy HartnettIndependent · Lead Independent Director · Audit$0$672,640$0$0$0$672,640
Scott RossIndependent · Board Chair · Compensation (Chair) · Nominating/Corporate Governance · Revenue0622,806000622,806
William GrayIndependent · Audit · Nominating/Corporate Governance · Revenue0538,295000538,295
Yoshikazu MaruyamaIndependent · Compensation · Revenue (Chair)215,000249,986000464,986
Kimberly SchaeferIndependent · Audit · Revenue102,500351,804000454,304
James ChambersIndependent · Compensation · Nominating/Corporate Governance (Chair) · Revenue0453,712000453,712
Thomas MoloneyIndependent · Audit Committee (Chair) · Compensation Committee195,000249,986———444,986
Nathaniel LipmanIndependent · Audit · Nominating/Corporate Governance138,751295,931000434,682
Neha Jogani NarangIndependent · Revenue0433,841000433,841
Ronald BensionIndependent · Revenue · Departed during FY091,20500091,205
Aayushi DalalNot independent · Partial-year service · Newly elected60,137000060,137

Board fee structure and ownership guideline

Annual cash retainer$110,000
Annual equity retainer$250,000
Per board meeting fee$3,000
Committee chair fees (audit / comp / nom-gov)35,000 / 30,000 / 30,000
Stock ownership guideline$5

Total cost of the board

ComponentFY2025
Cash retainers and fees$711,388
Equity awards (grant-date value)$3,960,206
All other compensation$0
Total cost of the board$4,671,594

Computed as the sum of the director compensation table rows above; inputs and formula shown in the register.

Peer group, and who names United Parks & Resorts as a peer

Companies that benchmark against PRKS

The list of companies that name PRKS as a peer is temporarily unavailable — recheck shortly.

Disclosed peer group — fiscal year 2025

The compensation peer group as the company disclosed it in its own proxy — the reference set behind the percentile above.

AMC AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc.VAC Marriott Vacations Worldwide CorporationCAKE The Cheesecake Factory IncorporatedCNK Cinemark Holdings, Inc.PLAY Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc.TXRH Texas Roadhouse, Inc.HGV Hilton Grand Vacations, Inc.TNL Travel + Leisure CompanyMTN Vail Resorts, Inc.MSGS Madison Square Garden Sports Corp.NCLH Norwegian Cruise Lines Holdings Ltd.SIX Six Flags Entertainment Corporation

Peer reciprocity

Of the companies United Parks & Resorts Inc. names as compensation peers, which name it back in their own disclosed peer groups. A peer set the market reciprocates reads differently from one selected in a single direction.

AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc. (AMC) Marriott Vacations Worldwide Corporation (VAC) The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated (CAKE) Cinemark Holdings, Inc. (CNK) Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc. (PLAY) Texas Roadhouse, Inc. (TXRH) Hilton Grand Vacations, Inc. (HGV) Travel + Leisure Company (TNL) Vail Resorts, Inc. (MTN) Madison Square Garden Sports Corp. (MSGS) Norwegian Cruise Lines Holdings Ltd. (NCLH) Six Flags Entertainment Corporation (SIX)

Reciprocity shown where the peer’s own current proxy has been read — each mark is cited in the register to that peer’s filing. A dash means the peer’s current proxy was read and names no reciprocal group including United Parks & Resorts Inc..

Chief executive pay against the peer group

Most recent fiscal-year chief executive compensation at each disclosed peer, taken from that company’s own proxy statement.

RankCompanyFYChief executiveSalaryStock awardsOption awardsNon-equity incentiveTotal
1United Parks & Resorts Inc.2025Marc Swanson$450,000$4,134,963$265,044$0$4,891,868
—AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc.——————not in coverage universe
—Marriott Vacations Worldwide Corporation——————not in coverage universe
—The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated——————not in coverage universe
—Cinemark Holdings, Inc.——————not in coverage universe
—Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc.——————not in coverage universe
—Texas Roadhouse, Inc.——————not in coverage universe
—Hilton Grand Vacations, Inc.——————not in coverage universe
—Travel + Leisure Company——————not in coverage universe
—Vail Resorts, Inc.——————not in coverage universe
—Madison Square Garden Sports Corp.——————not in coverage universe
—Norwegian Cruise Lines Holdings Ltd.——————not in coverage universe
—Six Flags Entertainment Corporation——————not in coverage universe

Each peer’s compensation is from its most recently filed proxy; fiscal years differ by company. Each peer’s figures come from its own filings; the subject company is highlighted. Peers whose chief executive compensation is outside our coverage universe are stated as such, never left blank.

Incentive design against the same peers

CompanyAnnual incentive payoutLong-term vehicle mixPSU measures include TSRCompensation consultant
United Parks & Resorts Inc.not disclosedPSU 75 · Options 25NoW.T. Haigh & Company
AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc.not disclosedPSU 60 · RSU 40not disclosedKorn Ferry
Cinemark Holdings, Inc.200%PSU 60 · RSA 40NoPearl Meyer
Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc.not disclosedRSU 33 · PSU 33 · Option 33NoFW Cook
Hilton Grand Vacations, Inc.113%not disclosedNoPearl Meyer
Madison Square Garden Sports Corp.100%PSU 50 · RSU 50NoClearBridge Compensation Group LLC
Marriott Vacations Worldwide Corporation67.27%PSU 50 · RSU 30 · Options 20NoExequity LLP
Norwegian Cruise Lines Holdings Ltd.110.8%PSU 50 · RSU 50NoKorn Ferry
Six Flags Entertainment Corporationnot disclosedPSU 80 · RSU 20NoFW Cook
Texas Roadhouse, Inc.65%not disclosedNoFW Cook
The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated100.25%PSU 50 · RSU 50NoFW Cook
Travel + Leisure Company142.8%PSU 50 · RSU 50NoAon
Vail Resorts, Inc.92%RSU 50 · Options 50not disclosedAon

Read from each company’s Compensation Discussion and Analysis: annual incentive payout as a percentage of target, the disclosed long-term vehicle mix, whether performance-share measures include a total shareholder return component, and the retained compensation consultant. “Not disclosed” appears only where the company’s filing does not state the item.

Say-on-pay history and pay ratio
Meeting yearMeeting dateForAgainstAbstainSupportOutcome
20262026-06-1641,805,480440,8648,42098.94%Passed
20242024-06-1353,976,123472,92154,73699.13%Passed
20232023-06-1354,034,714348,15833,01099.36%Passed
20222022-06-1351,142,45312,017,37023,44480.97%Passed
20212021-06-1145,559,82419,993,33898,84369.5%Passed
20202020-06-1058,216,5689,760,965898,75085.64%Passed

Rows are labeled by annual-meeting year, with the meeting date beside each; the vote held in a given year acts on the prior fiscal year’s compensation.

Say-on-pay — history, company’s computation

Meeting yearMeeting dateApproval — company’s computation
20262026-06-1698.94%a
20242024-06-1399.13%b
20232023-06-1399.36%c

a. Approved under the standard stated in the filing — “Abstentions will be counted as present and therefore will have the same effect as a vote "AGAINST" the Say-on-Pay Proposal.”.

b. Approved under the standard stated in the filing — “Abstentions and broker non-votes will have no effect on the outcome of the Nominee Proposal.”.

c. Approved under the standard stated in the filing — “Abstentions and broker non-votes will have no effect on the outcome of the Nominee Proposal.”.

Approval percentages are the company’s own reported computations under its own stated standard, not recomputed by Velarion. Where a company does not state a standard, none is assumed.

CEO pay ratio

Ratio (CEO : median employee)427.2 : 1
CEO total compensation$4,891,868
Median employee compensation$11,451
Insider trades since the proxy

Equity transactions since the proxy statement are temporarily unavailable — recheck shortly.

Sources (46 citations)

Each figure is listed with the filing it comes from, where it appears in that filing, and the value as printed. Any figure can be independently confirmed against the source.

  • Section 01, Marc Swanson. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. Section “Summary Compensation Table” · page 40. As printed: 4,891,868. View filing ↗
  • Section 01, Byron Surrett. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. Section “Summary Compensation Table”. As printed: 1,595,179. View filing ↗
  • Section 01, Christopher Finazzo. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. Section “Summary Compensation Table”. As printed: 1,585,479. View filing ↗
  • Section 01, Kyle Miller. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. Section “Summary Compensation Table”. As printed: 1,354,580. View filing ↗
  • Section 01, James Forrester. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. Section “Summary Compensation Table”. As printed: 910,445. View filing ↗
  • Section 01, James Mikolaichik. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. Section “Summary Compensation Table”. As printed: 350,857. View filing ↗
  • Section 03, James Forrester PSU. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. Section “Executive Compensation” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
  • Section 03, Byron Surrett RSU. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. Section “Executive Compensation” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
  • Section 03, Marc Swanson RSU. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. Section “Executive Compensation” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
  • Section 03, Marc Swanson OPTION. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. Section “Executive Compensation” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
  • Section 03, Marc Swanson PSU. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. Section “Executive Compensation” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
  • Section 03, Christopher Finazzo RSU. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. Section “Executive Compensation” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
  • Section 03, Kyle Miller OPTION. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. Section “Executive Compensation” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
  • Section 03, Byron Surrett RSU. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. Section “Executive Compensation” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
  • Section 03, Byron Surrett OPTION. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. Section “Executive Compensation” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
  • Section 03, Byron Surrett OPTION. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. Section “Executive Compensation” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
  • Section 03, Kyle Miller PSU. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. Section “Executive Compensation” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
  • Section 03, Kyle Miller RSU. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. Section “Executive Compensation” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
  • Section 03, Christopher Finazzo PSU. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. Section “Executive Compensation” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
  • Section 03, James Forrester RSU. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. Section “Executive Compensation” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
  • Section 03, Byron Surrett PSU. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. Section “Executive Compensation” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
  • Section 03, Christopher Finazzo OPTION. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. Section “Executive Compensation” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
  • Section 03, James Forrester OPTION. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. Section “Executive Compensation” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
  • Section 03, Marc Swanson OPTION. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. Section “Executive Compensation” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
  • Section 03, Christopher Finazzo OPTION. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. Section “Executive Compensation” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
  • Section 03, James Forrester OPTION. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. Section “Executive Compensation” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
  • Section 03, Kyle Miller OPTION. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. Section “Executive Compensation” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
  • Section 07, pay ratio. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. Section “CEO Pay Ratio”. As printed: 427.2 : 1. View filing ↗
  • Section 08, Timothy Hartnett. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 672,640. View filing ↗
  • Section 08, Scott Ross. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 622,806. View filing ↗
  • Section 08, William Gray. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 538,295. View filing ↗
  • Section 08, Yoshikazu Maruyama. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 464,986. View filing ↗
  • Section 08, Kimberly Schaefer. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 454,304. View filing ↗
  • Section 08, James Chambers. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 453,712. View filing ↗
  • Section 08, Thomas Moloney. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 444,986. View filing ↗
  • Section 08, Nathaniel Lipman. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 434,682. View filing ↗
  • Section 08, Neha Jogani Narang. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 433,841. View filing ↗
  • Section 08, Ronald Bension. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 91,205. View filing ↗
  • Section 08, Aayushi Dalal. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 60,137. View filing ↗
  • Section 06, 2026 vote. Form 8-K, filed 2026-06-23. Item 5.07 · say-on-pay result. As reported: 98.94%. View filing ↗
  • Section 06, 2024 vote. Form 8-K, filed 2024-06-17. Item 5.07 · say-on-pay result. As reported: 99.13% (votes for as printed: 53,976,123). View filing ↗
  • Section 06, 2023 vote. Form 8-K, filed 2023-06-15. Item 5.07 · say-on-pay result. As reported: 99.36% (votes for as printed: 54,034,714). View filing ↗
  • Section 01 trend, Δ column (computed). Computed. Δ = current-FY total − prior-FY total per named officer.
  • Section 03b vehicle mix (computed). Computed. RSU / PSU / Options grant-date fair values summed per officer from the grants table; % performance-vested = PSU ÷ (RSU+PSU+Options).
  • Section 09b board cost (computed). Computed. Cash 711,388 + equity 3,960,206 + all other 0 = 4,671,594, summed across the director compensation table rows.
  • United Parks & Resorts Inc. (subject), Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. CEO total compensation as printed in United Parks & Resorts Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 4,891,868. View filing ↗
Get the full report — $500