ORLANDO, FL – APRIL 3: People walk past the front of Cinderella’s Castle at the Magic Kingdom Park at Walt Disney World on April 3, 2025, in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Gary Hershorn/Getty Images)
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In fiscal year 2025, The Walt Disney Company had revenue of $94.4 billion and employed nearly 160,000 people across all 50 states. But the ripple effects of the massive company can be felt far beyond the boardrooms and theme parks. In fact, Disney Experiences generates nearly $67 billion in annual economic impact, plus supports more than 403,000 jobs across the nation, by partnering with small businesses for projects and products.
Disney guests across the parks, resorts and cruise line may interact with these small businesses in a multitude of ways without even knowing it. From riding on attractions and experiencing cruise excursions, to sitting on furniture or even drinking a glass of milk with breakfast, Disney is highlighting and impacting small businesses in a big way.
Walt Disney Imagineering’s Partnerships With Small Businesses
ORLANDO, FLORIDA – MAY 05: General view of the “Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind” Disney’s new ride during a media preview event at Epcot Center at Walt Disney World on May 05, 2022 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Gerardo Mora/Getty Images)
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One of those small businesses is PGAV Destinations, located in St. Louis, Missouri. The design firm recently supported Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind at Walt Disney World’s EPCOT as the architect of record for the attraction. “Based on that very successful working relationship, [PGAV Destinations] was able to kind of branch out and are now supporting projects in California, as well as projects globally,” says Sarah Salvador, senior manager of Strategic Sourcing for Disney Experiences with a focus on Walt Disney Imagineering.
But how is Disney even finding these small businesses across the country? Salvador says it starts with the project and understanding what the Imagineering teams are looking for. “We realize that vendors, whether small or large, bring expertise and perspectives that we may not necessarily have if we go with our regular vendors. We never limit ourselves.”
Disney Cruise Line And Family-Owned Businesses
Allen Marine Tours, a family-owned day cruise operator, works with Disney Cruise Line to connect visiting families with Southeast Alaska’s wildlife, waters, natural beauty and culture through a deeply local lens.
Allen Marine Tours
Even outside Walt Disney Imagineering, Disney Experiences are not limiting who they partner with. Allen Marine Tours in Sitka, Alaska, has partnered with Disney Cruise Line since its first Alaska sailings in 2011. The family and Indigenous-owned business has been running boat tours for nearly 60 years from various cruise line ports of call, like Juneau, Ketchikan, Sitka, and the Hubbard Glacier.
“Disney guests are offered our port adventures–such as whale watching and glacier viewing– when they book a cruise aboard the ship,” says Zakary Kirkpatrick, chief marketing officer of Allen Marine Tours. “As a family-owned company, we see it as a great fit because our deep local maritime roots and hospitality line up perfectly with Disney’s high standard for guest experience and storytelling.”
Besides the virtually guaranteed guests throughout the Alaska Cruise season, Disney’s partnership has allowed Allen Marine Tours to make long-term investments in its fleet and sustain year-round maritime and shipyard jobs in Alaskan communities. And when Disney Cruise Line guests choose an excursion with the company, the ripple effect gets even bigger.
“Our success directly impacts a whole network of other small, family-owned businesses. When we welcome Disney guests, we aren’t just showing them the wildlife and wilderness; we’re introducing them to local food companies, regional artists, Alaskan authors, and others whose products we carry and feature aboard our vessels. It really does lift the entire coastal economy,” says Kirkpatrick.
Walt Disney World’s Dairy Partner Since 1971
LAKE BUENA VISTA, FL – OCTOBER 8: In this handout photo provided by Walt Disney World Resort, Magic Kingdom Park (pictured) is seen on October 8, 2014. Magic Kingdom Park and Disney’s Animal Kingdom will begin to reopen on July 11, 2020, followed by EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios on July 15, 2020. (Photo by Matt Stroshane/Walt Disney World Resort via Getty Images)
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On the other side of the country, Southeast Dairy Processors out of Tampa, Florida, has been the dairy supplier of Walt Disney World since the resort’s opening day on October 1, 1971. And it all started with Brad Tiller going to Orlando to try to get an in-person meeting with someone at Walt Disney World before the resort even opened, and folks were still working in trailers to get plans in place to start operations. Tiller took a risk, and it worked out well.
“They obviously have high standards because they are Disney, but they are also relationship-based and have a culture that has maintained this over the years,” says Donald Tiller, General Manager of Southeast Dairy Processors, who recounts how his company’s relationship with Disney began.
Since Southeast Dairy Processors partnered with Disney, the company has expanded its facilities and food safety standards to keep up with growing demands of the massive theme park operations in Orlando. Tiller says the relationship with Disney has evolved over the years, even introducing Disney to other locally owned businesses. “They don’t need us because it’s something they can’t do or find on their own, but we like to think that if we have any knowledge about something, it’s helpful and saves them time,” he explains.
As Disney looks to the future, it’s set to invest $30 billion in its domestic parks and experiences through 2033. This includes new lands and attractions at Walt Disney World and Disneyland, and as a direct result, Disney will continue to partner with suppliers and small businesses across the country to bring these new experiences to life.