Ride the Ducks a unit of Norcross entertainment company

Ride the Ducks tours, which Herschend also operates at Stone Mountain and in other cities, were shut down voluntarily by the company.

"Our total focus is to make sure this never happens again," said Chris Herschend, president of Ride the Ducks. He said safety procedures are being reviewed before tours are resumed. He said the state of Georgia oversees duck tours at Stone Mountain and that the company's boats at the park and elsewhere have never had a similar accident.

Herschend was in Philadelphia Thursday, where the National Transportation Safety Board and the Coast Guard are conducting an investigation.

According to initial reports, the duck boat had a fire or some mechanical problem that caused it stop its engine and sit in the water and wait for help. The barge, pushed by a manned tug, ran over it, causing it to capsize in 40 feet of water.

Ride the Ducks made national news last year when it sued a competitor over what it said was trademark infringement of a  signature duck quack sound made during its tours.

For 60 years, the company has been a privately-held family business that's grown through acquisition and development of its own properties into a major player in the family entertainment and tourism industry.

Hugo and Mary Herschend started the company in 1950 by acquiring a lease on Marvel Cave near Branson, Mo. The attraction grew in popularity, and in 1960 a small 1880s-themed village called Silver Dollar City was added. It was the foundation of what would become Herschend Family Entertainment.

Today, Herschend owns, operates and manages 24 themed entertainment properties in nine states. Over the years, it expanded into water parks, theme parks and entertainment cruise ships.

In 1998 it entered into a long-term lease to operate Stone Mountain Park.

In 1986, Dolly Parton became a partner in Silver Dollar City in Tennessee and the park was renamed Dollywood. The Dollywood Corporation was formed from the partnership. In 2003, the company changed its name from Silver Dollar City Corp. to Herschend Family Entertainment.

Ride the Ducks was started in 1977  in Branson by a local entrepreneur and new markets were added over the years including Stone Mountain in 2003.  Ride the Ducks entered a partnership with Herschend in 2001 in order to grow, and Herschend became the sole owner in 2004. It expanded its Ride the Ducks operation in 2008 into new markets in San Francisco and Newport, Ky.

In recent years, the company bought the Wild Adventures Theme Park in Valdosta, and aquariums near Philadelphia and Cincinnati.