Local Travel Pro Is Waterways' Skipper

Jimmy Murphy works in landlocked Chatsworth. But he knows his waterways and is never far from the water. 

The Irish-born Californian has been a force in the travel scene most of his professional life. For more than three decades, AMA Waterways’ chairman and co-founder, Murphy has applied his entrepreneurial acumen worldwide.

Europe has captivated the travel titan since his launching of in the 1970s.  However, transitioning to AMA river cruising has broadened his scope to Russia, the Mekong, Vietnam, Cambodia and, in 2012, Africa.

Brendan outgrew office space in downtown Los Angeles, moving first to Van Nuys in the late ‘80s before shifting to the West Valley at 21625 Prairie St.  “Chatsworth had what we needed, especially for parking. This is a labor-intensive business,” he said.

Meeting nearby at the adjacent , as if on cue the understated Irishman quipped, “They’re playing Danny Boy and it’s an Italian restaurant!” In Chatsworth, “My usual watering hole is and apparently it’s an institution … My car knows its own way there!” 

Traveling has been Murphy’s life. “When I was in Sydney looking at the harbor, I thought I would have emigrated to Australia, if I had not been to the U.S.”

He moved from Dublin to New York, at first. Then Murphy eventually settled in Los Angeles.  A family tradition, most Murphys are in the travel biz. Son Gary, (former Brendan president), oversees AMA’s major accounts. Gary’s sister Susan in Rochester, N.Y., is with the family firm, too. “Geography is no boundary any more,” explains Murphy. 

Son Sean runs a surf travel operation in Santa Monica.

Murphy, a Pacific Palisades resident, enjoys fishing when he finds time. A man of the water, the entrepreneur loves “ocean fishing, mostly out of San Diego.”

It seems Murphy is always on the move. Is this really work then? “It’s fun!” he beams, of his berth in life.