Dan Koch named president of Holiday World and Splashin' Safari

I wonder how long he'll stay in Florida?

I think one of the younger Koch's should've got it. I'm not convinced Dan is enough of a "fan" of amusement parks...

Sounds like he is very familiar with what Will envisioned and intends to follow through with it.

I think that Dan will do a great job. He was in the park on Sunday. I am sure it will take some time for everyone to transition. With a business in Florida he has commitments to take care of.

Acoustic Viscosity said:
Sounds like he is very familiar with what Will envisioned and intends to follow through with it.

My thoughts exactly - Dan seems to "get" that Will was indeed a visionary...following Will's outline should suit the park VERY well for the next 3-5 years.

I'm not convinced that this is a permanent arrangement, I guess because he lives in Florida. I'm not suggesting that it's a good or bad thing or whatever, but recall that "Manager Mike" seems to have picked up a lot of the day to day responsibilities in running the park since 2008. I think the park is generally in good hands.

Will reorganized the company's structure two years ago ... creating two General Manager positions. This enabled Will the time he wanted/needed to do the visionary stuff and other projects.

Will's three children are in high school and college, btw. Let's give them some time.

Thanks again for all the friendship and support during this incredibly difficult time, Paula

Paula, since you mentioned Will spent more time on long-term "visionary plans," can you tell us how far out in advance he had made plans? Most parks have a 3-5 year game plan, I assume we will continue to see Will's imprint for at minimum that time frame?

We can only hope.

Thanks for the update, Paula. You've confirmed what I had suspected for a while, that Will had been laying the ground work for his transition to be (to use the language I used in another thread) more of an executive and less of a manager. Once again, it seems that his prescient vision and impeccable timing continue to show through in surprising ways that none of us ever hoped for.

After reading the histories on the Ho Ho Holdings web site earlier today, I get the sneaking suspicion that anybody in the Koch family is genetically predisposed to innovation, creative vision, and ultimate success. And it sounds like Dan is already well on his way. I offer my congratulations, and I look forward to seeing what he has in store for us! :)

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

mlnem4s said:
Paula, since you mentioned Will spent more time on long-term "visionary plans," can you tell us...

...exactly what those future plans are? ;)

I believe as long as the park stays in the hands of the Koch family then it will continue in the way we've become accustomed to. I would like to think that Will's vision was inherited from his father and shared by his siblings. I'm sure it will be passed on to the next generation.

I hope to see it stay in the family for many, many generations to come! I am sure Dan will do an excellent job!

-Tina

Dan and Will worked on a five-year plan and a 10-year plan. As far as Will's dreams, I think they'd take us at least 50 years down the line. :)

Mrs. Koch's already hollering at him for calling her "grandma," since that's how he refers to her to his young children. "I'm not your grandmother!" It's pretty funny. He hasn't done it on camera yet, thank goodness.

Thanks, Paula

Raven Maven said:
Mrs. Koch's already hollering at him for calling her "grandma," since that's how he refers to her to his young children. "I'm not your grandmother!" It's pretty funny. He hasn't done it on camera yet, thank goodness.

Can't wait for that to happen....just for the reaction on the face of "grandma".

^^Paula, that might actually make for a cute and funny commercial if it is done tastefully. I know if anyone could pull that off Holiday World could.

Raven Maven said:
Dan and Will worked on a five-year plan and a 10-year plan. As far as Will's dreams, I think they'd take us at least 50 years down the line. :)

Wow! That's great to hear!!! Thank you for the response ;)

Sounds like Dan needs to be reminded of one of Pat's more important official roles in the business: "President's Mom". :)

--Dave Althoff, Jr.