What's going wrong at Cedar Point?

I know this is a really strong question and maybe one that needs discretion, but how much of a voice do enthusiasts have to the imperialists of the coaster industry?

Business decisions on current policy's, budgets, revenue etc.

Does cedar fair, or paramount search out further understanding from enthusiasts to progress the business or nature of amusement parks?

WIth all do respect, maybe some enthusiasts don't care or are just voices in the shadows. I'm just curious to know if what happens inside the chain of cedar fair or paramount, is always solely decided from within the team and if we enthusiasts always take a back seat and watch the cards unfold.

There are a great many people at every Cedar Fair park who care about what the public thinks, and some who also believe that a subset of enthusiasts have valid and valuable criticism. (I say subset because there's an obviously loud but silly contingent who just make noise.) That these people exist doesn't mean that they're empowered to do anything.

And, beyond that, I can just hope that someone with the power to do something either now or later will stumble onto these sites and have a look at the criticism. I'm in local government and, believe it or not, there is a website of residents who talk about the City and what we are doing. I monitor that site regularly. Yes, a lot of it is people who just hate government and will never find a positive thing to say. But, others are legitimate residents with legitimate concerns and there are plenty of times I have seen something written and then acted to correct a problem that was pointed out.

I would take a little exception to what Hopman said about people in the front office that have blinders on. My experience (limited as it was) makes me think the problem rests only with a few people.

I'll give another real example. One of the years I worked there I (and I presume quite a number of FT personnel) got a "bonus" of Cedar Fair units. I was pretty excited about that and felt a stronger connection with the company as a result.

At about the same time we were seeing the first real signs that recruiting the seasonal workforce was becoming a bigger problem. I was asked to sit on a committee of folks from the various divisions to discuss short term and long term strategies to improve recruitment. If I remember correctly what came of that was either the first "hourly bonus" plan...or an upgrade to it. That was the short term solution. A number of long term solutions were presented to Mr Kinzel...all of them basically shot down out of hand.

The committee chose to write a memo to Mr Kinzel detailing the ideas we had in more detail and futher supporting our position that we had to implement the short term strategy but keep focused on the long term plan.

Needless to say, that didn't go over very well and the person who literally typed up the memo was reprimanded pretty handidly. (Even though that person was putting into text the feelings of the entire committee.) Now, to his credit, my VP tried to defend the stance of the committee with Mr. Kinzel and used the bonus distribution of Units as an example of the ownership we now felt we had with the company and the general feeling that we felt a little empowered to do something.

I did not get another Unit distribution after that incident.

If the economy didn't tank a couple of years ago then I don't know how they would be filling the positions right now. Say a change in the Federal foreign worker program occurred (not an impossibility given the security concerns in this day and age) and the BUNAC program was no longer a viable way to fill spots. What would happen then? They would lose 1/4 to 1/3 of their workforce in Sandusky. Do you think they have any kind of strategies in place to prepare for something like that?

I don't.

I'm not a bitter ex-employee. I left on my own terms and never really had a bad confrontation with Mr Kinzel. But I have been witness to a lot of good people, who bled Cedar Point colors much more than I ever did, grow disenchanted with their jobs mostly as a result of the leadership (or lack thereof) coming down from on high.

Imagine if you are on the path to GM and you don't get the position because an unqualified son of the CEO got one of the few openings instead. Imagine what that does to the enthusiasm of the entire workforce. Imagine you were sitting on that committee dreaming up creative ways to address the employee recruitment problem only to see one of your own get scolded for telling the truth. Imagine you see a light at the end of the tunnel when Kinzel announces his pending retirement a few years ago only to have him hang on, and hang on.

It is no wonder they have lost some outstanding people and it is remarkable that others remain in the company. It is a testament to their commitment and their will to succeed to go on in spite of their leader, not because of them.

"Everything" isn't wrong at Cedar Point but imagine the possibilities if the company were led by someone who inspires.

What is the most intriguing, and a bit ironic, about this whole tale is that, to my knowledge, DK worked his way up in the company from food sales to where he is now, did he not? You would think he could apply this first-hand experience (in every aspect from food service to employee treatment).

In a static world, sure, but things change. How you run (and price) a food stand decades ago has little to no bearing on how to do it today.

Even more ironic is that his son was in charge of foods at geauga lake.