Candid Kinzel

Cedar Fair CEO hits several industry issues in Q&A

By Jeremy Schoolfield

Newly minted Lifetime Service Award winner and IAAPA Hall of Famer Dick Kinzel gave a candid and wide-ranging Q&A Wednesday for small parks and attractions operators.
Over the course of nearly an hour, the Cedar Fair Entertainment Company CEO was interviewed by former Cedar Point PR guru Janice Witherow on topics spanning economics, operational philosophy, what he looks for in an employee, and his personal history in the business, among others. Here’s a sampling:

Cedar Fair’s Core Philosophy

1- “We are only as strong as the weakest person in the room,” Kinzel said. “You cannot reward mediocrity.”

2- “We don’t give away our product,” he said, referring to maintaining price integrity and not giving away an excessive amount of free admissions. “You should have pride in what you have.”

3- “No toys,” he said, meaning his company and his business don’t strive to impress by presenting a flashy image. “We try to be a very conservative company.”

4- Monitor expenses. “With a new administration coming in and more government controls,” Kinzel said, “we’re going to see more expenses, more money going out to the government, and more money going to lawyers to protect our interests.”

5- Wear many hats. Kinzel said he keeps his full-time staff to a minimum and requires himself and his managers to juggle many different responsibilities as needed.

Qualities to Look for in a Manager
“We’re a strong believer in promoting from within,” Kinzel said, and he looks for a person committed enough to rise through the ranks, right down to the ride operators on the front line. They must be willing to spend a lot of time out in the park talking with guests, and, most important, they must have a love for the business and “good common sense.”

The Paramount Purchase
Kinzel made no secret about how thrilled he was to own Kings Island when Cedar Fair purchased the Paramount Parks chain, but he said Canada’s Wonderland “has really surprised us.” Cedar Fair hadn’t expanded into Canada in the past because the company felt the region didn’t fit its business model, he said, but when Wonderland was part of the purchase, Kinzel decided to give it a few years and see what happened. Good choice. After installing the aptly named new coaster “Behemoth” this past summer, Kinzel said Wonderland is poised to surpass Cedar Point’s annual attendance, something “I didn’t think I’d ever say that about any of our parks.”

The Halloween Season
Here again, Kinzel said he’s following what people like, capitalizing on the popularity of Halloween: “I heard someone say Thanksgiving is now like the buffet between Halloween and Christmas.” He said it wasn’t until Cedar Fair’s purchase of Knott’s Berry Farm in 1997 that he learned how much value there is in the Halloween season. Over the past decade, Halloween events have since spread throughout the entire chain, to the point that Kinzel said “it’s almost like a separate division of the company now.”

Economic Assessment for the Industry
Having worked in the Cedar Fair chain since 1972, Kinzel has seen all manner of economic twists and turns, but he remains unshaken in his belief in the business.
“This is a tremendous industry. We’re not recession proof, but we’re recession resistant,” Kinzel said. “People are always going to want a place to escape reality, have a good time, and get some fresh air. My biggest fear is we are going to destroy ourselves—we get complacent or don’t keep our customers first. I think the industry is very sound; we may not have the growth we had in the late ’80s or early ’90s, but the fundamentals are there.”