Outlaw Run charges into Silver Dollar City - Amusement Today

26 AMUSEMENT TODAY April 2013New CEO is committed to family fun, founder’s legacyBeyond chocolate, Hershey’s William Simpson is raising the barSTORY: Dean LamannaSpecial to Amusement TodayHERSHEY, Pa. — Thewell-traveled president andnewly appointed CEO of HersheyEntertainment & ResortsCompany (HE&R), WilliamF. Simpson, Jr., cheerfully admitsto skipping a trip on Hersheypark’srecently installedSkyrush roller coaster.“I’m in my late 50s, somy body doesn’t hold up thatway,” he says with a laugh.“I’ve turned that over to theyounger generation.”Besides, Simpson, whosucceeded retiring CEO TedKleisner on January 1, is fullyimmersed in everything elsethat makes Hershey a destinationfor families and conventioneers.In addition toHersheypark, his purview includesHersheypark Arena &Stadium, ZooAmerica NorthAmerican Wildlife Park, TheHotel Hershey Hotel, HersheyLodge and the newly rebrandedHersheypark CampingResort.All of this supports themost important legacy ofcompany founder Milton S.Hershey: the Milton HersheySchool (www.mhskids.org),which has provided opportunitiesfor children in needsince 1909.Simpson began his successfulcareer at HE&R in 1996as general manager of HersheyLodge. In 2002, he became vicepresident of the company’s entertainmentgroup, overseeingthe Hersheypark EntertainmentComplex and leading itto new performance and guestsatisfaction benchmarks.In April 2010, Simpsonwas promoted to HE&R’s chiefoperating officer and soon aftergiven the role of president.He was appointed to the company’sboard of directors thenext year.Previously, Simpson, a nativeof Reidsville, N.C., wasgeneral manager of the SheratonGrand Hotel in Houston.He also held key leadershippositions with the WilliamsburgInn, The Opryland Hoteland Hyatt Hotels Corporationin Phoenix.Now residing in Hersheywith his wife and their twochildren, Simpson took a fewmoments to chat with AT andoffer his take on hospitalityWilliam F. Simpson, Jr., is thenew CEO of Hershey Entertainment& Resorts Company.His job includes keepingHersheypark’s approximately2.5 million seasonal guestshappy. COURTESY HERSHEYENTERTAINMENT & RESORTSand the business of fun donethe HE&R way.What’s your take on theindustry’s current health?Back in October, we presentedour strategic directionfor the next three years to ourboard, and of course, part ofthat is a lot of environmentalscanning to see what we couldlearn about where our [hospitalityand amusement] industriesare going. We’ve determinedthat the growth rateis probably around two anda half percent — and whilethat’s not the number we’dlove to see, it’s still a numbermoving in the right direction.We’ve continued to investin our properties even throughtough economic times. Othercompanies may not have beenin the same position to do that,but it’s exciting to see thatthey’re now making capitalimprovements and adding attractions.That’s a great boostfor the industry.How well has HE&R,and specifically Hersheypark,weathered the recession?Very well. Part of our advantageis very loyal guestswho come back time aftertime. We put in a $27 millionroller coaster, Skyrush, lastyear, and that did well for us— boosting our attendanceabout five percent, based onour guest research. Our locationalso works to our advantage,given the demographicsof the population around us.You oversee a much morediversified company than thetypical industry executive.How do you make all theparts work together?We take a three-prongedstrategic approach. Our coreassets that have been hereawhile — the Hotel Hershey,built in the early 1930s, andHersheypark, now 106 yearsold — require a lot of maintenancecapital. We’ve also gotto identify capital to grow thebusiness and keep it fresh andattractive.The third area we in whichwe invest is our employees byproviding opportunity for professionalgrowth and development.It’s up to them, after all,to make sure we create lastingmemories for our guests andmake them want to come back.How are you positioningHersheypark for overallstrength and growth?We are a destination forfamilies, so everything we dogoes into that thought process;we don’t do the biggest, tallest,fastest. We offer things everymember of the family canparticipate in, ride or enjoy.Being associated withiconic brands people havegrown up with — whether it’sa Hershey bar or the Reese’sPeanut Butter Cup — sets usapart from other parks. Thosebrands have great strength,and we model the experientialpart of them into our thinkingin terms of how we developand operate the park.What changes in andaround the park will we seethis season and beyond?We hear from our guestsall the time: “More coasters!”and “More water!” Havingjust added Skyrush, this yearwe’re making an additionalinvestment in The Boardwalk.We’ve taken out the RollerSoaker coaster and repurposedthat area as a sprayground,with 12 new play structures,16 dancing fountains, andmore shade and seats in about7,000 square feet of interactiveplay. We’re also adding twomore slides to the complex,doubling our throughput.Outside of the park, we’rere-branding the HersheyHighmeadow Campgroundas the official HersheyparkCamping Resort. And on thehospitality side, we’re renovatingand relaunching TheHotel Hershey’s signature restaurant,the Circular DiningRoom, as The Circular. We’llbe offering menu selectionsand practices that fit the currentneeds of diners, who havea little less time these days.Have you been trying tokeep ticket and season passpricing relatively flat?We’ve been very conservativein raising prices; we’revery sensitive to that. Thegreat news for us is that ourseason pass sales are as strongthis year as they were lastyear, when there was excitementover Skyrush. It’s veryencouraging that people arewilling to make that investment.We’re also paying attentionto appropriate discountingand coupon programs toreach a broader market.How are new technologyand social media starting tofigure into park operations?We’ve learned throughour research that the smartphoneapp for your park isvery important. People wantto pull that technology out oftheir pocket and know wherethey and the attractions are, sowe’re continuing to look at developingthat technology. Andwe pay very close attention tosocial media. Not only does ithave a lot to say about who’scoming to visit your park, ithelps us learn in real-timeabout what their experience ofit is — what they like and whatthey want to see us change.What do you admire mostabout HE&R’s culture andyour work with Ted Kleisner?We’re unique in that thatthe legacy of Milton Hershey,and the Milton HersheySchool, is at the core of everythingwe do. Knowing thatthey’re working to enrich thelives of almost 1,900 kids whoare in some way disadvantagedadds to our employees’sense of pride. We do everythingwe can to advance MiltonHershey’s story and hisschool’s goals, and to makesure that our guests understandwhat a great philanthropisthe was.As a company, we experiencevery low turnover ratesfor the hospitality and entertainmentindustries — 13 percentof our full-time staff hasbeen here 25 years or longer.Having stayed here myselfalmost 17 years is a testamentto the culture and how muchI enjoy the company’s legacy,and working for six of thoseyears with someone as experiencedas Ted Kleisner, whohad come out of The GreenbrierResort (in White SulphurSprings, West Virginia) with agreat hospitality background,was a great learning opportunityfor me.You’ve got a great brandwith a long history of customerloyalty. How do youmaintain it?It’s a huge responsibility.We want to deliver on thepromise of our service andbrand every day, and thattakes tremendous focus anddedication on everyone’s part.We hire 6,000 seasonal employeesevery summer whowork throughout the destination;their training, developmentand onboarding is vitallyimportant to our successbecause they’re the frontlinefolks interacting with ourguests.What satisfies you themost in being a part of thisindustry?It’s great to go to work everyday knowing that your jobis to make other people happy.When you walk through thepark and see families spendingtime together, and you seethe smiles on their faces andfeel the energy — it’s awesometo be part of that.