The “Sweetest Place on Earth” isn’t all about chocolate. Operating Hershey Entertainment and Resorts involves an incredible amount of work and planning to offer safe family fun by an amazing group of professionals. Hershey Entertainment exclusively discussed with All-American Thrills (ALT) their roles and responsibilities, as well as Skyrush, Fast Track Pass, Skyrush bag drop, the 2011 Flood, the Hersheypark Arena Fire, the rumored golf course expansion, the Park Blvd. relocation, and much more..       On July 12, 2012, I had the privilege and honor to be invited to an exclusive 8 hour behind the scenes tour of Hershey Entertainment and Resorts. Meeting summaries with Mr. Kevin Stumpf (General Manager), Mr. Kent Bachmann (Director of Design and Engineering), Mr. Jason White (Director of Safety and Security), Ms. Betsy Hamm (Marketing Manager), Ms. Lisa Howard (Ride Operations Area Manager), Mr. Bob Smith (Maintenance Manager), and Mr. Dale Snyder (ZooAmerica Animal Curator) are included below. The day was coordinated by Mr. Jason Brown (Manager of Promotions), who I can’t thank enough for this exciting, once in a lifetime opportunity to learn about the world class organization of Hershey Entertainment and Resorts.   Mr. Kevin Stumpf, General Manager- I met with Kevin in  the Hershey Entertainment Administrative Offices. As a current sophomore at Cedar Crest High School, we talked about his experience at Cedar Crest and learned he played on the baseball team. I’ve been taking business courses at school and explained our Junior Achievement Company, which we had to develop a product to market and sell, and provided him with the wristband we sold. Kevin started with Hershey in 1996 as an accountant in the Arena. He’s had many positions with the organization throughout his tenure with his last being in Finance, prior to his appointment as General Manager. For over thirty (30) years, Kevin’s Administrative Assistant has supported the General Managers of Hersheypark.  She explained her role as providing significant support to Kevin coordinating his meeting daily calendar, and certainly is the “backbone” of the office. Jokingly she said, working with Frank and all the previous GMs was a joy, and now she’s stuck with Kevin. Kevin has four (4) daughters and loves spending time with his family both inside and outside of the park, knowing his maintenance department is world-class. Kevin enjoys spending time within the park, and loves interacting with guests. He appreciates it when guests recognize him and say “hello”, realizing his guest’s perceptions drive the park’s growth and reputation. It’s also great to get in the trenches and really see firsthand how guests are enjoying their day at Hersheypark. When not attending meetings, Kevin tries to be roving the park as often as possible, and often spends little time in his office. Of course, I couldn’t meet Kevin without asking him questions about all the rumors surrounding the Park Blvd. relocation and old golf course. Kevin confirmed the road’s relocation is to ensure driver safety, saying, " frequently drivers will stop on the road to watch Skyrush in action, while other drivers have no interest." Having drivers stop on the road causes a hazardous situation and is unacceptable to Hershey’s safety standards. Regarding the golf course, Kevin’s response was that he “feels there is more than enough room within the existing park for new attractions.” Kevin reports to Mr. John Lawn, Vice President of Operations for Hershey Entertainment.   Mr. Kent Bachmann, Director of Design and Engineering- I had lunch with Kent at a Hersheypark restaurant called “Just Wing It” , and learned he loves crispy wings. Given Kent’s position and involvement with Skyrush and any attraction both past and future, it was a thrill to get a glimpse of his role, responsibility and how he views the world. As the senior engineer, Kent is responsible for all aspects of any attraction from knowing all of the local building codes to the construction process. In fact, knowing all the local codes is one of his challenges with any large attraction since Kent must present plans and construction documents to the township to secure the necessary permits and any building variances that may be required. When a new ride is under consideration by the Executive Committee, they reach out to Kent for his opinion and feedback. Then, he coordinates the various proposals from potential manufacturers. As you would expect, the manufacturers visit the park and present their proposals and videos of the attraction. The process can take years, as Kent works with the Executive Committee, Ride Operations, Maintenance, and Marketing before an attraction is finalized. Like all of the Hersheypark management team, Kent also takes competitive trips to other parks around the country. This is a great way for Hershey Entertainment to experience different offerings at the various destinations, and also gives Hersheypark ideas for new services/attractions. When attending these trips, Hershey Entertainment Directors/Managers will meet with Directors/Managers of the park they’re visiting to compare notes regarding rides and operations. This is a reciprocating arrangement so other parks are always welcome at Hersheypark as well. Below is a picture of Mr. Gary Chubb, Senior Director of Maintenance, at Holiday World and Splashin’ Safari.  Regarding past attractions, I learned Storm Runner uses an hydraulic launch because the electrical launching systems require twice the power. If they had chosen an electric system, the added power requirement would have increased the ride’s final price by over $1 million. I also learned that Canyon River Rapids and The GIANT Wheel, while loved by all Hersheypark guests, had maintenance issues that made them no longer viable as attractions. Most recently with Skyrush, I learned the ride’s design was actually an easier process than picking the ride’s name. Given the space the Executive Committee provided for Skyrush’s footprint and station, it wasn’t financially viable to have “flush” loading. No one was happy with the reality that passengers would have to enter and exit the train from the same side, so the circular bag drop was developed to help capacity. The challenge once the ride opened was that patrons were so excited by being next in line, they didn’t focus on the bag drop’s purpose and frequently spun them around because they were confused on their operation. Kent did comment that Mr. Sandor Kernacs, President of Intaride, LLC (Intamin) is a very passionate and aggressive about his company and their products. He is the first person to ride the coaster before signing it over to the park, and was very accommodating about redesigning the lap bar restraints. Kent is very “hands on”  throughout the construction process, and certainly takes advantage of each newly created ride once opened. He was present during the Good Morning America filming of Skyrush on July 4th, and All-American Thrills has pictures of Kent’s ride, along with the GMA segment here::http://allamericanthrills.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=656#p3960 As expected, Kent wouldn’t comment on what future attractions may be in store at Hersheypark. He works with multiple manufacturers to ensure the park’s goals are met. However, he did say they don’t work with all manufacturers because they know some just won’t meet Hershey’s expectations. Furthermore, in a past meeting with Walter Bolliger, Kent was told directly that B&M would never do a launched coaster. Of course, times do change, and this neither confirms nor denies the current rumors of what B&M is developing for parks. He did confirm that at some point Storm Runner will need to be painted. Kent doesn’t want to think about that cost, since it cost $300k to paint Comet.   Mr. Jason White, Director of Safety and Security-   I met Jason at the Rides and Security Dispatch Room located within the Arena. It is truly an impressive room, monitoring countless video camera locations and the weather station. There is another Dispatch room over in the GIANT Center as well. There are security cameras throughout the park and parking lot, as well as on the Press Building, monitoring busy intersections of Route 422. Jason explained that he doesn’t want local residents to get stuck in traffic from the attractions, so he works closely with local law enforcement to ensure everyone has a safe experience around the entire property. Between all of the attractions and events, Hershey Entertainment and Resorts gets 6 million visitors per year, so Jason oversees a staff of 500 to ensure all of the facilities are secure and safe. Surprisingly, his staff doesn’t vary much throughout the year and reports he’s "frequently busier during the winter months." The properties he oversees include The Hershey Hotel, The Hershey Lodge, The Hershey Campgrounds, Hersheypark Arena, GIANT Center, ZooAmerica, Hersheypark, Hershey Theater, Hershey Press Building, as well as all of the corporate offices both onsite and off. I did learn that first aid and all parking attendants are part of Jason’s security staff, with full service ambulances on-site at all times. Jason is a consummate security professional who takes great pride in his work, and gets a great sense of satisfaction knowing all of the day’s guests are safe. His staff is very well trained with action plans in place for all possible scenarios. He is very proud of his team and their ability to act proactively and independently during a situation. Jason’s team is involved in every aspect of the park, from ride closings to processing replacement badges for employees. When bad weather moves in, dispatch contacts the area manager, who contacts each individual ride that’s affected via phone. Jason confirmed that the recent Hersheypark Arena fire was very small fire, but given the height of the roof and extreme heat outside, extra precautions were taken to make sure the situation was well staffed and handled quickly. Jason proudly mentioned that during the event, a Food and Beverage manager knew without being told to get extra bottled water to ensure everyone working on the situation was well hydrated. I didn’t notice any visible signs of damage during my visit, so clearly his team handled the incident flawlessly, with no injuries. It was an “all hands on deck” situation which he was very proud of his entire staff on their handling of the event. Of course, the flood was the other “big” incident this past year, and Jason reports that his team’s 24/7 job was to make sure everyone stayed away from the water. Clearly, they couldn’t do anything about the water itself, but they were ensuring the property was secure and that no one took any unnecessary risks as they waited for the water to subside.     Ms. Betsy Hamm, Marketing Manager- I met Betsy in her office in the Press Building. She oversees all marketing for Hersheypark, ZooAmerica, GIANT Center, Hersheypark Arena, and Hersheypark Stadium and Star Pavilion. Her role is to ensure the general public is aware of the entire value proposition of their properties and events. Her department typically works a few months out, so they are currently working on Hersheypark in the Dark and then Christmas Candylane. Over the Winter, they plan for the Spring and Summer events. Hospitality services within Hersheypark coordinates general information, games value packs, chocolate currency, gift cards, Fast Track Pass, ADA, meal tickets, customer complaints, and the official measurement station. Betsy does interact with Hospitality services, but that is run by all the different departments. Betsy did say they are not heavily promoting Fast Track because it is doing so well that they have have had to increase its capacity, since it frequently sells out daily.  Hersheypark has created a new $25 Fast Track available after 5 PM for half of the coaster on either the East or West side of the park. Souvenir cup stickers are designed by marketing, but Food and Beverage (F&B) presents the cup design to them for their approval. It is then Marketing's role to ensure brand awareness of the value proposition of the cup and that it’s available in consumer convenient locations. Sweetmail, Hersheypark’s email blast, is used to keep all aspects of the park current with their customers given changing conditions. For example, with the heat wave this past week, a Sweetmail was sent out promoting the Boardwalk, and its value. Prior to that, it was used to communicate they extended the Kids, Stay, Play, and Eat Free package. This one email blast exceeded expectations yielding over 600 room bookings for the package in 2 days. Of course, I couldn’t leave my meeting with Betsy without asking about new attractions and Skyrush. Her department does pick the color and name during their marketing strategy meetings, which are held every other Monday.  I also learned that the top three (3) names being considered for Skyrush were Infinity, Draco, and the final choice, Skyrush.   Ms. Lisa Howard, Ride Operations Area Manager-  Lisa and i met in front of Sidewinder and then walked to The  Boardwalk at Hersheypark. Lisa is one of four Area Managers responsible for the Midway America and Pioneer Frontier Sections of Hersheypark. Her primary responsibility is to ensure the rides open on time in the morning, and that the rides operating standards are adhered to throughout the day. She also monitors the weather and communicates to each ride on how the weather is going to impact the ride’s operation. They refer to this as a “phase change” using a scale from zero to five. For example, if a storm is within 30 miles of the park, phase zero is implemented closing the attractions of the Boardwalk. Clearly this isn’t a 9 to 5 job, and Lisa’s enthusiasm was evident throughout our discussion. She finds the job exhausting in a positive way and finding it completely fulling working with her “family.” Like all the other employees I met with, Lisa is a team player saying that when the flood happened, she helped rip out drywall from some of the buildings affected. We also discussed the Boardwalk at Hersheypark, and its operation. As you would expect for Hersheypark, standards are very high. Every five (5) minutes a fog horn blows, which I always thought was part of its theming. Come to find out from Lisa, it is part of the "5 minute strategy", where every lifeguard must change their position when they hear the foghorn. They also practice and drill throughout the day using mannequins and “guests” with supervisors in place to to ensure no part of the boardwalk goes unsupervised. And finally, to work the wave pool, lifeguards need one full year of work experience at the park. Having high standards in place has earned the Hersheypark Boardwalk the prestigious Platinum Award, from Jeff Ellis Associates. This third party contractor visits the park, unannounced once a month as a paying guest, and then observes and videotapes the lifeguards in action. At the end of the day, they announce themselves to the park, and review their findings, sending a complete copy of their review for the park’s records. This award is given to the top 10% of the 1,400 world wide water parks and is a testament to Hershey’s dedication to safe family fun. Mr. Bob Smith, Maintenance Manager-  I met Bob on the sooperdooperLooper platform before the park opened. His team’s role is to inspect every single attraction each day prior to opening, with safety as his over-riding priority. During the day they solve any problems that arise, troubleshoot, and complete administrative paperwork. He has one team dedicated to the park’s three (3) Intamin coasters, so they become complete experts with the rides and their operation. This is different from many parks who cross-train across all of their attractions, but Hershey feels, this is the best way to ensure operational excellence. Outside of the Intamin team, each section of the park has its own maintenance crew. Bob told me that by far, the off season is the busiest time of year since each each coaster train, and many smaller rides are dismantled so every bolt can be inspected. His team does help install the larger lighting displays for Christmas Candylane, and they are also responsible for the steel structures with productions like Cirque du Soleil. Mr. Dale Snyder, ZooAmerica Animal Curator-  Dale and I took a walking tour of ZooAmerica and learned it was originally a private animal collection for the Hershey employees and their families to enjoy in the early 1900s. There was a time when it did house many exotic animals, but since the seventies it only has species indigenous to North America to avoid over crowding. Dale’s role consists of daily animal checks to ensure each species well being. Throughout its history, the zoo staff has been involved with wildlife conservation projects, including the breeding of a variety of endangered species like birds of prey and reptiles. ZooAmerica is nationally recognized as one of the top zoos in the country and continues to succeed in honoring its obligation to protect its occupants, while educating the public about them. Mr. Jason Brown, Manager of Promotions-  As I mentioned earlier, my entire day of meetings was coordinated by Jason. It truly was a once in a lifetime opportunity spending one-on-one time with the key decision makers and managers of the park. He reached out to me asking if a behind the scenes tour of HE&R would be of interest as a way of thanking me for my involvement on the Hersheypark Facebook page. Jason accompanied me to all of my meetings, and I can’t thank him enough. He enjoys spending time with his two daughters at the park and interacting with park guests. As the Manager of Promotions, Jason negotiates the parks advertising packages and the added value they can get from what they are spending. Jason is separate from public relations (PR) but actively involved with the Hersheypark Facebook page and the past viral marketing campaign promoting Skyrush. Thank You  Again, I can not thank the entire Hershey Entertainment team enough for taking time out of their busy day for my meetings, resulting in an amazing behind the scene tour. Hopefully you found my day as insightful as I did, learning many new aspects of this world-class organization. The link below is to our Hersheypark Summer 2012 discussion thread, if you'd like to discuss my day on All-American Thrills' respectful, open-minded, family-friendly Forums-Click here to discuss this blog post on our forums