More Six Flags Cuts: All Park President Positions Eliminated, Former Cedar Fair CEO Responds
Drastic cuts and changes continue following last year’s $8 billion merger that saw Six Flags and Cedar Fair theme parks combine into one company. On May 1, Six Flags announced that Six Flags America would close following the 2025 season. Richard Zimmerman, CEO of Six Flags, stated, “As part of our comprehensive review of our park portfolio, we have determined that Six Flags America and Hurricane Harbor are not a strategic fit with the company’s long-term growth plan.”
Less than a month after the announcement of Six Flags America’s closure, we’ve learned that park president positions have been eliminated at every Six Flags property. According to the Orange County Register, Six Flags has laid off Knott’s Berry Farm president Jon Storbeck and Magic Mountain president Jeff Harris. They will continue their tenure with the company until the end of May. Amusement Source Media has also confirmed that Richard Douaihy, park president of Six Flags Over Texas, will not continue with the company. Douaihy had served as park president since October of 2022.
Select park presidents will remain with the company in other roles. Jeffrey Siebert, president of Fiesta Texas, has been named the regional general manager of Six Flags’ Texas properties. “Six Flags Entertainment recently moved to a new regional operating structure,” according to a statement from Six Flags. “Under this new alignment, we have centralized certain functions and responsibilities at the corporate level. The company also made some changes to the roles and responsibilities of park leaders, sharpening the parks’ focus on execution, the guest experience and associates.” The leadership layoffs are part of a 10% staff reduction in full-time employees across the company, according to Six Flags officials. Staffing cuts are expected to continue through May and into June.
This staff reduction isn’t based off poor performance. The cuts are an effort to achieve numbers promised to Six Flags investors. Matt Ouimet, CEO of Cedar Fair from 2011 to 2017, recently expressed his views via LinkedIn. “Those that are close to me know that I chose to retire from Cedar Fair before having to vote on the consolidation of SIX and FUN. I recognized that what was going to be required after the merger would be very different from the strategies that had worked for me previously and my sticking around would just make it harder on all involved,” says Oumiet. “I recognized that I wasn’t up to watching talented colleagues being asked to exit in order to achieve the cost synergies that were promised to investors. It isn’t because the business or the individuals were performing poorly. This is purely math. It’s also not a surprise. This die was cast when the merger agreement was signed.”
Our Take
This isn’t a scenario I see benefiting any park in the chain from a guest perspective. Some parks, especially on the Six Flags side, have been struggling since well before the merger took place. Six Flags Over Texas has already seen drastic changes, such as the combining of their operations and maintenance director positions. Even less leadership at the park level doesn’t bode well for the park’s future success. Six Flags Over Texas also appears to be heading into the summer with little-to-no entertainment options and the quiet cancellation of already-announced offerings, such as the SPLASH Water Parade. A record-breaking dive coaster will not offset the alienation of valued guest bases that want to do more than ride roller coasters and sweat.
I worry about the strong Cedar Fair parks that have performed so well during the last tumultuous five years. Our recent visits to Kings Island and Kings Dominion were fantastic. Quality food, efficient operations and clean, maintained parks were the highlights. These types of environments are fostered by strong and supportive leadership at the park level. What about the individuals that move onto regional general manager roles? Some regions are likely performing better than others. However, one individual can only stretch themselves so far from property to property. Here’s to hoping that these regional general managers have some fluidity inside the parks to boost leadership and role assignments.
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