Seaworld

[Captain Picard]

I heard today that some workers that have been with Seaworld for many years have lost their job.

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/seaworld-parks-eliminates-350-jobs-including-129seaworld-parks-eliminates-350-jobs-including-129-in-1093082.html?cxtype=ynews_rss

[Delirium_Guy]

I heard today that some workers that have been with Seaworld for many years have lost their job.

http://www.palmbeach...xtype=ynews_rss

You heard correctly. 350 company wide, 129 from Orlando.....I had some very good friends let go. Can't say that this is very surprising and honestly a lot of people have somewhat expected this to happen since we separated from Anheuser-Busch. For the most part, the trend has been those that have been with the company 20+ years. While some of the people let go was surprising for me, there were others let go that I think ultimately will be for the best for the company because it will open the door for new ideas and new blood to get circulating through the company.....which is needed in a lot of aspects. Regardless, it is still a sad situation and I feel for those who were let go today. :-(

[flightoffear1996]

Ouch, very bad news and the ecomony is recovering? I wish the weatlthy in this country woudl quit lining there own pockets and start helping others out. It seems to me in all this it the middle working class suffering the most.

[The Interpreter]

Earlier this year, a well known poster here noted that the Seaworld acquisition was an ideal model for taking over another park company. I held my tongue then, as it was too early to make such a determination. It still is. I would note it is exactly one year after the acquisition, and this is typical of what is often seen after a private equity firm takes over a company. Senior human capital, particularly highly paid management (or as Todd put it, those who have been with the company 20+ years) were most affected. (See Cedar Fair's acquisition of Paramount Parks, where something very similar happened, but a bit more quickly). Often, sadly, the next step is that the "new blood" and "new ideas" are often found to be somewhat lacking. Experienced, highly paid management often DID know what it was doing, and oftentimes the new ones find out there was not nearly as much waste, duplication, hide-bound thinking and lack of reasons for doing what was done as new management thought/hoped.

I sincerely hope this is not the case at Seaworld, particularly since I have long thought and still do that the Busch parks were among the best, if not the best, run US parks. I also feel for those let go...especially in this economic environment. The economic world now is not what it was even in 2006. Not even close.

[flightoffear1996]

I wish we could go back to the 90's probaly one of the best economic decade ever.

[The Interpreter]

See also, BGT (126), Orlando (129):

http://www.wtsp.com/...160234&catid=10

San Antonio (17):

http://www.mysananto...onio-854711.php

San Diego (80):

http://www.signonsan...o-lose-80-jobs/

No More Mystic Sheiks of Morroco:

http://www.myfoxtamp...-gardens-120210

http://www.examiner....eiks-of-morocco

Williamsburg (if any), not yet public:

http://wydaily.com/b...nt-company.html