It’s what I love: Zoos. Water Parks. Ski Resorts. Theme Parks. Resort Destinations. And Disney.
When I was a toddler, my parents literally purchased penny stock in a penny arcade. It was Legend City in Phoenix, Arizona, and one of many theme parks that came in the wake of Disneyland being established in 1955.
Disneyland is my first love. But I also grew up with all that Southern California possessed: Magic Mountain, Universal Studios, Knott’s Berry Farm, SeaWorld and the San Diego Zoo. As a career, I got into Training & Development–but I always wanted to be in the parks. In a strange twist of events, I ended up as Director of Operations for a major water park in Orlando – Water Mania. It was a lesson of a lifetime. Crowds, budgets, lightening storms, off-seasons, and per caps. I learned valuable lessons about being flexible and creating results.
From there, it was a few short years before I ended up in a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity with The Disney Institute at Walt Disney World. Responsible for Customer Service Training, I had the opportunity of working closely with the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom. I created business programming at Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon and DisneyQuest. And then there were the resorts–from Disney’s Grand Floridian to Disney’s Fort Wilderness Campground. I worked with folks from Disney Imagineering to Team Disney; from costuming to landscaping; From the Tower of Terror to The Living Seas. I learned valuable lessons from the most amazing resort in the world, and I got to share those lessons with other organizations who came to Disney to learn more.
In time, I grew my own consulting firm, Performance Journeys. I provide for clients in the public, private and non-profit sectors. But my heart has always been in parks and resorts. In the last number of years, I’ve worked 1:1 with several ski resorts and zoos. I’ve served as a leadership consultant for Give Kids the World. And I’ve had the chance to provide a massive training and development initiative for Starwood hotels, to include their Westin, St. Regis, Sheraton, and Four Points brands.
And through my site, DisneyatWork.com, I continue being the leader in showcasing the best-in-business practices of some of the greatest parks in the world.
Where crowds love to gather in exciting environments, I love to help build the customer experience, and the teams that make those places come alive. That’s what this section is for–it’s dedicated to those exciting arenas where dreams come true. I hope you’ll enjoy! Let me know how I can support your park and/or resort in moving forward.
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