Six Flags America upgrades total more than $5M

Thursday, April 26, 2007

Six Flags America upgrades total more than $5M

By Liza Gutierrez | Staff Writer

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Six Flags of Largo President Terry Prather says the park will enhance the customer amusement park experience and add food choices.

Six Flags America in Largo has invested millions on its infrastructure to improve its customers’ experiences.

The park spent “tons of money“ in previous years on marketable attractions, said park president Terry W. Prather. But over the past two years, more than $5 million has gone to upgrade food services in its Gotham City section, upgrade facilities in the water park, and add new entertainment features, he said.

Infrastructure modification ‘‘does trickle down to affect guests, and that’s why we do it,” said park spokeswoman Karin Korpowski.

Gotham City is the super hero-themed center that is one of the park’s most popular sites, and home to its largest roller coaster, the Superman. It is also the beginning point of the park parade that goes past that facility. A new parade and seven new shows will enhance the entertainment schedule this season, she said.

Guest concerns about slow food service there have been answered, Prather said, by increasing points of service from four to 10. New food selections, such as Ben and Jerry’s ice cream, the Wow Café and Wingery, and Uncle Roy’s burgers and fried chicken, will be offered this season. The park is open April to October.

Six Flags is also planning to build a 4,000-square-foot human resources building to consolidate staff training activities. Training is now conducted at various points in the park, including a temporary center, Korpowski said.

‘‘We are always looking to improve the facilities we have, therefore this one is in motion,” Korpowski said. ‘‘The better the training, the better our employees.”

During peak season, the park can have up to 2,500 employees, she said. ‘‘We are one of the largest seasonal employers in the state of Maryland.”

Most of the staff are high school or college age, Korpowski said, and many times the park is providing their first jobs.

Prather and his staff have demonstrated that they are focused on taking care of Six Flags guests, said J. Matthew Neitzey, executive director of the Prince George’s County, Maryland Conference & Visitors Bureau Inc. Part of that means investing in employees, he said.

By treating employees well through training and encouragement, ‘‘it’s going to help your bottom line,” he said.

Earlier this month, Six Flags, headquartered in New York, completed the previously announced sale of three water parks and four theme parks to PARC 7F-Operations Corp. of Jacksonville, Fla., for $312 million.

The company reported revenues of $945.7 million in 2006, down from $956.8 million the previous year. Its net loss was $305.6 million, up from $110.9 million in 2005.