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Luke

Pusheen Gardens
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Jul 20, 2011
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Williamsburg, VA
SeaWorld Entertainment Inc., parent company of Busch Gardens Williamsburg, announces layoffs

By Austin Bogues
9:50 p.m. EST, December 12, 2014

SeaWorld Entertainment Inc., the parent company of Busch Gardens Williamsburg, announced it would lay off more than 300 employees, in a cost restructuring effort aimed at saving $50 million by the end of 2015, the company announced.

Fred Jacobs, a SeaWorld Entertainment Inc., spokesman, said the 300 employees let go would be across the company, which includes several theme parks including SeaWorld in Orlando, Busch Gardens Tampa and other parks.

Jacobs declined to say how many employees of Busch Gardens Williamsburg were affected. "I'm not at liberty to say," Jacobs said, in an email to the Virginia Gazette.

Source:
http://www.vagazette.com/news/va-vg-busch-gardens-layoffs,0,118645.story
 
RE: SeaWorld parent company of Busch Gardens Williamsburg, announces layoffs

And so the long twilight turns into night...
 
RE: SeaWorld parent company of Busch Gardens Williamsburg, announces layoffs

The park has simultaneously turned away from its past and its future.

My sincere condolences to all those employees whose lives and careers have been afflicted by the park's corporate and administrative wrong turns, missteps and misguidedness, and by the dreadful "activists" whose deliberate twisting of the truth has hurt not only people's livelihoods but will also hurt the very animals that they claim to be defending.

The only comfort I can offer to BGWFans is that, as a life-long Kings Dominion fan, I've watched similar things happen to my beloved park. It was a long and dark 15 years, but KD eventually returned from the brink. Hopefully the same sort of brighter future will emerge for Busch Gardens one day.
 
RE: SeaWorld parent company of Busch Gardens Williamsburg, announces layoffs

While I agree with you Jonquil, I don't think we're experiencing the ruins that was Paramount's Kings Dominion. This is a different situation, and while all the cuts at the park may very well have an impact on quality, it's too early to go overboard. PKD suffered from irresponsible delusional management who gave no thought to any single one of there actions.

I believe that despite the cuts the park will still attempt at running the best they can. And in reference to Zachary's comment, a common complaint from even you(Zachary) is that the park has been mis-managed for a long while now, so perhaps it is time for them to leave, to cut off the excess fat. I don't know, maybe I have too much of a positive outlook on the future of the park. However, there is a true possibility they could operate as best they can with these cuts, and truly maintain sanity over the employees and fan base, and then there's the other dark-road. But please, I'm getting a little tired of the screaming of "It's the end." When we haven't seen what's happened yet. Let's wait and see how the park decides to manage these cut-backs, before saying anything.

Also, there is the possibility of a third-road, the one where we get pulled out of a hole by some other company.
 
RE: SeaWorld parent company of Busch Gardens Williamsburg, announces layoffs

Zachary said:
These staffing and operating cuts have hit the park incredibly hard. We're losing people who have been in BGW's management structure for decades.
Those are probably the ones who should remain. Everything seems backwards.
 
RE: SeaWorld parent company of Busch Gardens Williamsburg, announces layoffs

Matthew said:
--there is the possibility of a third-road, the one where we get pulled out of a hole by some other company.

Bring in Herschend Family Entertainment....hopefully.
 
RE: SeaWorld parent company of Busch Gardens Williamsburg, announces layoffs

This will, of course be largely political. Certain people will use this to achieve their own means. It is also likely that if they eventually bring in someone from the outside to be run things he will want his own people at the top. SO on the bright side of things, in the end Scott may go away.
 
RE: SeaWorld parent company of Busch Gardens Williamsburg, announces layoffs

Matthew said:
maybe I have too much of a positive outlook on the future of the park.

At least you admit it. The amount of money being cut is insane. I'm frankly astonished the parks' think they will be able to properly operate come 2015. Maybe it comes from seeing spreadsheets of how much it takes. If you cant see it through all the news, the fact that the stock is still tanking (this means investors still aren't hopeful), and the continued reports of "high" ranking jobs being cut.... I guess you'll just need to see for yourself next year. The ONLY new thing BGW will have is a clone coaster..... They are building the only proof you need that shit is gone.
 
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RE: SeaWorld parent company of Busch Gardens Williamsburg, announces layoffs

I admire your optimism, Matthew, but what Busch Gardens faces is actually worse than what Kings Dominion endured under Paramount. Paramount was simply greedy, short-sighted and callous; the financial situation at SEAS and Busch is far worse than anything suffered by KD in the bad old days, and the corporate and administrative situation more misguided. SEAS/Busch also faces a massive, well-funded battle with an army of vicious ideologues and their gullible followers. There's no Kings Dominion analog to that situation.

Perhaps you're not aware of exactly what's happening, and what's going to happen, but this is not simply a bump in the road.
 
RE: SeaWorld parent company of Busch Gardens Williamsburg, announces layoffs

John said:
Matthew said:
--there is the possibility of a third-road, the one where we get pulled out of a hole by some other company.

Bring in Herschend Family Entertainment....hopefully.
Say bye bye to all of the wine and beer then....Herschend has a strict 'No Alcohol' policy in all of their parks. Maybe not the best choice for Beer Gardens.
 
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RE: SeaWorld parent company of Busch Gardens Williamsburg, announces layoffs

I know very well what is happening, all I'm trying to say is we have no idea what is going to happen. The parks could very well be owned and operated by a different company come the opening of this season, which would make matters a lot better than they are right now, but until I see what happens to the park I cannot make any judgements. I refuse to make any judgements, in fact. Because trust me, what I've been hearing about evidence of some of the real changes happening has made me all the more sad and depressed today, I don't think I could take much more depression over the park, which is why I refuse to make pre-judgements on the events to come. I'll face that depression later.
 
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RE: SeaWorld parent company of Busch Gardens Williamsburg, announces layoffs

For a company trying to cut hundreds of jobs they are still hiring. Corporate offices are actually hiring full time positions. Most everywhere else though is variable or seasonal.
 
RE: SeaWorld parent company of Busch Gardens Williamsburg, announces layoffs

Party Rocker said:
For a company trying to cut hundreds of jobs they are still hiring. Corporate offices are actually hiring full time positions. Most everywhere else though is variable or seasonal.

Someone clearly doesn't understand how this process works....

Why is it that people who have taken business classes are worried, yet those who haven't aren't....? Interesting indeed.
 
RE: SeaWorld parent company of Busch Gardens Williamsburg, announces layoffs

Matthew said:
The parks could very well be owned and operated by a different company come the opening of this season
While there are several potential outcomes, this is not likely to be one of them.

It will take some time to happen, if it does.
 
RE: SeaWorld parent company of Busch Gardens Williamsburg, announces layoffs

I know 4 boots-on-the-ground manager positions have been eliminated. Like all corporate layoffs, the people let go will be the lower level foundation ones that have kept things going (NOT the mis-managing problem ones). While the the upper level management, that SHOULD be the ones let go, will survive to suck more life out of the park. This will also be the tool the park uses to get rid of the variable positions that they rue.
 
RE: SeaWorld parent company of Busch Gardens Williamsburg, announces layoffs

Lower level positions always get cut first because they are in the middle of the chain or at the bottom. Their positions are clearly defined and usually the duties of the job can be passed onto others. It's like cutting fat.

The higher ups are more complicated because in cases like this, someone usually hired by the company, will come in a evaluate all the jobs of those in charge and then make suggestions on whether to keep or fire them.
 
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RE: SeaWorld parent company of Busch Gardens Williamsburg, announces layoffs

John said:
Matthew said:
--there is the possibility of a third-road, the one where we get pulled out of a hole by some other company.

Bring in Herschend Family Entertainment....hopefully.

NOOOO!!!!! I worked for Herschend after BGW and they have great company values, but the follow up at the park level (in my experience) was dreadful.
 
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