| Richard Kinzel | |
|---|---|
| Born | Richard L. Kinzel 1941 (age 71) Toledo, Ohio |
| Residence | Sandusky, Ohio |
| Other names | "Dick" Kinzel |
| Occupation | Former CEO of Cedar Fair, Fomer VP of Cedar Fair, Former GM of Valleyfair, Former member of Advisory Board of KeyCorp |
| Years active | 1972-2012 |
| Known for | CEO of Cedar Fair |
| Salary | $1.3 million[1] |
| Predecessor | Robert L. Munger Jr. |
| Successor | Matt Ouimet |
| Awards | Golden Ticket Awards, Legends Series 2011 |
Richard (Dick) Kinzel is the former CEO of Cedar Fair Entertainment Company. He served as President and CEO of Cedar Fair untill January 2, 2012, when his successor, Matt Ouimet, took over as President and CEO. He has been involved in Cedar Fair for 39 years and plans to retire.
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"Dick" Kinzel started out at Cedar Point as an employee but was transfered to Valleyfair in 1978 to run the newly acquired park. He served as the General Manger of Valleyfair. He served as Gm from 1978-1986. In 1986, the then CEO of Cedar Fair, stepped down due to health issues. Mr. Kinzel was promoted to president and CEO.
When Richard stepped in as CEO of Cedar Fair, there was only 2 parks owned, Valleyfair and Cedar Point. His first major highlight was Magnum XL-200, hyper-coaster at Cedar Point. He wanted to find a way to bring more guests to Cedar Point and by doing that he opened Magnum XL-200. It was the first coaster to break 200 feet and is considered to start the coaster wars, which would make up the majority of his tenure at Cedar Fair. In 1992, Cedar Fair made their first aqcusition with Dick Kinzel as CEO. Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom was acquired from Harris Weinstein.
In 2006, he made a big move in acquiring the fomer Paramount Parks. The deal added all 5 parks, plus their water parks to the Cedar Fair chain. Cedar Fairs revenue went from $569 million to $1 billion. He is most notable for this move bcause it explaned Cedar Fair into new markets with compeition. In 2010, he announced that he would retire. On June 20, 2011, it was announced that Matt Ouimet would take over as CEO of Cedar Fair, effective imediantly. Dick Kinzel officially retired on January 2nd, 2012 when his contract was up.[3]
In an article in the Toldeo Blade, Dick said that it will be very different being retired. He hasn't had a summer off since joining the company and plans to take many vacations. He's been asked to work on a few projects but for now, wants to take some time off.[4]