Client Spotlight
Dutch Wonderland
Earl Clark's vision for an amusement park for families with young children opened as Dutch Wonderland in 1963 with just four rides. The business grew to Old Mill Stream Campground, The National Wax Museum of Lancaster County as well as the Wonderland movie theatre.
More than 40 years later, the park continues to grow with a focus on employees and customer service.
When Earl passed away in 1993, sons Murl and Brad took over operations. In 2000, they approached Hershey Entertainment & Resorts (HE&R) about a possible sale of the entire property, which took place November 2001.
HE&R gave the park a major facelift, including re-painting nearly the entire park and upgrading utilities. They also added two new rides in addition to the popular Duke's Lagoon. Through a combination of improvements and a commitment to excellent service, Dutch Wonderland's attendance jumped by 48 percent since opening under the HE&R brand.
And, as its attendance grew, so did the number of people hoping to join the Dutch Wonderland Team. In 2007, more than 2,000 applicants were interviewed for summer jobs, affording management the luxury of hiring the "best of the best."
The result - a better experience for customers. Dutch Wonderland's positive guest comments and survey scores rose dramatically, as did its employee retention rate.
Rick Stammel of Dutch Wonderland believes the investment in team members through the years has had a direct impact on attendance growth and ultimately the bottom line!
Stammel calls The North Group, specifically Daryl Leisey, "our partner in success." Daryl, who has worked with Dutch Wonderland since 2004, helped the organization develop core principles and behaviors that brought them closer as a team. He called Daryl's assistance "incalculable." Stammel explained: "We would not have come as far as we have, as fast as we have, without his guidance."
Click here to listen to the StraightForward™ audio session between Roger North and Rick Stammel.
