Quassy Remains Focused On Long-Term Goals - Business Feature

12/16/2010

MIDDLEBURY, Conn. – Just a stone’s throw from the main office at Quassy Amusement Park is a construction site buzzing with activity – a daily reminder that this small, family-owned business is forging ahead during these challenging economic times. “We’ve had to remain focused on our initiatives in recent years, despite what has happened economically,” Quassy owner Eric Anderson said recently while surveying work on the new wooden roller coaster being built at the park. “We’ve been fortunate in that our long-term goals in updating the property have not fallen victim to the economic climate.” The birth of the “Wooden Warrior” roller coaster, scheduled to open for the 2011 season next spring, is a prime example of how the park has aggressively continued to reinvest in itself and the community during a timeframe when many small businesses have failed. “We’ve been here more than 100 years and plan on being here for many more to come,” noted owner George Frantzis II, whose family purchased the park in 1937. “People certainly wonder how Quassy can be building a marquee attraction like this (roller coaster) when the economy is struggling. We strongly believe that had we not made the decision a number of years ago to reposition ourselves as a business – including reinvestment – we probably wouldn’t be here today.” Getting On Track The roller coaster project was conceived several years ago as part of a five-year strategy Quassy’s owners embraced to set the stage for the park’s future. Despite some roadblocks, the park saw the first phase of the plan come to fruition in 2010 when it added a new family drop tower ride built in Europe. “Not only do new attractions bring people back to the park, but they also drive in new customers,” Anderson said the park’s investment. “Our goal for new attractions, including the roller coaster, is to provide experiences that a family can enjoy together.” Such is the case with the “Wooden Warrior” that will have more than 1,200 feet of track, yet not be a white-knuckle experience. “That’s (extreme rides) not who and what we are,” added Frantzis. “We want children to ride their first roller coaster here at Quassy and do it with their parents and even grandparents.” As the park owners walk the construction site daily – now capped by a light layer of fresh snow – they also reflect on the condition the lakeside property was in nearly a decade ago. “Quite frankly, the park was falling into disrepair during that period,” recalled Anderson, who started working in Quassy’s arcade as a youngster. “We realized then that in order to turn things around, we had to start reinvesting in the park.” It was in 2002 when Quassy announced it would build “Saturation Station,” a state-of-the-art interactive family water play area. The new attraction was a modular jungle-gym of sorts with cascading fountains, water cannons, slides and a huge dumping bucket on its center tower. That, too, was a huge undertaking for the small family business at the time, but one that would quickly reap dividends. “It’s been said time and again that it (“Saturation Station”) probably saved the park,” Frantzis said of the water attraction. “Looking back, we certainly all agree with that observation now.” The $1 million-plus price tag that “Saturation Station” carried with it posed a big gamble at the time, especially when the inaugural season of 2003 was one of the wettest summers in New England history. Calm After The Storm “It rained virtually every weekend that season and really put a damper on our hopes of seeing a substantial return on the investment,” Anderson said. “But when we had good weather the attraction was packed, so that was a clear indicator that we were on the right track.” The park managed to turn the corner despite the rainy season and started bringing in more family attractions the following year. A “Yo-Yo” Super Swing ride made its debut in 2004. And thanks to the success of “Saturation Station,” two new gigantic “Tunnel Twister” waterslides were added to the waterpark in 2006. Quassy celebrated its centennial in 2008 with the addition of a “Galleon” pirate ship ride and a three-lane “Family Fun Slide.” With two large corporate-owned theme parks just minutes away from Quassy Amusement Park, the park has remained focused on its strategy to compete. “Everything we’ve done in recent years is geared toward family,” Frantzis interjected. “We know we fill a niche market in the region and really focus on that any time we are looking at new attractions.” Such was the case when the park unveiled its latest multi-year plan which included the drop tower and new roller coaster. When all said and done, the improvements being made under the new reinvestment plan will play to the tune of around $5 million. “As the economy tanked, a lot of people were wondering if we would really be able to follow through with our plans,” Anderson observed. “We simply couldn’t roll over and play dead – we had worked too hard to get this master plan off the ground.” Phase One In 2009 the park opened a new main ticket booth fashioned after the trolley station which once served the historic property. It was a testament that Quassy was ready to make good on its publicly-announced plans that new attractions would follow in the years to come. “We really had an out - if we elected to go that way - when the recession hit,” Frantzis reflected. “Other businesses were curtailing simply to stay afloat. Unfortunately a lot of people lost their jobs and many businesses shuttered their doors. We could have thrown in the towel regarding our improvement plans and no one would have though twice about it.” But the park forged ahead and in the fall of 2009 brokered a deal to purchase a new family drop tower ride from a manufacturer in Italy. “This was phase one of our announced plans, and fortunately we were able to follow through with it,” Anderson said. The new ride went into production with a custom theme conceived by the park as well as a computerized LED (light emitting diode) lighting system – the first ever installed on a tower ride by the manufacturer. The drop tower was an immediate hit with guests and had set the stage for what was to come during the 2010 season. “The new ride was everything we had hoped it would be,” Anderson said of the early season. “Parents were riding with their children, getting off, and getting right back in line.” Yet uncertainty still hovered over the remainder of the 2010 season as the struggling economy continued to make headlines. “We didn’t know what to expect going into 2010, except we had put a lot of money into a new ride,” Frantzis recalled. Weather And Guests The summer of 2010 turned out to be very successful for the park as dry weather prevailed and guests didn’t shy away from visiting. “Being who and what we are, we feel that even during difficult economic times our pricing and overall structure plays very favorable,” Anderson asserted. That assumption, coupled with good weather from start to finish, helped the park post a banner year. Business was brisk enough that by mid-July Quassy had positioned itself to break ground for its new wooden roller coaster – admittedly the largest undertaking ever for the 20-acre park. The construction crew was on location the first week of August, about a month ahead of the projected schedule, and the work began. “We had anticipated starting after Labor Day, so not to disrupt our day-to-day operations,” Anderson said of the coaster project. “As it turned out, our early start generated a lot more interest among our guests as they could see the surveying work being done as well as concrete footings being poured.” The roller coaster project has also pumped a lot of money into the local economy. Tons of concrete were hauled onto location and area crane and excavating companies have been on site during the construction process. The park also hired a construction team to work on the roller coaster start to finish. “We have also used as many local and area vendors as possible to supply parts for the ride,” Anderson added. The multi-year reinvestment plan also calls for additional waterpark attractions, which could be in place in the next couple of years. More Economic Impact Even though a seasonal business, Quassy Amusement Park has broad economic impact on the local communities. The park employs a full-time sales, office, marketing and maintenance staff. During its April through October operating season, Quassy hires hundreds of college and high school students as well as adults seeking summer employment. “It’s a rite of passage in our local communities to work at the park when you are in high school,” Frantzis said. “We have had several generations from the same family work here throughout the years. We’re a vital part of the community when it comes to student employment.” Other area businesses such as hotels, restaurants, gas stations and shopping complexes also benefit from having the amusement park nearby. “You really have to step back at times and consider how much impact a small seasonal business like this has on the area. It’s really substantial,” Frantzis added. Quassy also plays host to numerous community service events throughout the course of each season and supports hundreds of others with in-kind donations. “We are philanthropists at heart,” he said. “During the course of a year we support so many projects here at the park I would have a difficult time naming them all.” As for the park and its future, the two hands-on owners agree that what has been taking shape in recent years is cause for optimism. “The park is generating a great deal of positive attention nowadays,” Anderson said. “We took the initiative to pave our way in times of uncertainty - setting the bar high for ourselves. We’ve been clearing the hurdles and are excited about what’s in store for the park and our guests.” “Each year there are fewer and fewer family-owned amusement parks left in the country,” said Frantzis. “We’re a survivor and for some very good reasons.”