SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif. — SeaWorld’s new president is bringing 30 years of operations experience with him. He’s also opening a new roller coaster, offering new events and opening a new theme park in Chula Vista.
There’s no doubt that Jim Lake has the experience to bring new life to SeaWorld.
He spent most of his 30+ years in the industry with Disney and teaches hospitality at Cal State Fullerton. Lake says he’s looking forward to the new challenge of working in San Diego.
“The animal side of things is new to me and it’s an opportunity to keep learning and growing and it’s something I’m very passionate about,” said Lake, SeaWorld President of Operations.
Starting this weekend, SeaWorld is hosting its own New Orleans-style, Mardi Gras events during the month of February.
Next month on March 12, the park will also debut its latest attraction Emperor, a roller coaster named after the emperor penguin. It’s billed as the tallest, longest and fastest dive coaster in California.
“It’s about a 143-feet drop which is pretty big but it’s going to be so fun. It reaches speeds up to around 60 miles an hour,” said Lake.
Lake says he doesn’t believe the pandemic will continue to negatively impact the theme-park industry this year. He says SeaWorld is primarily outdoors and thinks most people are ready to get back to how life was before COVID-19.
“We’re really focusing on a lot on the employee experience. So, employee engagement is really important to me. I believe if we have a great group of employees here, there going to treat our guests really well and people are going to want to come back over and over again," said Lake.
As President of Operations, Lake is also responsible for Sesame Place, a new theme park opening in Chula Vista some time in March.
“It is a park that’ll be great for families with kids of all ages. There are dry rides, as we call them. There’s water rides, there’s a parade, there’s a show, there’s an interactive neighborhood. There’s so much to do,” said Lake.
Lake also says annual pass holders can expect even better perks and experiences this coming season.
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