Ed Grier Retires
Posted: Mon Oct 12, 2009 4:04 pm
Stupid Guest Tricks
Stories about guest behavior in theme parks.
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Ed Grier Retires
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Re: Ed Grier Retires
Posted: Mon Oct 12, 2009 6:30 pm
Must be 3yrs is about the time when 'full' retirement bennies kick in.
Re: Ed Grier Retires
Posted: Mon Oct 12, 2009 11:31 pm
hobie once again nails it! Sure seemed he retired soon after he secured the position.hobie16 wrote:Wasn't he already retired in place (RIP)?]
Re: Ed Grier Retires
Posted: Tue Oct 13, 2009 2:22 pm
***UPDATE***
We’ll begin by filling you in on why Anaheim Cast Members are surprised and happy that George Kalogridis is returning to Anaheim to fill the vacancy left by Ed Grier.
To Ed’s credit, he did a fine job of helping Anaheim mayor Curt Pringle heal the rift between Disney and the city after a failed attempt in 2007 to build condominiums in the hospitality zoned district pitted the city council against Disney and damaged what had been a historically warm partnership between Disneyland and Anaheim.
But while Ed successfully worked the cocktail party circuit off property, he left most of the day to day operation to his lieutenants and made it clearly obvious he didn’t have much interest in their business of theme parks and hotels. Worse, Ed tried to combat that well-earned reputation for being distant by occasionally showing up in the park only when a TDA photographer was with him to capture the rare event for future issues of employee newsletters. (Note to TDA executives; your employees aren’t stupid and they can spot phony PR a mile away, so it’s best not to put on a show if the feeling isn’t genuine.)
With the Disneyland presidency on a standard three year contract, (that has become known as the Disneyland Curse), Ed’s term was up this fall. There wasn’t going to be a place for Ed at the end of his contract, so he's resigned (um, retired) at age 54 after skyrocketing from obscure lower-level executive accountant to Disneyland Resort President literally overnight back in ’06.
The good news is that Ed has been replaced with George Kalogridis, who is much different because George has a genuine interest in Disney theme park operations. George’s resume includes the badge of honor of clashing famously with former president Cynthia Harriss, when George was brought out from Florida in 2000 to help run Anaheim’s operation as they transitioned to a multi-park resort during the opening of DCA. George, a native Floridian who started his career as a busboy at the Contemporary Resort at Disney World back in 1971, has Disney running through his veins and he often disagreed with Cynthia’s flawed plans and ideas for Anaheim.
After a tumultuous two years working as the Senior Vice President of Operations for Cynthia, George was demoted and sent packing in late 2001 by Cynthia under the guise of structural changes after 9/11. Paul Pressler was still the Chairman of Parks & Resorts back then, and out of all the senior executives of the time, Cynthia had the closest relationship with Paul and always had his ear.
Cynthia and Paul thought it wiser to send this tenured and talented theme park guy named George packing in late 2001, and Cynthia made the infamous decision to replace George with retired Army General T Irby as Anaheim’s top Senior Vice President of Operations. George was actually demoted in title by Paul Pressler to a Vice President, and was sent off to the corporate backwater of Travel Operations for Walt Disney World, effectively in charge of the reservation call centers in a suburban Tampa office park.
It speaks volumes about George’s commitment to Disney that he put up with that demotion in title and prestige, and waited it out for the Paul Pressler era to end and for his solid reputation to land him the plum assignment in Paris in ‘06. When George was sent off to Tampa, the unfortunate direction the Anaheim property took in 2002 and 2003 under the leadership of Paul, Cynthia and T Irby is now legendary and could fill a book, but suffice it to say that if you were blackballed by that group like George Kalogridis was, and lived to tell about it like he has, you’ve now earned a great deal of respect from Anaheim Cast Members.
Page 2...
We’ll begin by filling you in on why Anaheim Cast Members are surprised and happy that George Kalogridis is returning to Anaheim to fill the vacancy left by Ed Grier.
To Ed’s credit, he did a fine job of helping Anaheim mayor Curt Pringle heal the rift between Disney and the city after a failed attempt in 2007 to build condominiums in the hospitality zoned district pitted the city council against Disney and damaged what had been a historically warm partnership between Disneyland and Anaheim.
But while Ed successfully worked the cocktail party circuit off property, he left most of the day to day operation to his lieutenants and made it clearly obvious he didn’t have much interest in their business of theme parks and hotels. Worse, Ed tried to combat that well-earned reputation for being distant by occasionally showing up in the park only when a TDA photographer was with him to capture the rare event for future issues of employee newsletters. (Note to TDA executives; your employees aren’t stupid and they can spot phony PR a mile away, so it’s best not to put on a show if the feeling isn’t genuine.)
With the Disneyland presidency on a standard three year contract, (that has become known as the Disneyland Curse), Ed’s term was up this fall. There wasn’t going to be a place for Ed at the end of his contract, so he's resigned (um, retired) at age 54 after skyrocketing from obscure lower-level executive accountant to Disneyland Resort President literally overnight back in ’06.
The good news is that Ed has been replaced with George Kalogridis, who is much different because George has a genuine interest in Disney theme park operations. George’s resume includes the badge of honor of clashing famously with former president Cynthia Harriss, when George was brought out from Florida in 2000 to help run Anaheim’s operation as they transitioned to a multi-park resort during the opening of DCA. George, a native Floridian who started his career as a busboy at the Contemporary Resort at Disney World back in 1971, has Disney running through his veins and he often disagreed with Cynthia’s flawed plans and ideas for Anaheim.
After a tumultuous two years working as the Senior Vice President of Operations for Cynthia, George was demoted and sent packing in late 2001 by Cynthia under the guise of structural changes after 9/11. Paul Pressler was still the Chairman of Parks & Resorts back then, and out of all the senior executives of the time, Cynthia had the closest relationship with Paul and always had his ear.
Cynthia and Paul thought it wiser to send this tenured and talented theme park guy named George packing in late 2001, and Cynthia made the infamous decision to replace George with retired Army General T Irby as Anaheim’s top Senior Vice President of Operations. George was actually demoted in title by Paul Pressler to a Vice President, and was sent off to the corporate backwater of Travel Operations for Walt Disney World, effectively in charge of the reservation call centers in a suburban Tampa office park.
It speaks volumes about George’s commitment to Disney that he put up with that demotion in title and prestige, and waited it out for the Paul Pressler era to end and for his solid reputation to land him the plum assignment in Paris in ‘06. When George was sent off to Tampa, the unfortunate direction the Anaheim property took in 2002 and 2003 under the leadership of Paul, Cynthia and T Irby is now legendary and could fill a book, but suffice it to say that if you were blackballed by that group like George Kalogridis was, and lived to tell about it like he has, you’ve now earned a great deal of respect from Anaheim Cast Members.
Page 2...
Re: Ed Grier Retires
Posted: Tue Oct 13, 2009 2:25 pm
...
George will be moving back to OC from his digs with the killer view of the Eiffel Tower that he shared with his partner, where he had been for the last three years working as the Senior Vice President of Operations for Disneyland Paris. Anaheim Cast Members can expect to see George regularly around property, especially during the busy weekends this holiday season, as it is widely accepted that Ed was far too absent from property and Anaheim Cast Members of all stripes are hoping to see their leader with them in the trenches once in awhile. (And leave that photographer back at TDA please.)
George is remembered from 2001 as a Senior Vice President who was always walking the parks during the busiest days, calling managers on the spot when he saw things he either didn’t like, or had questions about. George has his work cut out for him, not just restoring the Disneyland presidency on property, but off property as well.
Ed successfully helped patch up the relationship between Disneyland and the local community, and now George is going to need to shepherd that relationship through some important projects ahead like the big California High Speed Rail station in Anaheim, the plans for an elevated peoplemover system from that new station to Disneyland and the Anaheim Convention Center, and ongoing planning headaches with Caltrans and the city over the need for more parking, better traffic management, and ever more resort expansion. And lucky for George, his new three year contract will also have plenty of glamorous grand openings for him to attend with a Billion dollars worth of new attractions coming to DCA.
Suffice it to say that of all the names that were on the short list to replace Ed Grier, George Kalogridis making the final cut is good news for Anaheim. All that is left for Anaheim leaders to wonder about now is if Ed Grier’s son who was given a desk job in TDA is going to finally be asked to cut his hair, since the younger Grier flaunts a hairstyle that clearly violates the "Disney Look" grooming policies that’s had TDA and park managers grumbling in private.
George will be moving back to OC from his digs with the killer view of the Eiffel Tower that he shared with his partner, where he had been for the last three years working as the Senior Vice President of Operations for Disneyland Paris. Anaheim Cast Members can expect to see George regularly around property, especially during the busy weekends this holiday season, as it is widely accepted that Ed was far too absent from property and Anaheim Cast Members of all stripes are hoping to see their leader with them in the trenches once in awhile. (And leave that photographer back at TDA please.)
George is remembered from 2001 as a Senior Vice President who was always walking the parks during the busiest days, calling managers on the spot when he saw things he either didn’t like, or had questions about. George has his work cut out for him, not just restoring the Disneyland presidency on property, but off property as well.
Ed successfully helped patch up the relationship between Disneyland and the local community, and now George is going to need to shepherd that relationship through some important projects ahead like the big California High Speed Rail station in Anaheim, the plans for an elevated peoplemover system from that new station to Disneyland and the Anaheim Convention Center, and ongoing planning headaches with Caltrans and the city over the need for more parking, better traffic management, and ever more resort expansion. And lucky for George, his new three year contract will also have plenty of glamorous grand openings for him to attend with a Billion dollars worth of new attractions coming to DCA.
Suffice it to say that of all the names that were on the short list to replace Ed Grier, George Kalogridis making the final cut is good news for Anaheim. All that is left for Anaheim leaders to wonder about now is if Ed Grier’s son who was given a desk job in TDA is going to finally be asked to cut his hair, since the younger Grier flaunts a hairstyle that clearly violates the "Disney Look" grooming policies that’s had TDA and park managers grumbling in private.
Re: Ed Grier Retires
Posted: Tue Oct 13, 2009 4:38 pm
Sounds like Kalogridis will be a really good person for DLR. Here are a couple of links from the Orange County (CA) Register:
http://ocresort.freedomblogging.com/200 ... ent/21549/
http://ocresort.freedomblogging.com/200 ... ent/21641/
http://ocresort.freedomblogging.com/200 ... ent/21549/
http://ocresort.freedomblogging.com/200 ... ent/21641/
Re: Ed Grier Retires
Posted: Tue Oct 13, 2009 9:34 pm
Hi gang,
This is probably a good place to remind everyone that when you quote from a source, it's only common courtesy to name that source. Please do so.
Cheers,
Zazu, Admin,
StupidGuesTricks.com
This is probably a good place to remind everyone that when you quote from a source, it's only common courtesy to name that source. Please do so.
Cheers,
Zazu, Admin,
StupidGuesTricks.com
Re: Ed Grier Retires
Posted: Tue Oct 13, 2009 10:30 pm
"Feel free to put gas in my car tomorrow". (quote from the baker) ;)Zazu wrote:Hi gang,
This is probably a good place to remind everyone that when you quote from a source, it's only common courtesy to name that source. Please do so.
Cheers,
Zazu, Admin,
StupidGuesTricks.com
Re: Ed Grier Retires
Posted: Tue Oct 13, 2009 10:55 pm
I did. I named the Orange County (CA) Register. And I did it in MLBA format.Zazu wrote:Hi gang,
This is probably a good place to remind everyone that when you quote from a source, it's only common courtesy to name that source. Please do so.
Cheers,
Zazu, Admin,
StupidGuesTricks.com
Hobie did not. Made me wonder, "Where did he get that information? So had to look up my own source. I think George Kalidocious will be a great President. No, not great. He will be superkalifragilisticexpialidocious.
Ms. Matterhorn = Good
Hobie = Bad
Re: Ed Grier Retires
Posted: Tue Oct 13, 2009 11:06 pm
Look out hobie. I think some is pissed/out to get you. ;) I always thought it was spelled with a C.Ms. Matterhorn wrote:I did. I named the Orange County (CA) Register. And I did it in MLBA format.
Hobie did not. Made me wonder, "Where did he get that information? So had to look up my own source. I think George Kalidocious will be a great President. No, not great. He will be superkalifragilisticexpialidocious.
Ms. Matterhorn = Good
Hobie = Bad