Volume 3, No. 14. July 25, 2003
Eric's Turn
In
search of great things
In my time I’ve
seen good management and bad. Throughout history, the great leaders are those
who recognize great talent and give their bearers the foundation and breadth
to flourish that talent for the good of the ultimate goal. The stupid managers
are those who handcuff the skilled workers below them by micromanage or, worse,
undermine that talent by assuming superior knowledge.
Now,
I’m not suggesting I’m one of history’s great leaders, but I
know great talent when I see it, and I know when to stay out of its way. Even
if it’s my own son. Even if he’s only 14 years old.
After
paying him last summer to help me produce THE LOOP, I officially made Ian our
production manager earlier this year. With the next issue of THE LOOP some of
Ian’s most important labors this summer will come to fruition as we make
a significant transition with THE LOOP and www.gettheloop.com.
For
this issue he’s already made a huge contribution to us and to you, our
readers, by adding a search engine to our web site. You’ll notice the “LOOP
Search” button added to our navigational buttons on each of the web site’s
flag pages, and it also will be included on every issue of the newsletter. Click
on that or here
to go to the search engine with which you can find any term or phrase we’ve
published in THE LOOP. With our entire cache of 60 newsletters still archived
on this site, that’s a valuable source of amusement industry material on
your computer. And, thanks to Ian, you can get to it as quickly as you please.
You
may remember that Ian also published our amusement industry user survey in conjunction
with our ACE Coaster Con XXVI special issue (THE
LOOP, June 27, 2003). He has further amended that survey by adding respondents’
specific comments (like the person who listed aspirin as a favorite amusement
park food). To go directly to the survey, click here.
I am proud to point out, too, that not only did Ian build this and the previous two LOOPs by himself, he built all the advertisements in this issue. He seemed to particularly enjoy making his father spin, as he accomplished with the ad at the top of this newsletter.
I’m sure going to miss Ian when his time with us this summer ends and he goes back to Anchorage, Alaska, and school. I mean, does he really need any more schooling? But I aim to be a good manager, and that means letting my talented workers free to learn, grow and further prosper. Whether he’s my son or not, I gain by his experience. And so have you.
Clarification
In
a story on the rebirth of the Flying Scooters at Lake Compounce in Bristol,
Connecticut (THE LOOP, July
11, 2003) we provided a misleading history of the ride. It had been at West
View Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was sold to Idora Park in Youngstown,
Ohio, after West View closed in 1977. It moved back to the Pittsburgh area,
to Kennywood in West Miflin, when Idora closed. Kennywood stored it for several
years, then opened it as part of its Lost Kennywood expansion in 1995. Two years
later it moved to Lake Compounce.
Correction,
of sorts
In the last issue of THE LOOP (July
11, 2003), I handed out “Pinkie” awards for the promotional gifts
parks sent us to announce their new attractions and events for the season. One
of the kudos I offered went to Indiana Beach for the I.B. Crow bobblehead doll
(pictured above). But then I wrote that the doll “would have been my top
pick except that I haven’t purchased the watch battery needed to make it
sing.”
I
discovered after publishing that sentiment that I.B. Crow did indeed have a
battery installed. I didn't realize I had to flip the switch in his pedestal
AND bobble his head to make him talk. I would like to extend my apologies to
Tom Spackman Jr. of Indiana Beach and his public relations guru, Bill Robinson
of William H. Robinson, Inc., for my unintended slight.
That said, I still won't make the I.B. Crow bobblehead my top pick. It currently sits atop my file cabinet and its head bobbles every time I open or close a drawer. His cawing and crow-voiced sales pitch are so downright aggravating, I wish it didn't come with batteries.
THE LOOP is written and produced by Eric Minton, Minton Enterprises, LLC. To see more examples of Eric Minton's work and Minton Enterprises services, visit www.ericminton.com.
©2003, Minton Enterprises
LLC
All rights reserved