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Executive's goal is to inspire cast at Disney World
Scott Powers | Sentinel Staff Writer
Posted August 22, 2006
Erin Wallace, 46, senior vice president of operations for Walt Disney World, succeeding Lee Cockerell this month as the resort's chief operating officer. Wallace spoke with staff writer Scott Powers.
Erin Wallace, 46, senior vice president of operations for Walt Disney World, succeeding Lee Cockerell֠this month as the resort's chief operating officer.
Question: Your father was a painter here. What did he teach you about Disney World?
Answer: He absolutely loved Walt Disney World. He thought this was a very quality establishment. When he learned I was coming to work here, he couldn't be more thrilled. He had been a painting contractor, and he especially remembers working on buildings in Tomorrowland. And he also worked on the Contemporary quite a bit. So when he came and visited we would look at all those different places. He got very ill and was getting ready to pass on in the summer I was going to be named vice president of Magic Kingdom. But he knew I was going to become vice president of Magic Kingdom, and it was a huge source of pride for him.
Q: Disney, as with most of the Central Florida tourism industry, seems to find it more and more challenging to find enough employees in this climate. How does that affect operations?
A: First of all, we've got a large operation to run because our business is doing so well. We look to many different ways to utilize our cast members. We still maintain, I think, a great hiring standard, to get the very best cast members we can.
Q: Your predecessor, Lee Cockerell, often talked about the need to inspire front-line employees to create magic. What's your strategy for doing that?
A: To me, inspiration starts with validating that they play a very critical role. My job, and the job of my leaders, is to make sure the hourly cast members are not just empowered but feel great about the jobs they perform. That involves talking regularly to them, seeing them on the job, helping them on the job.
Q: Will you take over the "Main Street Diary" employee newsletter?
A: Yeah. We're going to be taking over the "Main Street Diary" and continuing the legacy that Lee created in having that be a great tool and resource for our operations cast.
Q: You're an engineer. Do you miss making things?
A: I'm constantly solving problems, so I use the basics of my degree on a continual basis. I have a fabulous orientation toward solving problems. There is no problem that cannot be solved. I totally and thoroughly enjoy figuring it out with our people.
Q: What's your favorite park, and why?
A: I cannot say that I have a favorite park. Just like my children [Shea and Molly]. I love all my children. But I will tell you two things. First off, my very favorite attraction is Peter Pan. I will always acknowledge that being my favorite. I absolutely love that ride, and I feel the magic every time I'm on that ride. But I also will always have a soft spot in my heart for the Animal Kingdom park, because I was part of the opening team. And I have a strong alignment toward that park's mission. But, you know, my family and I absolutely love the thrills of Disney-MGM Studios and making sure everyone in my family sees that ride Soarin' over at Epcot. And the Food and Wine Festival, I won't miss it any year. I have little parts and pieces of me that love any park.
I've also got responsibility for all the resort hotels, Downtown Disney and sports and recreation...And I started my early days at Downtown Disney, and Marketplace, and that's a wonderful operation. And I've run resorts.
Q: Are we likely to see more outsourcing of some services such as hotel custodial operations?
A: I think what we're always going to be doing in operations at Walt Disney World is continuously looking at how to run this as effectively and as best as we can. Our goal is to be the best service provider in the industry, and we'll be continuously improving in order to do so.
Q: With no plans for any additional parks here in the known future, the pressure must be on for maximizing operations to provide for long-term growth. How will that be done?
A: What operations has to concentrate on each and every day is creating the very best guest experience each and every day. We know that our guests will have the positive experience here, and when they do they recommend Walt Disney World to their friends and families. That's our mission and that's our job, to create that good guest experience, so that positive word-of-mouth brings us future visitors.
Scott Powers | Sentinel Staff Writer
Posted August 22, 2006
Erin Wallace, 46, senior vice president of operations for Walt Disney World, succeeding Lee Cockerell this month as the resort's chief operating officer. Wallace spoke with staff writer Scott Powers.
Erin Wallace, 46, senior vice president of operations for Walt Disney World, succeeding Lee Cockerell֠this month as the resort's chief operating officer.
Question: Your father was a painter here. What did he teach you about Disney World?
Answer: He absolutely loved Walt Disney World. He thought this was a very quality establishment. When he learned I was coming to work here, he couldn't be more thrilled. He had been a painting contractor, and he especially remembers working on buildings in Tomorrowland. And he also worked on the Contemporary quite a bit. So when he came and visited we would look at all those different places. He got very ill and was getting ready to pass on in the summer I was going to be named vice president of Magic Kingdom. But he knew I was going to become vice president of Magic Kingdom, and it was a huge source of pride for him.
Q: Disney, as with most of the Central Florida tourism industry, seems to find it more and more challenging to find enough employees in this climate. How does that affect operations?
A: First of all, we've got a large operation to run because our business is doing so well. We look to many different ways to utilize our cast members. We still maintain, I think, a great hiring standard, to get the very best cast members we can.
Q: Your predecessor, Lee Cockerell, often talked about the need to inspire front-line employees to create magic. What's your strategy for doing that?
A: To me, inspiration starts with validating that they play a very critical role. My job, and the job of my leaders, is to make sure the hourly cast members are not just empowered but feel great about the jobs they perform. That involves talking regularly to them, seeing them on the job, helping them on the job.
Q: Will you take over the "Main Street Diary" employee newsletter?
A: Yeah. We're going to be taking over the "Main Street Diary" and continuing the legacy that Lee created in having that be a great tool and resource for our operations cast.
Q: You're an engineer. Do you miss making things?
A: I'm constantly solving problems, so I use the basics of my degree on a continual basis. I have a fabulous orientation toward solving problems. There is no problem that cannot be solved. I totally and thoroughly enjoy figuring it out with our people.
Q: What's your favorite park, and why?
A: I cannot say that I have a favorite park. Just like my children [Shea and Molly]. I love all my children. But I will tell you two things. First off, my very favorite attraction is Peter Pan. I will always acknowledge that being my favorite. I absolutely love that ride, and I feel the magic every time I'm on that ride. But I also will always have a soft spot in my heart for the Animal Kingdom park, because I was part of the opening team. And I have a strong alignment toward that park's mission. But, you know, my family and I absolutely love the thrills of Disney-MGM Studios and making sure everyone in my family sees that ride Soarin' over at Epcot. And the Food and Wine Festival, I won't miss it any year. I have little parts and pieces of me that love any park.
I've also got responsibility for all the resort hotels, Downtown Disney and sports and recreation...And I started my early days at Downtown Disney, and Marketplace, and that's a wonderful operation. And I've run resorts.
Q: Are we likely to see more outsourcing of some services such as hotel custodial operations?
A: I think what we're always going to be doing in operations at Walt Disney World is continuously looking at how to run this as effectively and as best as we can. Our goal is to be the best service provider in the industry, and we'll be continuously improving in order to do so.
Q: With no plans for any additional parks here in the known future, the pressure must be on for maximizing operations to provide for long-term growth. How will that be done?
A: What operations has to concentrate on each and every day is creating the very best guest experience each and every day. We know that our guests will have the positive experience here, and when they do they recommend Walt Disney World to their friends and families. That's our mission and that's our job, to create that good guest experience, so that positive word-of-mouth brings us future visitors.
