MEET THE EXPERTS

John Hildebrandt

Vice-President and General Manager
Cedar Point
Website: http://www.cedarpoint.com/index.cfm
Phone: (419) 627-2350

VIDEOS

America's Roller Coast - more...
Eat, Laugh and Be Terrified at Cedar Point - more...

ARTICLES

Coasters Catch the Thrill - more...
Eat, Laugh and Be Terrified at Cedar Point - more...

Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Cedar Point’s vice president and general manager John Hildebrandt has spent much of his life working at and enjoying the park at Cedar Point. The oldest of five children, Hildebrandt and his wife, Marie, even met at the park in 1974 when he was working in the public relations department there and she was a reporter for the local newspaper.

But Hildebrandt’s experience at the park started in the summer of 1969 when he worked as a ride operator on the Frontier Lift. This was his first introduction to working at an amusement park, and had no idea at the time that it would eventually become his career.

Originally planning a career in teaching, Hildebrandt attended the University of Notre Dame, majoring in English with a minor in philosophy and theology before earning a master’s degree in fine arts from the University of North Carolina. But after graduate school and service in the U.S. Army, Hildebrandt had no luck finding a teaching job and turned back to Cedar Point, taking a position as a staff writer in the public relations department.

This job turned into a role as the manager of public relations, then director of marketing and eventually vice president of marketing. Then, in 2004, Hildebrandt took a promotion as vice president and general manager of Dorney Park in Allentown, Pennsylvania, only to be transferred back to Cedar Point in his present role of general manager a year later.

Hildebrandt says that on most days, his job is one of the best in the world. He enjoys walking the park, talking to guests and employees and making sure Cedar Point is delivering the best product possible to the guests. And sometimes he finds himself standing in the park shaking his head: he can’t believe he gets paid to promote fun.