Cedar Point

Go past Blue Streak, Wildcat, Millennium Force, Mean Streak, and Gemini. Then go under the Magnum hill. Veer to the right, and you will pass parking on the left for Hotel Breakers.

What would you think if someone gave you the directions above to her office? Would you wonder if you were headed for the Twilight Zone? How about another planet? Or maybe the movie set for some zany new cinema adventure?

Well, fasten your seat belts because this is the real world. You have just passed some of the world’s greatest roller coasters. You are at Cedar Point, an amusement park/resort spanning a 364-acre peninsula jutting into Lake Erie.

Located in Sandusky, Ohio, Cedar Point, which opened in 1870, is the second oldest park in the US, according to the National Amusement Park Historical Association (NAPHA). Besides its white-sand beaches, Cedar Point boasts around 68 rides, hotel accommodations, excellent restaurants, and entertainment shows, such as “Snoopy Rocks! On Ice.”

Much of the buzz at the park now centers on its coming attraction “Top Thrill Dragster.” According to their web site, Cedar Point will stun thrill-seekers in 2003 with the debut of the park’s unprecedented 16th, yes, 16th roller coaster “Top Thrill Dragster.” Reaching a stratospheric 420 feet tall and topping out at an unheard of speed of 120 mph, this new steel screamer will help Cedar Point reclaim the title of owning the tallest and fastest roller coaster in the universe.

In the offices of Cedar Point, however, another monumental event is occurring. Perhaps it is not garnering as much press attention, but is extremely important to all the men and women that work at the park. In fact, it even determines their pay check!

Cedar Point made the decision to move from a home-grown payroll accounting system to Optimum Solutions. According to Susie Daniel, Director of Accounting, “We interviewed a number of software vendors. It was tough. We saw lots of bells and whistles, but we needed, first and foremost, a software application that could accommodate our corporate structure with all of its divisions, departments, and over-lapping reporting needs.”

“In one presentation,” Daniel said, “we counted over 40 customizations that one software vendor would have to make to meet our needs. We didn’ want that. Optimum Solutions kept it simple. And that was what we wanted.”

Working with Todd Sasala, Director of Information Technology, Daniel assembled her team and put a plan into action. Both Daniel and Carol Wechter each brought over 25 years of experience with the park’s accounting/payroll function. “I can remember,” related Wechter, “when the park had over 2000 time cards and only a day or two to tally up all the totals by hand.”

Georgia Orwig complemented the team with a variety of payroll experiences. Most recently, Orwig had processed payroll for a hospital before joining the team at Cedar Point. Orwig brought along a vast amount of experience with computerized software systems.

It takes a tremendous amount of teamwork to make an amusement park/resort work. Daniel and Sasala brought this same attitude to implementing Optimum Solutions.

Here are some tips:

  • COMMUNICATE between IT and Payroll. Working with the conversion, Jim Guillozet and Danny Cross brought strong expertise to making the project a success. Pat Miller continues to make things go smoothly by picking up Opticoms.
  • PLAN and FOLLOW THROUGH. But remember to be flexible. Daniel comments, “We have had to shuffle things a couple times. But that’s just the way it goes.”
  • KNOW YOUR CORPORATE STRUCTURE AND PROCESSES. “If you understand these things thoroughly,” said Daniel, “then you will be able to implement them more effectively within the software.”

You may not mind a bumpy ride on a roller coaster. But implementing a payroll solution is a different story. Fortunately, Cedar Point and Optimum Solutions have teamed up to make it “smooth sailing.”