CHARLOTTE, North Carolina – Richard Zimmerman, the former Cedar Fair executive who oversaw the company’s merger with rival Six Flags last year, will step down as president and CEO of Six Flags at the end of 2025.
Zimmerman, 64, will probably best be remembered for directing the controversial merger between the two companies, which created the largest regional amusement park company in the world.
Six Flags is the parent company of Ohio’s Cedar Point and Kings Island, as well as dozens of other parks in North America.
The merger also led to the relocation of company headquarters from Sandusky to Charlotte, North Carolina.
Zimmerman also shepherded the company through the difficult COVID pandemic, when amusement parks were shut down for months in 2020.
A former general manager of Kings Dominion in Virginia, Zimmerman was appointed CEO of Cedar Fair in 2018. He succeeded Matthew Ouimet, who led the company from 2012 to 2017.
The board has already begun a search for Zimmerman’s successor.
Zimmerman, in a statement, said the industry has evolved tremendously during his decades of work.
“The company has significantly evolved since I first joined what was then Paramount Parks, Inc. in 1987, and it has been an honor to have led such talented teams through critical and transformative periods over the years – not only for our company, but for the entire amusement park industry,” said Zimmerman.
Zimmerman’s announcement Wednesday coincided with the company’s second-quarter earnings report. The company reported disappointing financial results, with attendance down 9% compared to the same period in 2024.
Jeff Putz, co-founder of the Cedar Point fan site Pointbuzz.com, isn’t a fan of Zimmerman’s leadership or the merger, which resulted in widespread layoffs at the parks earlier this year.
Related: Six Flags 2025 layoffs: Will Cedar Point’s service standards suffer?
“There was no upside for Cedar Fair investors, and the ‘cost synergies’ never made sense,” said Putz. “Even if you characterize the merger as purely transactional, the only people who might win were Six Flags investors.”
He added, “The deep layoffs resulted in a self-inflicted brain drain. They let go of people with decades of experience and went to a regional structure of micromanagement. Those folks knew their role and markets best. People are now doing the same role at three or four parks. That doesn’t scale.”
He said he hoped that Zimmerman’s successor is able to “reverse some of the carnage.”
Selim Bassoul, the former CEO of Six Flags who now serves as executive chairman of the board, praised Zimmerman’s leadership.
“On behalf of the board, I want to thank Richard for his leadership and contributions since the successful merger of the legacy Cedar Fair and Six Flags companies last July, and for his unwavering passion and dedication to our industry over the last 38 years,” said Bassoul. “As CEO, Richard has successfully led Six Flags through a period of significant evolution, with a clear vision to optimize the company to deliver greater value to our guests, associates, and our shareholders.”
Zimmerman said he will serve as CEO until the board has appointed his replacement. In addition, he will retain his position as a director on the company’s board.
Read more: Farewell, Cedar Fair: Cedar Point, Kings Island parent company is now Six Flags
Cedar Fair shareholders want to derail the merger with Six Flags — but can they?
Cedar Fair, Six Flags agree to merge; new company will be headquartered in North Carolina
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