Charlotte lands new headquarters as $8B merger of Cedar Fair and Six Flags wraps up

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story was updated June 26, 2024, to reflect new regulatory conditions.

Carowinds amusement park’s parent company Cedar Fair and Six Flags’ $8 billion merger is expected to close on July 1, bringing the giant new company’s headquarters along for the ride to Charlotte.

Cedar Fair and Six Flags Entertainment Corp. updated the New York Stock Exchange this week about the progress of the merger, according to a news release on Cedar Fair’s website Tuesday.

Carowinds — the 400-acre amusement park that straddles the North Carolina and South Carolina border in Charlotte and Fort Mill, S.C. — is one of 11 Cedar Fair amusement parks and four water parks in the U.S. and Canada.

The merger, announced in November, has met the regulatory conditions of the Department of Justice, Cedar Fair said Wednesday, June 26.

The combined company will move its headquarters to Charlotte. The Carowinds headquarters is at 8701 Red Oak Blvd., about five miles northeast of the park.

Cedar Fair officials declined to comment Thursday about when and how many employees will move to Charlotte.

The finance and administrative operations will remain in Sandusky, Ohio, where Cedar Fair has operated since 1870 as the company’s first park Cedar Point.

Cedar Fair has about 4,400 full-time employees and 48,800 seasonal, The Charlotte Observer previously reported. Six Flags, based in Arlington, Texas, has about 1,450 full-time employees and 41,000 seasonal employees.

The combined company will operate under the name Six Flags and trade under the ticker symbol FUN on the NYSE on July 2.

Six Flags Entertainment Corp. leaders

As previously announced, Cedar Fair CEO Richard Zimmerman will serve as president and chief executive officer of the combined company.

Six Flags CEO Selim Bassoul will serve as executive chairman of the combined company’s board of directors, made up of 12 directors, six from the Cedar Fair’s board and six from Six Flags board.

Cedar Fair also announced the senior management team on Tuesday that will report to Zimmerman:

▪ Tim Fisher, chief operating officer (currently in same position at Cedar Fair)

▪ Brian Witherow, chief financial officer (currently in same position at Cedar Fair)

▪ Brian Nurse, chief legal and compliance officer, and corporate secretary (currently in same position at Cedar Fair)

▪ Christian Dieckmann, chief strategy officer (currently in same position at Cedar Fair)

▪ Gary Mick, chief integration officer (currently executive vice president and chief financial officer at Six Flags)

The merged company will operate 27 amusement parks, 15 water parks and nine resort properties in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, the Observer previously reported.

This story was originally published June 20, 2024 at 4:59 PM with the headline "Charlotte lands new headquarters as $8B merger of Cedar Fair and Six Flags wraps up."