IAAPA reports that industry leader Charles “Hank” Salemi, Park President at Six Flags Great America, died suddenly at his home on Jan. 9.
“Hank was an excellent leader in our industry who brought passion and care to his team at Six Flags Great America and their guests,” said IAAPA President and CEO Hal McEvoy. “The most important people in his life were his wife, Kathleen, and daughter, Claire. He always talked about them with such pride and love.
“I am sad for his Six Flags family and our IAAPA community. We all lost someone who dedicated so much of his time to helping us all succeed. Hank could always be counted on to be there, whenever he was needed. He was always focused on making things better and more efficient, while balancing quality. We would sometimes joke that Hank could be a ‘dream killer’ – when he felt the risks were too high or more work needed to be done before a decision was made. But we also knew it always came from his vast expertise and dedication to helping us all be better.”