Who We Are
About Creative Operational Concepts
Creative Operational Concepts provides three core areas of service to the attractions and hospitality industry. Each core area service can stand alone and is custom-designed to be incorporated into the client’s existing programs. Multiple service areas can be combined to create an overall operations, service and safety platform.
Creative Operational Concepts specializes in Training (classroom and on-site), Protrocol and Procedures (development and evaluation) and Audits (operational, service and safety).
Our clients include amusement parks, water parks, casinos, cruise lines, shopping venues, restaurants, resorts and health facilities.
When Pigs Fly
The company came to be after Huddy, who for years has been an operational consultant to Six Flags Corp., hooked up with Beazley conducting training at Libertyland in Memphis.
"I said, 'Let's try this at some other properties,' and it just swung into place from there," Huddy said. "Very few of the facilities we've gone after have said no.
"We help individuals understand how it benefits them personally: it feels good, it's the right thing to do, it can impact the world," Huddy said. "We don't know why a customer or guest is being rude. You can be the one who is going to be kind to them. Young people respond to the emotional pull of being kind to people."
Cindee Patrick Huddy
Cindee Huddy is a consultant with 23 years of service experience including areas of operations, training, customer service and employee development. Cindee began her career at Six Flags Over Texas in Arlington, Texas and worked her way up the management ladder at Opryland USA in Nashville, Tennessee, Fiesta Texas in San Antonio Texas and MGM Grand Adventures in Las Vegas, Nevada. Recently married, and following her husband whom she met at the World Water Park Conference in 2005 and works at the world renowned Atlantis Resort, she now resides in Paradise Island, Bahamas. However, Cindee still conducts business state side. Cindee has been a consultant for the past 12 years and has served over 60 clients worldwide.
She graduated from Texas State University with a Bachelor of Science in Recreation Administration. She currently serves as the Training Task Chair for the American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM). She is a member of: Amusement Industry Manufacturers and Suppliers (AIMS), International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA), and the American Society of Training and Development (ASTD). She won both the Antonio Zamperla Award for her commitment to operations safety in the industry and Best Presenter Award from AIMS. She also has been featured in Funworld magazine in February 2007.
Education: B.S. in Recreation Management from Southwest Texas State First job: As Daffy Duck at Six Flags Over Texas, 1984. Also served as Yosemite Sam. “Since I’m only five feet tall, I was too short to play most of the characters.” First full-time industry job: Ride operations supervisor on the grand-opening team of Fiesta Texas, San Antonio Favorite ride: “The Rattler” at Six Flags Fiesta Texas. “I watched it being built, I was among the first to ride it, and it was the first wooden coaster I operated.” Favorite park: Opryland, now defunct. “The music, the landscaping, the people, and all that great Southern hospitality combined to make Opryland a truly unusual park.” What most people would be surprised to know about Cindee: She teaches Sunday school for second-grade children and has a “total love” for animals. She would like to have a billy goat with a long beard someday. |
Huddy, who is always upbeat, said she loves working with today’s young workforce. She draws on her cheerleading background to inspire them into action.
"Cindee really does utilize her high school and college cheerleading experience in getting our students pumped up and motivated," Beazley says of her business partner.
"I think there is a need," Beazley said. "Hospitality, customer service, safety — these things don't come naturally to kids. In the South we were taught to say 'ma'am' and 'sir' and 'thank you' and 'please'. It has a lot to do with parenting. Kids have a lot to offer, but they aren't getting that training at home. If your employees are super friendly you will deliver knock-your-socks-off service to guests where they will want to keep on coming back."
"Our workforce has changed greatly since I was a front-line operator 15 years ago," said Huddy, whose first job in the industry was as Daffy Duck at Six Flags Over Texas in Arlington. A cheerleader in college, she will sometimes lead students in cheers or dances as a way of keeping things interesting. Beazley often draws upon her training as a teacher, as she is licensed in Tennessee and teaches a course as an adjunct professor at a Nashville area college. They use props and give out "goofy" prizes, such as fuzzy dice.
Patty Beazley
Patty Beazley, a native of Nashville, Tennessee, has over 32 years of operational experience including the areas of ride safety, customer service, education facilitation, leadership training and human resource functions. Patty began her career at Opryland USA Theme Park in Nashville, Tennessee as a front line employee. At Opryland's closing in 1997, Patty was the Director of Operations. Patty then took on the responsibility of General Manager at Nashville Shores Water Park. In 2002, Patty and business partner, Cindee Huddy, developed the company of When Pigs Fly. They specialize in educational classes, manual writing and development, operational safety audits and on site ride training.
Patty graduated from the University of Tennessee with a Master of Science in Counseling Psychology. A former full time secondary and post secondary instructor and guidance counselor, Patty continues to teach as an adjunct member of faculty for Nashville State Community College. Even though this post secondary instructor is license to teach in a Tennessee classroom, she is best teaching kids of all ages around the United States. Patty is the education chairperson of Amusement Industry Manufacturer and Suppliers (AIMS). She is also an active member of International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA), American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM), and the World Waterpark Association (WWA.) Patty was awarded the Harold Chance Award for Best Seminar Presentation at the AIMS Safety Seminar in 2004; Antonio Zamperla Safety Award in 2005; and best presentation award in 2005 at the World Waterpark Association seminar.
Education: M.S. in Counseling Psychology from the University of Tennessee First job: Front line employee at Opryland, USA in Nashville, Tennessee First full-time industry job: Favorite ride: Favorite park: What most people would be surprised to know about Patty: |
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In subsequent years, Huddy and Beazley have taught a variety of educational classes in guest service, safety, coaching, training, and leadership.
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Huddy and Beazley had what they call an "amazing opportunity" in 2006 to "teach and impact" more than 1,000 frontline supervisors in a number of facilities, including Silver Dollar City, Six Flags Over Georgia, Six Flags New England, Alabama Adventure, Lagoon, Frontier City, The Track Go Karts, the Northwest Showmen's League, AIMS, and the World Waterpark Association.
