Herschend at 75: Growing Forward with Heart

On the eve of the 75th anniversary of the family-owned company bearing his family name, Chris Herschend has a lot to be pleased with.

“The thing I'm most proud of in the company is how you can pretty much talk to anybody in the business—at any level—and ask them, ‘What's our mission?’ And they know it’s ‘Creating memories worth repeating,’” Chris says.

April 1 marks 75 years to the day that Chris’ grandparents began offering memorable tours into Marvel Cave in the Ozark Mountains of Missouri. The company calls the anniversary “Founders Day.” Since that spring morning in 1950 when Hugo and Mary Herschend—along with their sons Jack and Pete—first opened for business, Herschend (the current name of the company) has grown into an admired attractions operator with a big mission.

“We made a word up,” Chris says about the company’s mission while delivering a keynote address at IAAPA North America Summit 2025 at Disney’s Grand Californian Resort in Anaheim, California. “Our culture is just called ‘Heartspitality.’” Heartspitality is like a math equation where Love + Purpose = Impact (with tangible results) & Joy in moments that matter.

The formula works. Chris shares the company has a 93% employee retention rate, while 75% of guests surveyed gave Herschend hosts (the name the company gives its employees) a top box score of 75%.  And there is more joy ahead. 

On March 18, Herschend announced their intent to acquire Palace Entertainment’s U.S. attractions from Parques Reunidos, an attractions operator based in Spain. The two operators signed a definitive agreement where Herschend will add notable attractions to their portfolio, such as Kennywood in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Dutch Wonderland in Lancaster, Pennsylvania; Adventureland in Iowa; Lake Compounce in Bristol, Connecticut; and a host of water parks stretching from New York to Hawaii, along with hotels and campgrounds. In a press release, Herschend writes that the move is a “significant milestone” that will support the Atlanta-based operator’s strategic expansion.

“We are thrilled. It would give us a growth burst,” Chris says. “We've never grown this fast in one year. So, there's obvious risk with that.”

He says Herschend is attracted to Palace’s assets because they are well-managed attractions. 

“These are family-held treasures; they're little jewel boxes in their markets and I'm so excited to bring them back under family control in the best way,” he says. Chris is also excited about positively impacting the lives of 8,000 Palace employees in more than a dozen markets. 

“Think about when you’ve had a day of work and feel respected or honored … you go home a little lighter. Your footprint at home is a little different than the day that you feel like you got beat down and discouraged,” he says. “Think about that difference at your church, on your little league team, on your neighborhood, your school board—just the ripple effect of 8,000 heartbeats. As we're successful, it produces fruit—not just better KPIs—but it also produces the ability to be generous with what we've been given.”

And Herschend is generous. Chris shared how the company annually gives back more than 1% of its revenue. “We eased our way into our 1% goal. We didn't do it in year one. But what's funny is, on the way to giving more, our growth rate picked up dramatically,” he shares. Over the past 10 years, the company charted the relationship between giving and revenue. They found while giving grew, so did revenue over the same 10 year period.  

“We think of ourselves like a giving engine in a lot of ways. That's kind of why we think we're in business still today, 75 years later,” he says. The success as a third-generation operator is not lost on Chris. He feels it’s more of an individual imperative to show gratitude. 

“We look at this and go, ‘Holy smokes. How can you not be grateful for this?’ How can we not look at this like a gift?” he questions.

Should the acquisition receive clearance by federal regulators, the company has pledged that they are committed to a smooth transition for hosts at all attractions. Palace Entertainment operates 24  attractions, while notable Herschend properties include Dollywood Parks & Resorts in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee; Silver Dollar City Parks & Resorts in Branson, Missouri; Kentucky Kingdom Theme & Water Park in Louisville, Kentucky; the Harlem Globetrotters, and several aquariums in the U.S. and Canada.

Priorities for the expanded company would include supporting new employees with training, resources, and opportunities aligned with Herschend’s people-first culture. And yes, that includes empowering those on the frontlines to be part of the decision-making process when sharing donations.

“We had been giving for years, but only a small handful of our executives at a couple of our more lucrative businesses were making giving decisions,” Chris explains. Then the company decided to distribute the giving rights more broadly, creating a program where everybody in the company gets to vote.

“There's a smaller group of givers at each property that gets a direct giving that's tied to their community,” he shares. Most recently, 247 people made decisions that produced 204 separate gifts. “Every community across our footprint got to bless whoever they wanted.”
 

The company also expects to maintain the continuity found in current guest experiences while exploring quality enhancements like the new Discovery Meadow themed area, an $11 million upgrade at Kentucky Kingdom. Described as “a perpetual garden party,” the lushly landscaped area blends three new rides with ten reimagined favorites.

“It needs investment, it needs patience, it needs time. So, we're going to put all those ingredients in slowly, over several years and be patient with the fruit,” Chris says about Kentucky Kingdom, which Herschend became the majority partner and operator of in 2021. The redevelopment plan can be seen an example of Herschend’s vision for the future. If the acquisition receives regulatory clearance, Herschend estimates their expanded portfolio will collectively entertain more than 20 million annually.