A Walt Disney Co. veteran who was on hand for the opening of Disney’s California Adventure is returning to run the company’s Anaheim operations.
George Kalogridis, who has been with the company for 38 years, was named Disneyland Resort president on Monday.
He’ll oversee the company’s two Anaheim theme parks, three hotels and Downtown Disney District shopping center.
Kalogridis most recently served as chief operating officer for Disneyland Resort Paris.
He replaces Ed Grier, who lead Disneyland Resort for the past three years and stepped down last week.
From 2000 to 2002, Kalogridis served as senior vice president of resort operations for Disneyland Resort where he was involved with the opening of California Adventure, Disney’s second Anaheim theme park alongside Disneyland Park.
He also oversaw day-to-day operations of Downtown Disney and the company’s Anaheim hotels.
Kalogridis started with Disney in 1971 as a busboy at the opening of the Contemporary Resort at Walt Disney World.
He returns to Anaheim at a critical time.
The company’s Anaheim theme parks and hotels have seen a slowdown amid the recession.
The Anaheim operations generate more than $1 billion in annual revenue during good years. For the 12 months through June, city officials expected the Disney operations to generate $937 million in revenue.
Disney is looking to makeover plans for California Adventure to drive future visitors to Anaheim.
Last year, Disney announced plans for a $1.1 billion upgrade to the theme park, which has struggled to meet expectations in the shadow of ever popular Disneyland.
Since opening eight years ago, California Adventure has drawn about 5 million visitors a year, versus the 7 million Disney originally hoped for.
Disney is in the process of replacing the park’s California vacation theme with a piece of Walt Disney’s early days in Hollywood and rides based on films from the company’s Pixar Animation Studios Inc. and older Disney characters.
