Earlier this week, the Orlando Sentinel reported that the folks at Walt Disney World have made some changes in the leadership of their transportation division. Jim Vendur, a VP previously in charge of transportation maintenance, was appointed to oversee both the operations and maintenance of the resort’s boats, buses and monorails. Additionally, Vendur was put in charge of utilities and telecommunications across the resort. What I find most interesting about this change in leadership is its connection to other moves made earlier this summer at Walt Disney World.
You’ll recall back in July that the Vice President of Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Val Bunting, stepped down from her post to become General Manager of the Port Orleans Resort. Then, less than a week later, the Animal Kingdom vacancy was filled by Kevin Lansberry, then Vice President of Downtown Disney, transportation, sports and golf operations. As part of that move, Lansberry continued to oversee transportation, but his other posts were left vacant.
Two months and a fatal monorail accident later, Disney has taken the transportation responsibilities away from Lansberry and assigned them to Vendur. Though the move adds some additional layers of management which can be problematic, this is a positive move for Walt Disney World. If company executives want Animal Kingdom to grow and flourish, Kevin Lansberry needs to focus all of his attention on the park instead of spending some of his time on transportation, especially since transportation truly deserves a dedicated VP.
As with all changes in management, I hope these moves allow the employees to excel in their areas of interest while continuing to provide a top-notch product for guests
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