CARTERVILLE - Growth through focus. That was was the theme of Will Koch's presentation Wednesday morning at the Community Leaders Breakfast at John A. Logan College hosted by The Southern Illinoisan and Southern Business Journal.

Koch is CEO and president of Holiday World & Splashin' Safari, which was recently voted the International Friendliest and Cleanest theme park in the world.

Koch was the featured speaker at the 16th breakfast, which promotes the motto "One Region, One Vision."

The fourth-generation member of his family to manage the regional theme park, Koch is intensely proud of the fact that Holiday World has grown from 100,000 paying customers 30 years ago to more than one million today.

"What have we done that's different or better? The key is serving our market better than our competitors," Koch said. "That's how you go up against Six Flags (St. Louis), King's Island (Cincinnati) and Opryland (Nashville). Our mission is to be the world leader in family fun. We want to make our park the first choice for family entertainment."

In addition to the friendliness and cleanliness efforts stressed by his family, Koch said there are other key selling points that make the park more popular now than ever.

"You pay one price (for a ticket to the amusement and water parks)," he said. "There's free parking, free inner tubes for the water park, free sunscreen, free unlimited soft drinks, allergen-free food products, phone-find wrist bands for children, food prices that more resemble McDonald's prices than other theme parks, free costume character trading cards and advice offered to customers as to what days to avoid larger crowds at the park."

Operating in Santa Claus, Ind., a town Koch's grandfather, Louis, founded near Evansville, Ind., Holiday World employs 2,200 full- and part-time workers when the park is open.

"Will Koch is a living example of how you don't have to be located in an urban area to have success," said Southern Illinoisan publisher Dennis DeRossett.

Also speaking at the breakfast was former Miss Illinois, Ashley Hatfield, of Anna.

Hatfield said her strong family values aided her in the decisions she made and has helped to make her a success in life.

Those life experiences combined with the formal training she received at the University of Mississippi as a speech pathologist, gave her the drive to seek the Miss Illinois title.

And after winning the title in June 2007, Hatfield said she was honored to represent the region in the Miss America competition.

"I was overwhelmed by the support I received and I can thank all of Southern Illinois for that," she said. "I have learned what a leader should be - someone who will put their community's needs above their own personal needs."

john.homan@thesouthern.com

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