Boxoffice-January.1995

fairly with people, from vendors to patrons
to financial partners. I think we have a good
reputation as a company of integrity. When
you have good solid principles, you survive,
even through tough economic times, or
changes of managerial style. I'm trying to
advance things along that
same line, but even deeper
into the fabric of our company."
Dickinson
knew his
grandfather, but says
he wasn't old
enough to leam about the
exhibition business from
tlie company's founder "I
was just a little kid. Most of
what I know about my
grandfather comes from
folks who knew him a lot
better than me." Instead,
Wood Dickinson says he
learned by watching his father
run the Dickinson Theatre
chain. "He taught me
that people are important and things aren't.
We need to leam to lead people and manage
things. We kind of got away from fliat for
several years, where we were much more
focused on efficiency without regard for the
human element."
In fact, Dickinson is aware enough of his
father's management style to know he
wants to emulate it as the Dickinson circuit
closes in on the century mark. "I've kind of
taken us back to the way my father used to
think of things. I'm a big believer in people.
That's probably the best thing my dad ever
taught me, that and to be charitable." [Dickinson
Theatres supports Kansas City's
Ozanam Home for Boys, and established
the Glen Dickinson Jr. Family Center, a
homelike setting for family members visiting
youngsters at the home.]
As the child of a movie-loving household,
Wood Dickinson says
as a youth he saw "tons
and tons" of films, in
part because his father
was the buyer for
Dickinson Theatres.
Initially, he thought
his love of films would
lead him along a different
career path. "I always
said that being
president of this company
was not one of
my goals, " states Dickinson.
"I wanted to get
involved in die production
side of movies, TV commercials or
industrial videos. I did that for a while, but
we decided it's a very volatile area. We
[Dickinson Theatres] had a little company
called Wood Dickinson Productions that
produced TV commercials and industrial
videos. It's a real tough business to be in, and
after a couple ofyears, I decided to shut that
down and focus on theatres.
"I went through a little transition and
worked with computers here in the office.
At that time, a lot of us had no prior experience
with desktop computers, so no one
knew what they were doing. That was a real
fascinating career move, because it kind of
''We've always been a
company that believes in
dealing fairly with people. I
think we have a good
reputation as a company of
integrity. When you have
good solid principles, you
survive, even through tough
economic times, or changes
of managerial style. "
put you out in the frontier,
DICKINSON THEATRES
75th
ANNIVERSARY
portant for us to focus on ever\' opportunir\'
as a moment of truth. Something to make
them think 'Wow! This place is a cut above.'
"Hopefully moviegoers will experience a
courteous attitude. A cashier, for instance.
The second and third generation of this family-owned business are,
left to right: Scott Dickinson. I'.p., Georgia Dickinson, chairman
emeritus: and Wood Dickinson, president, chairman of the board.
charting new
territory."
During that transition. Wood Dickinson
uTote a Macintosh-based ticketing system.
"We had that in several theatres for quite a
few years, but it's since been replaced. I
didn't have time to keep working on it and
updating it," explains Dickinson. [T/ie Dickinson
chain IS currently a beta test site for the
B.E.A.T (Boxoffice Express Automated Ticketing)
ticketing system, distiibuted by Schult Industries
—Ed.] "I stuck with [computers] for
about 10 years until Itent decided to resign.
And then I got really involved with management.
So when I tentatively stepped into the
job, I said, 'Yeah, this could really be fian,'
because basically being president of a company
is learning to lead people and trying
to bring out the best
that people can be, and
diat's sometliing I really
enjoy."
n trying to encourage
people to become
more
I:
self-managing and to
supply quality management,
continuous
improvements and
team concepts to his
employees, Dickinson
drafted a mission statement
called Wow! Service.
"We decided we would be dedicated to
providing 'Wow!' service, die kind of service
that would make patrons tinink, 'These people
really do care about me, they are really
trying to make a difference.' We know that
in a lot of cases the patrons come in, they
hit the boxoffice and then they are in die
who maybe able to provide information on
a show, what it is rated, why it is rated that
way. It's hard to do that with evers' transaction,
especially when there's a line, but
that's what we aspire to."
The theatre chain currently has approximately
900 to 1,000 employees (increased
to 2,000 during the summer months), and
Dickinson's executive roster includes Wood
Dickinson's mother, Georgia Dickinson as
chairman emeritus; brotlier Scott Dickinson
as \'ice president; and wife Patti Dickinson,
vice president of communit\' relations.
There could be other Dickinsons waiting in
the wings— Patti and Wood Dickinson are
the parents of seven children, all under the
theatre sitting down. We don't have time to
interact with them, so it becomes real im-
age of 13.
Dickinson admits thai he's uncertain
las to whether patrons at the concession
stand or lire ticket coimter can
tell that the theatre is a famUy-nm business.
But one of the reasons die chain recruited
all-around cartoon good guy Popeye ("I am
what I am") to be the company representative
was to personalize \'isits to the theatre.
"This isn't corporate America out here, running
diis company," he says of his desire to
keep expansion from eroding Dickinson's
commitment to die personal touch.
In laying the foundation for continued
success, Dickinson believes his company's
longevitj' continues to be linked to acting
upon what patrons say tiiey like in a theatre.
"Comfort is one of the top two or three
things that patrons say is important to them,
so we want to gi\-e tliem a comfortable seat.
The\' come in and walk tlirough \-oin- million