AttractionPros
Episode 447: Anthony Sabo Talks About Maintenance and Operations, Figuring Out the Nuts and Bolts, and Dad-Based Leadership
Why It Matters
Understanding the interplay between maintenance and operations is critical for delivering safe, seamless guest experiences—a top priority for any attraction. Sabo’s insights on mentorship and collaborative leadership provide a roadmap for emerging professionals to develop versatile skill sets and foster a culture of trust, which is especially relevant as the industry navigates post‑pandemic recovery and evolving guest expectations.
Key Takeaways
- •Cross‑training bridges maintenance and operations gaps.
- •Mentorship programs accelerate industry knowledge transfer.
- •“Dad‑based” leadership blends compassion with accountability.
- •Decentralized structure demands strong communication and relationships.
- •Safety and guest experience unite all departments.
Pulse Analysis
Anthony Sabo’s career illustrates the power of cross‑functional experience in the attractions industry. Starting at Kennywood’s games department, he moved into rides maintenance with no mechanical background, then earned a business degree and progressed to operations roles at Universal’s Islands of Adventure. Returning to the Columbus Zoo as VP, he now oversees both the zoo and the adjacent Zumbizy Bay water park, leveraging his hands‑on maintenance insight to inform strategic operations decisions. This blend of expertise helps align safety protocols with guest throughput, a critical balance for any theme park operation.
A central theme of the conversation is mentorship and what Sabo calls “dad‑based” leadership. By fostering a culture of compassion, active listening, and constructive coaching, he encourages team members to grow beyond their current roles. The zoo’s formal mentorship program, launched in 2025, pairs seasoned staff with newcomers, accelerating knowledge transfer and reinforcing the importance of communication across maintenance, retail, food‑beverage, and marketing departments. Sabo emphasizes that safety and guest experience are shared goals, and that transparent, hands‑on explanations—such as showing operations staff a maintenance issue in person—build trust and reduce friction.
For business leaders, Sabo’s insights underscore the ROI of cross‑departmental fluency and decentralized management. When leaders understand the language of both maintenance and operations, they can mediate conflicts, prioritize guest satisfaction, and drive efficient project execution, such as new ride installations or water‑slide refurbishments. Investing in mentorship and a leadership style that balances authority with empathy cultivates resilient teams capable of navigating the fast‑paced demands of the attractions sector, ultimately delivering safer, more memorable experiences that boost brand loyalty and revenue.
Episode Description
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What’s your guest experience strategy? You probably have a marketing strategy, recruitment strategy, and sales strategy, but what about intentionally turning first-time visitors into loyal advocates? Liebman Leisure Group helps attractions do exactly that. From creating a culture of “wow” moments to empowering staff to recover from service failures, great experiences don’t happen by chance.
To schedule a consultation call, visit www.liebmanleisure.com/attractionpros. Don’t leave your guest experience to chance. You should be known for creating memorable experiences… on purpose.
Anthony Sabo is the Vice President of Zoombezi Bay and Guest Services at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium. He started in the attractions industry as a teenager at Kennywood Park in Pittsburgh, moved into seasonal rides maintenance, and then built his career by gaining experience in both maintenance and operations, including time at the Columbus Zoo and at Universal Orlando. Today, he helps lead a uniquely large, mission-driven organization that includes the zoo, a major water park, and expansive conservation efforts. In this interview, Anthony talks about maintenance and operations, figuring out the nuts and bolts, and dad-based leadership.
“You don’t understand operations until you work in operations… You don’t understand maintenance until you work in maintenance.”
Anthony explains that both teams ultimately want the same outcome: safe guests who have a great day. The friction shows up when each department views the same situation through a different lens, especially in the rare moments when something feels unfamiliar even if it is technically fine. His solution centers on clarity and trust: explain the why, bring the other team into the visuals, and use the moment as a teaching opportunity so the relationship gets stronger long after the issue is resolved.
He also notes that collaboration matters even more in a decentralized structure, where influence relies less on titles and more on relationships. When leaders invest in communication and cross-department understanding, hard conversations become productive instead of personal, and the operation gets better for everyone.
“What I really learned was I loved understanding the nuts and bolts of how the park operated.”
Anthony traces his growth back to saying yes to unfamiliar opportunities, including jumping into rides maintenance with “zero mechanical aptitude” and learning by doing. That curiosity carried him from Kennywood to the Columbus Zoo, where he discovered it was “much, much more than just a zoo,” including 16 amusement rides and the 23-acre Zoombezi Bay water park. He shares how the organization has learned to align those experiences with the zoo’s conservation mission, from naming and interpreting attractions like Conservation Tower to tying ride storytelling back to animal care and conservation messaging.
He emphasizes balancing guest feedback with operational realities. Guests may ask for deals or more to do, while leaders must also manage real costs and capacity pressures. His examples show how the best solutions solve multiple needs at once, improving the guest experience while strengthening the operation behind the scenes.
“That ‘dad’ is the type of manager that best resonates for me.”
Anthony describes how his leadership evolved as he moved from maintenance management into an operations environment where coaching and conversation were more effective than blunt correction. The lightbulb moment was finding a style that fit him and served his teams, making even difficult conversations easier because they come from support, not ego.
He connects that approach to leadership development, too. His goal is to give rising leaders the tools to succeed anywhere by teaching the parts of the business they may not naturally see, including attraction development and financial fundamentals. In his view, long-term success comes from listening, relationship-building, and sharing knowledge so the next generation can step in prepared.
Anthony can be reached on LinkedIn, and to learn more about the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, visit www.columbuszoo.org. To learn more about Zoombezi Bay, visit www.zoombezibay.com.
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