Herschend Corporate Career

Herschend Family Entertainment (HFE) makes more than a few silver dollars. The company owns and operates (or co-owns), more than 25 amusement parks in about 10 states. Properties include Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri and Tennessee's Dollywood, in partnership with country legend Dolly Parton. HFE also owns aquariums near Philadelphia and Cincinnati, and the Ride the Ducks amphibious tours in a handful of cities, including Atlanta and Philadelphia. The firm touts that it offers family entertainment "with Christian values and ethics". The family-owned company was founded in 1950 by Hugo and Mary Herschend to manage the Marvel Cave in the Ozarks, a tourist attraction that opened in 1894.