Charlotte loses a corporate HQ: Struggling Six Flags relocating to another state
Financially struggling Six Flags Entertainment Corp. plans to relocate its corporate headquarters from Charlotte back to Arlington, Texas, next year. The surprise move means the amusement park chain that is Carowinds’ parent company will only have had its headquarters in Charlotte for less than three years by the time it relocates.
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The change will centralize corporate leadership at Choctaw Stadium in suburban Dallas, where a portion of the company’s workforce has been based since 2020, Six Flags said Tuesday. The transition is expected to be completed by March.
Company executives cited operational efficiency and proximity to its five Texas properties as key reasons for the consolidation. Arlington also offered better incentives to move to Texas than Charlotte did to stay in North Carolina, company officials said.
“After an extensive review, we determined that concentrating our personnel, processes, and decision-making in our Arlington office is the best path forward for the company,” Six Flags President and CEO John Reilly said in a statement.
Six Flags has 114 workers at the Charlotte office, company spokeswoman Kristin Fitzgerald told The Charlotte Observer on Tuesday. That’s about 40 fewer jobs than the company said it had in February — a 26 % decrease.
The majority of the remaining Charlotte jobs, about 100 positions, will move to Arlington, Fitzgerald said. Not all Charlotte and shared service team members will be offered jobs in Arlington, she said. “We are still working through the final organizational design.”
Six Flags is grateful to its Charlotte employees “whose dedication, passion and expertise have helped shape our company,” CEO Reilly said in the news release. “Their contributions have been invaluable, and we are committed to supporting them throughout this transition with respect, transparency and care.”
Unlike Charlotte, Arlington provided a competitive incentive package that supported Six Flag’s long-term investment strategy, Fitzgerald said. This includes resuming a 2020 performance agreement, providing annual grant payments of $200,000 through 2035 and three years of marketing funding from the Arlington Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Six Flags evaluated potential incentives with Charlotte officials, Fitzgerald said, but the city declined to provide the support necessary for the company to remain there. She did not provide details about what support Charlotte had offered.
Other reasons for the move focused on employee recruitment and retention benefits, such as Texas’ in-state college tuition program and Arlington’s designation as a tourism destination “with Six Flags Over Texas at its core.”
Following the $8-billion merger between Six Flags and Cedar Fair in July 2024, the combined company established its new headquarters at 8701 Red Oak Blvd. in Charlotte, about five miles northeast of Carowinds.
At the time of the merger, Cedar Fair was headquartered in Sandusky, Ohio, with about 4,400 full-time and 48,800 seasonal workers, while Arlington, Texas-based Six Flags had a workforce of 1,450 full-time and 41,000 seasonal employees.
Following the consolidation, layoffs at several properties, including Carowinds, occurred ahead of its seasonal opening last year.
Despite the corporate headquarters move, Six Flags emphasized its commitment to the Charlotte region.
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The amusement park operator remains a major employer and economic contributor in the area through its investments in Carowinds and the Carolina Harbor water park, the company said. Those investments include Carowinds’ upcoming attraction, Rip Roarin’ Falls, opening next year.
Six Flags, North America’s largest regional amusement park operator, oversees 34 parks and nine resorts across the continent. The company will also maintain an office in Sandusky, Ohio.
In the second quarter of this year, Six Flags reported a net loss of nearly $203 million, more than double the loss during the same period in 2025.
The downturn was driven by several factors, including a year-over-year revenue decline of 7%, nearly $65.5 million across Six Flags parks, resulting in total quarterly revenue of $865 million.
The company also reported an attendance drop of 13.1 million visitors across its parks, a decrease of 7% compared to the same time last year.
In March, Six Flags sold seven of its amusement parks for $331 million. The sale to real estate investment firm EPR Properties was part of Six Flags’ strategy to simplify what the company owns, strengthen its operations on parks with growth potential and pay down debt.
Six Flags also has undergone significant leadership restructuring as part of its efforts to improve financial performance.
Six Flags CEO Reilly replaced Richard Zimmerman in December. Zimmerman was Cedar Fair’s CEO at the time. Reilly previously served as CEO of Palace Entertainment and COO of Parques Reunidos.
In April, Bridgette Bywater was named Carowinds amusement park president, one of 10 across the company. Each president is responsible for overseeing park performance, operations and overall guest experience. The decentralization was aimed at a more agile organization capable of responding to market demands and visitor feedback more effectively, Six Flags said at the time.
In the second quarter, the company named Mark Paul as chief operating officer, Amy Martin Zigenfoss as chief marketing officer, and Ash Walia as chief financial officer.
No changes at Carowinds or for other park employees are expected with the corporate office relocation, Fitzgerald said.
The 400-acre amusement park that straddles the North Carolina and South Carolina border in Charlotte and Fort Mill, S.C., has about 2,700 total employees at peak season.
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This story was originally published August 25, 2026 at 9:50 AM.
