When C. R. “Casey” Yadon picked up his phone one day in 1988, he was surprised to find a representative from Walt Disney Imagineering on the other end. A former work colleague had recommended Yadon as just the person to fill an open position, the representative said. Would he be interested in submitting his résumé?
Yadon, whose mantra is “take advantage of the opportunities that come your way,” was interested. Within a matter of weeks, he’d been called in for interviews and received an offer to work as a scheduler for Walt Disney’s theme parks and attractions. “Of course I said yes,” he remembers. “Who’s going to pass up that opportunity?”
After that life-changing phone call, Yadon spent much of the next four decades working in the themed-entertainment industry, a career that culminated in him becoming Universal Creative’s first master scheduler. His résumé is filled with names of uber-popular attractions he’s worked on, including Universal’s Wizarding World of Harry Potter in both Florida and California (hands down his favorite, says Yadon, “because it’s not just a ride, it’s an environment”), Disneyland Paris, Universal Studios Japan, and Star Tours and Studio Backlot Tour at Disney World.
Yadon describes himself as “an information monger: I get information, I process information, and I disseminate information.” That sounds simple, but in reality scheduling is a complex job “that sometimes drives you crazy,” he says. “To be really good at it,” Yadon continues, “you have to understand all the processes”—how the creative people come up with an idea; what goes into constructing the facility; how engineers design ride tracks and controls; how sound, lighting, and sets work; and more. “There are so many different disciplines that you have to integrate and make work, and when you do it right, you provide a real service to the project and to management.”
After graduating from BYU Marriott in 1981 with a BS in operations and systems analysis, Yadon worked as a scheduler in the aerospace industry for eight years. It was his “penchant to dig into everything” that got him noticed by the colleague who referred him to Walt Disney. “I’ve always wanted to know how everything works,” he says. “My motivation was that I wanted to do the best job I could, and I wanted to be of service.” Yadon also earned a master’s degree in project management from DeVry University’s Keller Graduate School of Management in 2009.
One perk of Yadon’s career has been the opportunity for him and his family to experience a variety of cultures. They’ve lived in California, Florida, France, and Japan, and Yadon has also worked on short-term projects in Singapore and the United Arab Emirates. “It’s been wonderful for my children,” he says. “They have a much wider view of the world because they’ve seen it. That’s made a huge difference in their ability to be tolerant and accepting of other people’s beliefs and cultures.”
Another perk is that Yadon was able to spend 20 years working alongside his wife, Cathy Pechstedt, who was a set designer for Universal Creative. Retired since 2018, the couple now lives in San Juan Capistrano, California, where they volunteer each week as gardeners at the city’s Ecology Center and Yadon enjoys restoring and driving his ’68 Volkswagen Bug, Lulu.
As he looks back on his career, Yadon prizes the chance he had to collaborate with talented people and create exceptional products. “The only way to be successful was for everyone to work together. I’m so proud to have been part of great teams that have brought so much fun and enjoyment to literally millions of people,” he says.
