With Safford at the helm, it's not just “business as usual”— and the numbers bear this out.  Safford questions the status quo and is looking to his team to be innovative, inquisitive and to think big.

"Our summer numbers are incredible," Safford said. "Not only were visitors coming and enjoying The PIER, but so are the locals.”  PIER 39 just posted September year-to-date numbers at nearly $170 million, a 13.4 % increase over 2011 which makes this summer season the best ever.  “We are selling entertainment and a quintessential San Francisco experience,” Safford said. “There is never a shortage of ideas from my team to continually enhance the great visitor experience at PIER 39.”  Sales have soared to the highest in The PIER's 34-year history, and are expected to surpass $200 million this year.

Yet the innovation doesn't stop there. The PIER is nearly 97 percent leased and is constantly re-fashioning itself through an intriguing mix of merchants. “I am always searching out new, exciting and unique retail, attraction and eating establishments,” said Sina von Reitzenstein, Vice President of Leasing at PIER 39. “I just returned from Shanghai, China, where I attended the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) Retail Real Estate World Summit. My job is to never cease upgrading the property with new experiences that enrich our customer's visit.”   

One of the newest upgrades is the 7D Experience, an attraction that von Reitzenstein researched in Berlin, Germany, and brought to The PIER late this summer. 7D Experience, the most advanced film attraction in the world and the first of its kind in North America, allows visitors the thrill of a roller coaster and the excitement of interacting with the film itself, all without leaving their seats. This attraction is already proving to be a hit with visitors and locals.  Of course, the famous California sea lions, Players Arcade, San