Growing the Most Complex Business Ever with Richard Glover, CEO of Central Florida Zoo
Join host Lee Murray in this week's episode of our CEO series for an insightful conversation with Richard Glover, CEO of Central Florida Zoo. The organization is focused on creating connections that inspire people to take action for wildlife. Together, they discuss the complexities of running a non-profit zoo, highlighting conservation efforts, educational programs, and the challenges of engaging diverse audiences.
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Richard - https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardgloverjr/
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And one of them gives her a
piece of carrot.
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And this sloth has this look on her
face like she's the most excited
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animal on the face of the earth
to ever get a piece of carrot.
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And she's so excited.
And she grabs it and she starts
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pulling it towards her.
And she does the slowest thing
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possible.
She fell asleep before the show.
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And I just thought that was amazing.
All right.
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Welcome back to Exploring Growth.
Today I'm excited to be
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interviewing Richard Glover who's
the CEO of Central Florida Zoo.
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Welcome to the podcast Richard.
Thanks so much for having me. Yeah.
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You know, when I started my
search for SEOs to interview for
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this series around Central Florida,
I thought, what's a business that
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everyone knows, but most people
don't really know much about?
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And of course, Central Florida Zoo.
Yeah, that is definitely true.
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There is a lot of,
assumptions made about an
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organization like a zoo.
And what actually happens at a
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zoo is very different than what
a lot of people think.
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That is why I have you here.
And I'm so excited to, to to learn
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a little bit behind the scenes, you know,
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what goes on at the zoo?
I mean, I can imagine dealing
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with animals is, is adds a layer
of complexity that is well beyond
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just dealing with employees.
Yes. Oh, yes. Definitely.
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That does both the dealing with them
and the expenses related to them.
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I mean, it is, yes, challenge.
People don't realize we don't
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just have to feed them.
We have aging animals that need.
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Yeah, care and special, very
expensive, hard to find medications.
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And there's just a lot of things to
having live animals that you wouldn't
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think about. Yeah, I can't imagine.
Well, I want to get into all of that.
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Let's start at the beginning.
How did you become CEO of the
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Central Florida Zoo and how did
you come into that role? Sure.
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I'll try to make it as brief as
I can. Sure.
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My journey I spent about 20 years in
the horse racing industry. Okay.
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I started seeing information
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about the species that were
disappearing across the world.
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And the more I read about it,
the more I thought, I want to
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get involved in this and try to
help save some of these species.
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So I made a career change and I
moved to zoos and aquariums.
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It was around 2012 ish that I
got my chance to do that.
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00:02:16,970 --> 00:02:19,610, I was hired to do marketing
communications at the Texas State
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Aquarium in Corpus Christi, Texas, I was there for about five years,
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and my last year there I
participated in a program.
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There's a body that accredits the
best zoos and aquariums across the
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country called the Association
of Zoos and Aquariums. Okay.
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hold animals in the country,
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there's only 248 that are
accredited by AZA. Okay.
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So, through that body,
they had a program that was to
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accelerate leadership opportunities
for people in the industry.
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I went through that program.
They picked ten people each year.
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Yeah, it's a year long program.
And then, you know, I knew what
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I wanted to do was eventually
lead one of these organizations.
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were leading and that were getting
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older and starting to retire,
and there was clearly going to be
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a need for some younger people to
start moving into these roles.
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And I felt like that I could have
a bigger impact if I was in that
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leadership role. So how did you know?
I mean, you say you knew what what
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was it about that that drew drew you
to that? The leadership role? Yes.
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communications, as I said, and ended
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up doing a lot of things also in
development, other departments,
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and a lot of times I was carrying out
my leader's wishes on some things
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that I knew weren't going to work or
weren't going to be effective.
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with the knowledge I've gained
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with the abilities I have to,
to lead people and get people
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excited about things.
When I'm passionate about something,
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it's very clear and other people
tend to want to follow that.
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And that's right.
I'm not the greatest speaker in
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the world.
I'm not the most exciting person
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in the room.
But if I give you a tour of the zoo,
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you're going to see and feel the
passion and you're going to get
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excited. Yeah.
So I knew that those kind of things
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could help me be an effective leader.
And what I want to do is be able
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to have an institution make the
most impact on animal conservation,
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on sustainability,
on the local community.
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We can have and I knew that,
you know, wherever I was, the higher
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I am, the more I affect that impact.
So I was looking for an
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opportunity to do that.
And so, you know, I worked a few
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other places, including the Florida
Aquarium in Tampa in my journey.
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years ago at the Central Florida
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Zoo and Botanical Gardens.
They did a nationwide search,
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and I was fortunate enough to be
the one chosen.
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And, you know, I was interested
in this zoo in particular because
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it's been around for 100 years.
It's part of this community.
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But it also has been, it's
struggled for most of that 100 years.
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And so it it has so much potential, and I just saw so much
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potential in its ability to do
more and have a greater impact.
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And so I wanted to come and be
part of that. Gotcha.
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So when you talk about impact,
what is that?
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You know,
when you were looking at this zoo,
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what impact did you see that it
could make that it wasn't making?
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Well, I think a lot of it was in
its communications.
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Everything was very transactional.
It was very much focused on
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let's sell the next event.
That'll sell the next ticket. Yeah.
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And it was a change of mindset the
zoo needed of what story tell.
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Let's talk about the
conservation work we're doing.
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Let's talk about the reason why
these animals are important and
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they need to survive, how their
survival affects us as humans. Yes.
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things people care about.
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Let's look at the education
impact grabbing.
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We're the only large cultural
attraction in Seminole County.
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We serve over 54,000 people a
year through our informal
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education programs.
There's nowhere else in this
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county anywhere close to that.
And we serve all the counties around
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us because a lot of them, you know,
Volusia County, Lake County don't
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have a lot of things like this.
So we serve a purpose in this
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community that's really important.
And being able to let people know
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that, we've done a really
bad job over a lot of years of
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doing incredibly important work
and not telling anyone.
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Yeah, what we were doing. Yeah.
So I came in and really with the
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belief of, look, guys, let's we
can still do all the same things.
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We'll be able to do more of them if
we're making more money and more
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people are coming and more people
see, let's start telling the story.
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And honestly, in today's world,
that's what people want anyway.
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They want storytelling, you're speaking my language.
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I mean, as someone who helps
clients create content, it's,
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You know,
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it's as much story as you can tell.
Sometimes it's got to be a little bit
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more transactional, depending on what
it is you're selling or marketing.
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But but the more you can make it
human and connect emotionally and
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connect to people's hearts of
what they actually care about,
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you know, I mean,
everyone around the area cares about
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some aspect of what you're doing,
but if they don't know that it's
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happening, then you guys suffer.
And then they sort of suffer too,
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because they weren't connected to it.
So yeah, I love that,
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that that approach.
I mean, I think storytelling is
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something that the B2B world needs
more of and the B2C world is,
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is trying to do better. Right.
You know, you see a lot of,
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selling still in marketing messages
when marketing is not selling,
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it should be marketing.
It should be really more geared
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towards, you know,
communicating something that's
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compelling, versus making it
always about the transaction.
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So I love that that's you saw that.
And when you came into the role
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then with that perspective,
what are some of the things that
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you did to change that direction?
Well, I think a lot of it was,
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you know, we have newsletters,
we have lots of subscribers,
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and all we were doing was thing
after thing of,
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here's this program you can come to.
It is take you to combine.
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I was like, guys, start talking
about conservation stories.
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Start talking about us breeding
endangered animals.
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Yes, and having success with that.
And what happens with those
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animals once they get older.
And we moved them to other
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places so we can keep that
population genetically diverse.
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I mean, there's there's so many
stories like that or just the
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care of the animals.
People have no idea what level a
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lot of people think,
and a lot of people assume that
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we go by animals and we put them
in the zoo for people to look at
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so we can make a bunch of money.
Yeah. When in fact we.
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We view ourselves as a
conservation organization,
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we're lucky enough to get to
steward the lives of these animals,
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many of which have come to us because
they were orphaned in the wild,
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or they were being sold in the pet
trade and they were confiscated,
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or they were somebody's pet,
and they should have never been
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somebody's pet,
and they couldn't take care of them.
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So a lot of the animals we have
are like that.
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And then a lot of the animals we
have are part of endangered or
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vulnerable species,
and we're working with other AZA
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institutions to keep a population
that's genetically diverse viable.
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One example,
we've got a pair of Amur leopards.
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There's 200 of them left in the
world. Breeding pair.
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We're trying to get them to convince
themselves they want to breed.
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but there's only 70 of those 200
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that are still in the wild.
And they're all at the China-Russia
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border. One disease outbreak.
Yeah, that species could be gone.
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So the population we have in zoos and
aquariums is the insurance policy to
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keep that species alive and to be
able to propagate them back into
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the wild if that needs to happen.
So, you know,
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that's how we view ourselves.
And those are the kinds of
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stories we need to tell for
people to understand we're about
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the care of these animals.
We I mean, every day, every one
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of our animals get some kind of
enrichment to make their lives more
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like it would be out in the wild.
Sometimes it's taking straw from
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one exhibit to another animal,
so they just smell another animal.
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Sometimes it's spraying perfume
to have a different scent.
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It's rubbing meat, different places.
So they run around looking for it.
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Yeah, there's there's every day
there's things like that.
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So it, you know,
people's assumptions of what zoos
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are and what they actually are now,
especially AZA accredited zoos,
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is very different.
So when you arrived and you you
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noticed that there was not a lot of
the communication was lacking there,
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sort of externally to guest,
you know, that haven't been
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there or have been there.
Did you find, though, that the story
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was being told when people arrived?
So if people got there and they
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were they were, you know,
going around the zoo and looking
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at the different exhibits was the
story being told at that point,
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but it just wasn't being told
externally sometimes, okay.
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If they were coming for specific
programs than it was if they were
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just coming to visit the zoo, you know,
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there's signage all around the zoo.
People don't read signage anymore,
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right? Very few.
The percentage and how many?
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I mean, typically, you know,
they'll spend four seconds on sign.
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Yeah, that's kind of the average.
And that means they're not
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reading hardly anything.
So if you don't have humans
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actually communicating with them
while they're here.
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So we have a lot of volunteers
and really the best advocates we
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have for the zoo and the best
people to talk about what's going
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on here are those volunteers.
So when we have a busy day and we
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have a lot of volunteers here,
a lot of those guests hear more of
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those stories and get more of that.
Yeah, but it's not as consistent
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as we'd like it to be, because we
just don't have the ability to staff
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the level we'd have to to guarantee
everyone had that. Sure. Right. Yeah.
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So I mean,
if I'm zoom out a little bit, I'm,
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I'm seeing that you have so many
different parties, you know,
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factors that is very complex.
So you have volunteers,
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which I didn't think about because
it's a nonprofit. You have employees.
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Yes, you have animals,
and then you have the guests and
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then you have donors. Yes.
Is there a am I missing something?
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Yes.
And then you have,
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the added parts of all of the, local jurisdictions that
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have to do with this.
Like we are not technically in
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the city of Sanford,
but we are considered Sanford.
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00:11:45,650 --> 00:11:49,640, we are Seminole County,
so we have relationships with
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all of those elected officials,
and they have a say sometimes,
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and sometimes we do or can't do.
So it's not even just the internal
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stakeholders and the guests,
but there are so many beyond that.
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It is it's a lot.
And we have to message differently
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to a lot of different audiences,
which is a challenge sometimes.
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But honestly, part of what I
wanted to do when I got here is
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let's get everyone rowing in the
same direction and talking the
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same way about the same things.
Yeah, once you start doing that,
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the different audiences become
much easier. Yeah.
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So, I always like to ask if you
have a target audience that you
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have in mind to bring in because,
you know, as you probably know,
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when you're trying to market
something and you're trying to have
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some clear, compelling messaging,
you have to speak to, you know,
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a specific niche of people,
who is your target audience?
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That's a complicated question.
I bet you traditionally for zoos,
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aquariums and for most kinds of
museums, if you're talking on an
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advertising level, your target is
going to be, mother's 2554.
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That's going to be the the major
target. You'll do that.
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They are the decision makers that
make a lot of those families
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decisions about where they're going
to go, but they're going to do,
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and so they're probably the
primary target.
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But for us, we're trying to expand
well beyond that, because honestly,
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you know, a couple of things.
We are the only larger cultural
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attraction. And. Seminole County.
It's really important to my
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staff and to me that everyone
feels safe and welcome here.
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And there are a lot of different
groups around this country right
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now that don't feel safe and don't
feel welcome. A lot of places. Yeah.
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So with that in mind,
we're making efforts to try to
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make sure that a lot of different
communities feel invited. Right.
239
00:13:35,700 --> 00:13:40,080, beyond that, you know,
we also have the potential as
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both a zoo and botanical gardens.
There are a lot of people that are
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interested in plants and botanical
gardens and flowers that they might
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not necessarily be interested in
animals, and those tend to skew
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older than our typical demographic.
A lot of. Right, right.
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So, you know, we're trying to,
in bits and pieces,
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address those different audiences.
But it is a real challenge being a
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nonprofit in a market where you've
got Disney and Universal access
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and all of those, we'll never
have an advertising budget to be
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top of mind like they are, right?
So a lot of our efforts have to
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go through our social media.
They have to go through our earned
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media, and that again goes back to
why storytelling is so important.
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If we tell a compelling story,
yes, and media picks it up,
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then that increases our advertising
budget in its way dramatically. Yes.
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And even though,
Publix has a big ad budget that the
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Publix commercials come to mind, because, you know,
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you have those holiday Publix
commercials and make you cry.
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You know, it's it's sort of like
telling those compelling stories
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about, you know,
families connecting at the zoo.
258
00:14:49,620 --> 00:14:51,030, I don't know.
These are the things that come
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to mind, but but but also the
conservation aspect of it, too.
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There's it seems like even though
there's a lot of complexity to
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what you do and all the different
audiences, you serve it.
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You are rich with stories to tell, that is one benefit we have that
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a lot of other organizations don't.
We have great visuals.
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We have great stories. Yep, and people want to see them. Yes.
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You know, on social media what we see
as our traffic and our following and,
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and our engagement on posts.
You know, a traditional business just
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is not going to get that animal.
Just work for people.
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Video of animals.
And one of the most searched things
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on the web is video cat videos.
Yes, yes.
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You know, because of that, we
have a hard time standing out in the
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market for what we're able to spend.
But when in terms of what we the
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assets, we have to show, we know
that when we are in front of us,
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in front of people, they're more
likely to engage. Gotcha.
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So let's switch gears a little
bit and talk about the various
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ways that you bring in revenue, and I'm curious as sort of a
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follow up to that, you know,
so what are your I guess the
277
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first question is sort of what
are your focus is on,
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how you're, you know, growing the,
the organization financially.
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But then how do you stay
innovative also, you know,
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how do you stay kind of ahead.
So people are always wanting to
281
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come back. Yeah.
And the second part is,
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is a challenge this challenging you
know as far as our revenue stream.
283
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So obviously our gate and people
coming in for regular day at the zoo
284
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or an event at the zoo or one of the
big ones we added four years ago,
285
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our Asian Lantern Festival that
runs from November to mid-January.
286
00:16:31,680 --> 00:16:33,390,
that's been very successful for us.
287
00:16:33,390 --> 00:16:36,360
That's a big revenue driver for us,
and it happens in the evening.
288
00:16:36,360 --> 00:16:39,870
So it's in addition to the daytime
revenue, so that's a big plus.
289
00:16:39,870 --> 00:16:42,390
But then we,
we book a lot of private events.
290
00:16:42,420 --> 00:16:45,600
Okay, a lot of corporate events.
We have a lot of we have a zip line.
291
00:16:46,200 --> 00:16:48,960, that's for ticket.
We have a train and that's a
292
00:16:48,960 --> 00:16:52,140
separate ticket, you can do interactions with
293
00:16:52,140 --> 00:16:54,090
our rhino if you booked them
ahead of time.
294
00:16:54,900 --> 00:16:57,900, we do giraffe feeding and
feedings at our barnyard.
295
00:16:57,900 --> 00:16:59,760
So all of those drives some
incremental revenue.
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We have a membership program,
and then we do a lot of
297
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fundraising related things,
everything from writing and trying to
298
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get grants from different kinds of
organizations or governmental grants,
299
00:17:09,930 --> 00:17:13,590, you know, individuals and
then corporate sponsorships.
300
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So all of those are different types
of things that we we use for revenue.
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And then we have all our
education programs and the
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00:17:20,520 --> 00:17:23,220
revenue that comes from those.
And those are for kids there for
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adults all different ages.
So all of those kind of combine at an
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organization like we are the Gate
and tickets for a normal visit are
305
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always going to be the lion's share.
And everything else is stuff.
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But where you can really move the
needle is really the fundraising
307
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and the private events. Yes. Yeah.
And that's, that's kind of
308
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what I expected to hear.
And, you know,
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I love the we haven't been down yet, you know, because I'm,
310
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we're close,
but I haven't been down to the,
311
00:17:51,030 --> 00:17:55,410, what is it called, the Asian
night where you do festival lantern.
312
00:17:55,680 --> 00:18:00,030
Yeah, but we've had various friends
that have gone, and they have
313
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posted all over Facebook about it,
and it looks amazing.
314
00:18:02,970 --> 00:18:06,180, which I'm sure that's a great, you know, ad for you.
315
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It's been huge.
The first year we did it,
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we had about 40,000 people come.
The second year, 89,000.
317
00:18:12,360 --> 00:18:16,800, we're sold out more nights than
not. We were at a little over 95,000.
318
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Sure.
And that was with us,
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capping capacity several nights
because rain made parking
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difficult in certain areas.
So, you know, we but,
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you know, think about it.
In this area, there's really nothing
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else holiday ish at that time, and even though the Asian Lantern
323
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Festival is really a cultural
experience because of the timing of
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it, from mid-November to mid-January,
you're walking around, you're with
325
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family, there's hot chocolate.
So everyone considers it to be
326
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also a holiday event,
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but it's been incredibly successful.
And I will say, when I got here,
328
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we done it for a couple of years,
and everyone was talking about it
329
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was asking you, are we bringing
it back or we bring it back?
330
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And I was like, what is the big deal
about this thing? I don't like?
331
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What I was picturing in my mind was
not at all what it actually is.
332
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And then when I first time I saw
it all lit up, I was like, oh,
333
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I get it now.
Yeah, like, this is an amazing date
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night. This is a great family night.
It's an attraction.
335
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Yeah, yeah, it's it really because of
the way our property is with all
336
00:19:14,830 --> 00:19:18,340
the trees, with all the boardwalks,
and you add all that to it and
337
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it goes throughout the property.
It's just a really nice feeling
338
00:19:22,000 --> 00:19:25,720
that you couldn't get at a large
city zoo with big concrete paths
339
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that are the size of a street,
and for some reason it just fits
340
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our property. Perfect.
And I like that kind of event because
341
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it's so unique and well done, but, you know, when I think
342
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about retention, that's the kind
of thing that comes to mind for
343
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an organization like yours.
Because like our kids are now in
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the teenage years,
and when they were younger,
345
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we would go to various zoos and
including Central Florida Zoo and,
346
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you know, but now that they're
getting older and they want to
347
00:19:52,210 --> 00:19:55,000
go off of their friends and do
different things, you know,
348
00:19:55,000 --> 00:19:59,290
the zoo is not as much on our, our radar except for when
349
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you have an event like that.
Now it's like, oh, hey, well,
350
00:20:01,810 --> 00:20:04,030
we can bring your friends and we
can all go do this thing.
351
00:20:04,030 --> 00:20:06,850
It's not going to the zoo like
we normally go to the zoo.
352
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It just happens to be at the zoo.
So I think that's a great, path
353
00:20:10,780 --> 00:20:15,550
for retention of previous families
and potentially even attracting new
354
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families that haven't been out.
And we've seen that we we have
355
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seen and heard a lot of people
that have come to the zoo for
356
00:20:21,880 --> 00:20:24,610
that event that had not been to
the zoo before that have you'll
357
00:20:24,610 --> 00:20:27,400
hear them walking by saying, oh,
we really should come during the
358
00:20:27,400 --> 00:20:31,810
day sometime. I've never been here, you know, when we look at
359
00:20:31,810 --> 00:20:36,160
who comes based on zip codes,
we have people coming from all
360
00:20:36,160 --> 00:20:39,670
over this area, some as far as
two and three hours away.
361
00:20:39,670 --> 00:20:42,970
Yeah, to do this year after year.
And then we've actually had some
362
00:20:42,970 --> 00:20:45,130
people apparently with these
Asian lantern festivals,
363
00:20:45,130 --> 00:20:47,830
there's a subgroup of people that
go to them everywhere they can
364
00:20:47,830 --> 00:20:51,760
find them and travel the country.
Okay. We've had some of those two.
365
00:20:51,790 --> 00:20:56,890
There you go. Yeah. The superfans.
It is a great way to engage a
366
00:20:56,890 --> 00:20:58,660
different audience than we
normally would.
367
00:20:58,660 --> 00:21:00,640
That might not be thinking about
a zoo.
368
00:21:00,790 --> 00:21:03,220
That's also why we do our Peruse
Around the zoo event.
369
00:21:03,220 --> 00:21:06,070
We have some sunset events.
We do that.
370
00:21:06,490 --> 00:21:10,390
They're just a different take on what
the zoo is, and maybe an event that
371
00:21:10,390 --> 00:21:13,690
won't have so many kids sometimes,
depending on the time of night,
372
00:21:13,690 --> 00:21:17,530
so that those people that think of a
kid or think of a zoo and go, oh no,
373
00:21:17,530 --> 00:21:21,550
but there'll be all those screaming
groups of school, groups of kids.
374
00:21:21,970 --> 00:21:24,400
They don't have to worry about
that then. Right.
375
00:21:24,400 --> 00:21:29,770
And I can I would imagine that events
like those help you, especially the,
376
00:21:29,770 --> 00:21:35,350, the, the Asian night. Like it?
It helps you to stand out amongst
377
00:21:35,350 --> 00:21:38,230
your competitors like Disney and
Universal, because I have to imagine
378
00:21:38,230 --> 00:21:43,450
that those parks at some point have a
saturation point with their guests.
379
00:21:43,450 --> 00:21:46,120
You know, I mean, there there
are your superfans that will go,
380
00:21:46,120 --> 00:21:49,930
you know, religiously,
and all the, the passholders.
381
00:21:49,930 --> 00:21:53,560
But even so, I mean, you you can
only go so many times before
382
00:21:53,560 --> 00:21:56,710
you're ready for something new.
And so if you're producing something
383
00:21:56,710 --> 00:22:01,810
new locally and the location is,
you know, amazing, then that
384
00:22:01,810 --> 00:22:05,200
they're probably going to swing by.
And that we've seen a lot of that.
385
00:22:05,200 --> 00:22:08,740
And honestly, you know,
we've had a lot of word of mouth
386
00:22:08,740 --> 00:22:12,280
to help increase that attendance.
People come back over and over.
387
00:22:12,280 --> 00:22:15,070
We've got a lot of people that as
soon as the tickets go on sale,
388
00:22:15,070 --> 00:22:19,090
book the same date every year because
some will come like the day or
389
00:22:19,090 --> 00:22:21,520
before, the day after Thanksgiving
or something, like, yeah,
390
00:22:21,520 --> 00:22:25,240
they bring the whole family. Yeah, it's it's pretty amazing to see,
391
00:22:25,240 --> 00:22:28,210
but it's been incredibly
successful for us.
392
00:22:28,210 --> 00:22:31,900
But the other thing that's kept it
successful is every year almost
393
00:22:31,900 --> 00:22:34,960
everything you're seeing is all new.
Okay. Yeah.
394
00:22:34,960 --> 00:22:38,800
That will have traditional Asian
lanterns and they'll be switched out.
395
00:22:38,800 --> 00:22:40,420
So they're different from year
to year.
396
00:22:40,420 --> 00:22:43,180
And then we also have a themed
area that we choose.
397
00:22:43,180 --> 00:22:44,950
So last year our theme was
prehistoric.
398
00:22:44,950 --> 00:22:47,410
So we had traditional Asian
lanterns and we had a bunch of
399
00:22:47,410 --> 00:22:50,080
dinosaurs all over the place.
Yeah, and people love that.
400
00:22:50,080 --> 00:22:52,270
And so each year we get to
change it up a little bit.
401
00:22:52,270 --> 00:22:57,250
But, like this past year,
there were, I think, two things that
402
00:22:57,250 --> 00:23:01,840
had been there before, and they
were there by popular demand, but
403
00:23:01,840 --> 00:23:05,440
otherwise all the other installations
out of 30 something installations
404
00:23:05,440 --> 00:23:08,980
around the property were all new.
I love it, and I think it's great
405
00:23:08,980 --> 00:23:12,490
that you're you're identifying
these families that have have
406
00:23:12,490 --> 00:23:15,130
found a day on their calendar that
they're going to plug you in,
407
00:23:15,130 --> 00:23:18,630
and annually they show up.
You know, I think that's amazing.
408
00:23:18,630 --> 00:23:22,710
That's a great win.
Yeah, I know we're we feel very
409
00:23:22,710 --> 00:23:24,840
fortunate. We had no idea.
I mean, we thought this would
410
00:23:24,840 --> 00:23:28,170
work well here. We had no idea.
Yeah. Work this well.
411
00:23:28,620 --> 00:23:33,270
So I want to get to maybe a story
or two that no one's heard of it,
412
00:23:33,270 --> 00:23:36,540
you know, but behind the scenes
story that, you know, no,
413
00:23:36,540 --> 00:23:39,270
no average person knows.
But before we get there,
414
00:23:39,270 --> 00:23:43,320
on our way there, I want to talk
about some inherent risk that come
415
00:23:43,320 --> 00:23:47,700
with running a zoo and, you know,
maybe 1 or 2 things that,
416
00:23:47,700 --> 00:23:50,520
you know, we would we would
minus would want to know.
417
00:23:50,520 --> 00:23:55,380
And which of those have you actually
had to endure so far? Sure.
418
00:23:55,380 --> 00:23:59,910
So there's a lot of risks, obviously.
I'm sure animals, including,
419
00:23:59,910 --> 00:24:01,620
you know,
some of the live animals we have or
420
00:24:01,620 --> 00:24:05,880
animals that could be deadly. Yes.
And some of them are venomous
421
00:24:05,880 --> 00:24:09,000
animals.
That one moment where you're not
422
00:24:09,000 --> 00:24:10,950
looking the right way and you're
trying to handle them and
423
00:24:10,950 --> 00:24:13,920
something could go very wrong.
So you obviously have that side
424
00:24:13,920 --> 00:24:16,470
of it.
You also have over 400,000
425
00:24:16,470 --> 00:24:20,190
guests a year, and people will
do what people will do.
426
00:24:20,190 --> 00:24:22,710
And sometimes they think it's
cute or funny to try to get into
427
00:24:22,710 --> 00:24:26,520
an enclosure or yes, to try to,
you know, throw things at
428
00:24:26,520 --> 00:24:30,240
animals or I mean, there's all
kinds of things that can happen.
429
00:24:30,540 --> 00:24:32,490, but beyond that,
you've got weather.
430
00:24:32,490 --> 00:24:36,960
I mean, we are in Florida and there
are hurricanes all the time, and,
431
00:24:36,960 --> 00:24:40,470
they're a real challenge for us, obviously, you know,
432
00:24:40,470 --> 00:24:42,540
going through them,
making sure that all the people,
433
00:24:42,540 --> 00:24:45,210
all the animals stay safe,
but also recovering from the
434
00:24:45,210 --> 00:24:50,250
damage that they bring, so, you know, there's there's
435
00:24:50,250 --> 00:24:53,820
a lot of different ways in which
things can be stressful at a zoo.
436
00:24:53,850 --> 00:24:56,700
We do a lot of drills.
We work with local authorities,
437
00:24:56,700 --> 00:25:00,900
a lot to do drills about, you know
if an animal escapes what happens.
438
00:25:00,900 --> 00:25:03,450
We work with the sheriff's
department. We work with the county.
439
00:25:03,780 --> 00:25:05,790, you know,
we have days that everyone comes out.
440
00:25:05,790 --> 00:25:08,400
We surprise our staff.
They have no idea it's coming,
441
00:25:08,400 --> 00:25:10,440
and they don't know whether it's
real or it's not. Yeah.
442
00:25:10,440 --> 00:25:13,440
And we go through and do those
kind of drills. Yeah.
443
00:25:13,470 --> 00:25:17,130
Same thing for venomous animals.
We have a protocol with the HCA
444
00:25:17,130 --> 00:25:20,490
hospital down the road and they
have the anti-venom.
445
00:25:20,490 --> 00:25:24,150
They have everything that's needed.
And we work with them every year to
446
00:25:24,150 --> 00:25:27,150
do surprise drills like that with
the team that handles those snakes.
447
00:25:27,150 --> 00:25:30,090
Sure. Make sure that we're ready.
So there's a lot of a lot of
448
00:25:30,090 --> 00:25:33,180
those safety protocols that help
prepare us for a lot of things.
449
00:25:33,180 --> 00:25:37,380
But also, you know,
any place that has a large number
450
00:25:37,380 --> 00:25:40,470
of people on a daily basis,
you have to be worried about all
451
00:25:40,470 --> 00:25:43,260
the things that can happen because,
you know, whether you're a mall
452
00:25:43,260 --> 00:25:46,980
or a school or you're a church
or whatever else, any day anyone
453
00:25:46,980 --> 00:25:49,710
can walk in and do anything.
And so, you know,
454
00:25:49,710 --> 00:25:52,860
we try to be as prepared and watchful
as we can for any of those things.
455
00:25:52,860 --> 00:25:56,010
But it is it's always in the
back of your head. No, I.
456
00:25:56,010 --> 00:25:59,610
Mean, now that you're talking
about these things. I.
457
00:25:59,610 --> 00:26:03,840
It sounds like you are running
the most complicated business
458
00:26:03,840 --> 00:26:06,960
that I've ever heard of.
I can't think of off the top of
459
00:26:06,960 --> 00:26:08,100
my head.
I cannot think of a more
460
00:26:08,100 --> 00:26:12,060
complicated business because I mean
everything that I thought is true.
461
00:26:12,060 --> 00:26:15,870
And then you added about six things,
and you also serve food there,
462
00:26:15,870 --> 00:26:18,780
don't you? Oh, yes.
So you're in the restaurant business,
463
00:26:18,780 --> 00:26:22,050
which is already a complicated
business. Yes. Wow.
464
00:26:22,050 --> 00:26:24,900
I mean,
it's a that's a lot of moving parts.
465
00:26:25,260 --> 00:26:28,800
This is the job for someone who
doesn't want any day to be the same.
466
00:26:28,800 --> 00:26:33,690
And yes, that's you know,
for me, I love this job.
467
00:26:33,690 --> 00:26:36,930
It gets to a tee,
I get to do something, you know,
468
00:26:36,930 --> 00:26:39,780
that I feel like makes an impact
and that I'm passionate about.
469
00:26:39,780 --> 00:26:43,080
And I could never,
ever imagine getting bored.
470
00:26:43,830 --> 00:26:47,250
I mean, you will not be bored.
There's no way stressed,
471
00:26:47,250 --> 00:26:50,280
maybe not bored.
But the thing about it is,
472
00:26:50,280 --> 00:26:53,460
the moments were wonderful.
Things happen the moment that an
473
00:26:53,460 --> 00:26:55,740
endangered animal is born here.
Yes,
474
00:26:56,040 --> 00:27:00,180
we've helped that species survive.
The moment you see the light go on.
475
00:27:00,180 --> 00:27:03,600
And a kid's eye or an adult's
eye that they understand now why
476
00:27:03,600 --> 00:27:06,690
something is important or that
they're just, you know,
477
00:27:06,690 --> 00:27:10,440
connecting with an animal in a
way that might change how they
478
00:27:10,440 --> 00:27:13,200
behave or decisions they make at
other points of their life?
479
00:27:13,200 --> 00:27:17,580
Yeah, those moments are so rewarding.
And watching the team do amazing
480
00:27:17,580 --> 00:27:22,950
things when the odds are against them
that all the other stuff is easily
481
00:27:22,950 --> 00:27:26,730
worth it. Yes, I could see that.
I mean, the endangered species
482
00:27:26,730 --> 00:27:31,230
being born is pretty amazing.
I mean, the fact that you are,
483
00:27:31,320 --> 00:27:35,970
you're furthering a species on
the planet, and you, you're
484
00:27:35,970 --> 00:27:39,210
watching happen with your eyes.
That that's pretty, pretty amazing.
485
00:27:40,090 --> 00:27:43,000
Yeah, it definitely is.
And you know, you asked about, you
486
00:27:43,000 --> 00:27:45,850
know, ones that I may have endured.
I will tell you,
487
00:27:45,850 --> 00:27:49,270
six months into my tenure here,
we had Hurricane Ian. Okay.
488
00:27:49,270 --> 00:27:51,310
And for us,
Hurricane Ian was a little different
489
00:27:51,310 --> 00:27:55,150
than it was for everyone else, we got the property ready to
490
00:27:55,150 --> 00:27:58,240
reopen and then water started
coming up because all the water
491
00:27:58,240 --> 00:28:01,090
from City of Sanford starts
going back towards Lake Monroe.
492
00:28:01,270 --> 00:28:04,690
And all the water from like,
downtown Sanford starts coming
493
00:28:04,690 --> 00:28:06,880
back towards I-4.
And we're at that little
494
00:28:06,880 --> 00:28:09,730
intersection where it all collects,
and the front part of our property
495
00:28:09,730 --> 00:28:13,360
is very low and we're wetlands.
We were built on wetlands,
496
00:28:13,360 --> 00:28:17,650
our front.
Road in and out of the zoo was
497
00:28:17,650 --> 00:28:21,130
underwater to the tune of about
two and a half to three feet of
498
00:28:21,130 --> 00:28:25,450
water for almost three weeks. Wow.
And it's the only road in and
499
00:28:25,450 --> 00:28:28,360
out of the zoo. Yes.
So we were closed for 28 days.
500
00:28:28,630 --> 00:28:32,170, the Naples zoo got directly hit
with the hurricane and had damage,
501
00:28:32,170 --> 00:28:35,950
and they were closed for ten days.
So we were closed longer than any
502
00:28:35,950 --> 00:28:39,910
other zoo aquarium from that, you know, our team had to
503
00:28:39,910 --> 00:28:43,060
make an agreement with SunRail
where they would let us walk over
504
00:28:43,060 --> 00:28:47,170
their tracks, supervised twice a
day to get our bare minimum,
505
00:28:47,170 --> 00:28:50,470
like our keeper staff and a couple
of the others of us in every day.
506
00:28:50,470 --> 00:28:52,840
And we had to cross at the same
time and get out at the same
507
00:28:52,840 --> 00:28:54,130
time every day.
Or you were there,
508
00:28:54,130 --> 00:28:57,550
here overnight, like there was no
choices and it was so helpful.
509
00:28:57,550 --> 00:29:00,520
They allowed us to do that. Yeah.
Gordon Smith, it's,
510
00:29:00,520 --> 00:29:02,980
right near us.
Allowed us to use their parking lot
511
00:29:02,980 --> 00:29:06,490
for our staff during that time,
but otherwise, I don't know how we
512
00:29:06,490 --> 00:29:08,920
would have gotten in and out to
care for the animals effectively,
513
00:29:08,920 --> 00:29:13,330
because it was taking us two hours to
get in and two hours to get out,
514
00:29:13,330 --> 00:29:16,720
bringing people in on, you know,
basically on heavy equipment and
515
00:29:16,720 --> 00:29:21,070
a lull. So, yeah, you know, it.
But but that was tough.
516
00:29:21,070 --> 00:29:24,760
I mean, 28 days of not. A long time.
And keeping everything going.
517
00:29:24,760 --> 00:29:31,480
It's to give you a just a rough idea.
It costs us about $775,000 a month
518
00:29:31,480 --> 00:29:35,680
in expenses to keep the zoo going.
Okay, so 28 days of being closed
519
00:29:35,680 --> 00:29:39,430
was over $600,000 of expenses
with no income, and we had over
520
00:29:39,430 --> 00:29:43,500
$400,000 of actual physical damage.
Yeah. In addition.
521
00:29:43,500 --> 00:29:46,860
And then so you got the people
in to take care of the animals.
522
00:29:46,860 --> 00:29:49,950
But what about supplies and food
and all those kind of things.
523
00:29:49,950 --> 00:29:53,280
So those were coming in in a bucket,
metal bucket on a wall.
524
00:29:53,280 --> 00:29:55,710
And they were able to drive
those in that way.
525
00:29:55,710 --> 00:29:58,890
But it was incredibly slow and
there was only so much we could
526
00:29:58,890 --> 00:30:01,530
take at a time. Yeah.
But we were able to get that
527
00:30:01,530 --> 00:30:04,860
stuff all in.
But it was it was dicey for a while
528
00:30:04,860 --> 00:30:07,650
trying to figure out how are we going
to get larger things that some of
529
00:30:07,650 --> 00:30:11,670
the bigger animals need in. Wow.
You know, because it's not just
530
00:30:11,670 --> 00:30:15,480
like bags of food.
It's there's a lot more to it.
531
00:30:15,480 --> 00:30:19,320
There's brows, you know,
pieces of trees and things like
532
00:30:19,320 --> 00:30:22,500
that that the animals need there.
There are lots of larger things they
533
00:30:22,500 --> 00:30:26,340
need, for their daily life.
So it was a challenge.
534
00:30:26,340 --> 00:30:29,970
But I will say, you know,
watching the team step up to that
535
00:30:29,970 --> 00:30:33,450
plate and take care of everything the
way it needed to be during that time.
536
00:30:33,630 --> 00:30:37,920
I mean, the minute our keepers could
be given clearance to come to the
537
00:30:37,920 --> 00:30:40,410
zoo to check on their animals, like
they were all calling and saying,
538
00:30:40,410 --> 00:30:43,560
when can we go? When can we go?
When they they've all got damage
539
00:30:43,560 --> 00:30:46,170
at their houses.
Yeah, yeah, dangerous drive to
540
00:30:46,170 --> 00:30:49,530
get in, but they still like the
first thing they wanted to do.
541
00:30:49,560 --> 00:30:53,700
How were my babies? Wow.
Yeah, well, I asked for some
542
00:30:53,700 --> 00:30:56,430
stories and I already got one,
so thanks for that. That's amazing.
543
00:30:56,430 --> 00:30:59,730
I mean, and and good on you guys for,
you know, you have I mean,
544
00:30:59,730 --> 00:31:03,150
it's obvious that you have you all
have passion for what you're doing.
545
00:31:03,150 --> 00:31:06,150
I mean, that's coming through
and I can only imagine the teams
546
00:31:06,150 --> 00:31:09,540
the same way. Oh yeah.
It's and you know, that's that's
547
00:31:09,540 --> 00:31:12,750
a blessing in so many ways.
And also a little bit of a person
548
00:31:12,750 --> 00:31:16,080
that emotions are very close to
the surface all the time. Yes.
549
00:31:16,080 --> 00:31:20,520
So you have that to contend with.
But I mean everyone's rowing in the
550
00:31:20,520 --> 00:31:23,460
same direction because the reason
we're all here are these animals.
551
00:31:23,460 --> 00:31:27,690
And, you know, to a person in
almost every department we have,
552
00:31:27,720 --> 00:31:30,180
you know, they could go somewhere
else and make more money.
553
00:31:30,240 --> 00:31:34,140, non-profits aren't the the
most they're. Not there for that.
554
00:31:34,230 --> 00:31:36,840
Yeah, they're here because they
believe in the mission.
555
00:31:36,840 --> 00:31:39,060
They're here because they love
the animals.
556
00:31:39,060 --> 00:31:42,420
And yeah, that's the same thing with
our volunteers, with our board.
557
00:31:42,420 --> 00:31:45,900
Like everyone involved in the zoo.
And that's part of what's so
558
00:31:45,900 --> 00:31:50,280
rewarding is everyone's so
passionate about it that, you know,
559
00:31:50,280 --> 00:31:52,560
whoever you're talking to,
they actually care.
560
00:31:53,010 --> 00:31:56,160
And they run a lot of places you can
go and work that. You know that.
561
00:31:56,430 --> 00:32:02,190
That's right. That is for sure, so what about a story that the
562
00:32:02,190 --> 00:32:05,190
average person would know that,
you know, has happened behind
563
00:32:05,190 --> 00:32:08,220
the scenes at the zoo that,
I don't know, you've thought maybe
564
00:32:08,220 --> 00:32:12,150
we shouldn't tell, but, you know,
it'd be it'd be maybe a funny story.
565
00:32:13,370 --> 00:32:16,100
Yeah. That's a that's a harder one.
I mean there's literally things
566
00:32:16,100 --> 00:32:18,500
every day. Yeah.
There's got to be so many things
567
00:32:18,500 --> 00:32:21,080
dealing with animals.
You know animal team I will I will
568
00:32:21,080 --> 00:32:23,990
tell you one that I just think
is really funny myself. Okay.
569
00:32:23,990 --> 00:32:27,620
So a few months ago we got a new
sloth in.
570
00:32:27,620 --> 00:32:30,800
And our nutritionist,
we've got nutritionists that
571
00:32:30,800 --> 00:32:34,370
literally prepare individual diets
for every animal every day. Okay.
572
00:32:34,370 --> 00:32:37,250
And they had prepared diets, but they
were excited about this new stuff.
573
00:32:37,250 --> 00:32:39,650
They wanted to bring her some
treats and give her some treats.
574
00:32:39,920 --> 00:32:42,590
So they come over and they
they've got treats.
575
00:32:42,590 --> 00:32:46,490
And one of them gives her a piece
of carrot, and this sloth has this
576
00:32:46,490 --> 00:32:49,490
look on her face like she's the most
excited animal on the face of the
577
00:32:49,490 --> 00:32:52,760
earth to ever get a piece of carrot.
And she's so excited and she
578
00:32:52,760 --> 00:32:55,370
grabs it and she starts pulling
it towards her.
579
00:32:55,370 --> 00:32:57,770
And she does the sloths thing
possible.
580
00:32:57,770 --> 00:33:04,280
She fell asleep before the show.
And I just thought that was amazing.
581
00:33:04,280 --> 00:33:07,070
I was like, there's nothing a sloth
could do that sounds more like a
582
00:33:07,070 --> 00:33:10,490
sloth than that. That is hilarious.
I'm sure you have a million
583
00:33:10,490 --> 00:33:13,580
stories just like that with every
every different breed and animal.
584
00:33:13,970 --> 00:33:17,330
Yeah, it's you know, the thing is,
I try to walk the zoo as many times
585
00:33:17,330 --> 00:33:20,750
as I can in the morning when I get
here, just before I start into
586
00:33:20,750 --> 00:33:23,150
meetings and things like that.
And there are certain animals
587
00:33:23,150 --> 00:33:26,870
that I definitely feel a bond
with and that I go and say good
588
00:33:26,870 --> 00:33:29,750
morning to you every morning.
I can, and sometimes they're
589
00:33:29,750 --> 00:33:32,540
interactive, sometimes they're not.
But yeah,
590
00:33:32,540 --> 00:33:37,100
they're our personalities and they're
our tendencies and just even just
591
00:33:37,100 --> 00:33:40,070
the habits that they have and
seeing how individual they are.
592
00:33:40,070 --> 00:33:42,710
So the two animals of the same
species may behave completely
593
00:33:42,710 --> 00:33:45,230
differently.
It's just so interesting because you
594
00:33:45,230 --> 00:33:50,150
see those similarities between us as
humans, the fact that we can be from
595
00:33:50,150 --> 00:33:53,510
the same family and be completely
different. Yes, so can they.
596
00:33:53,510 --> 00:33:56,600
And yes, it's really interesting
to watch that and watch how they
597
00:33:56,600 --> 00:34:00,770
react to different stimuli. Yeah, and how they react sometimes
598
00:34:00,770 --> 00:34:03,560
to the crowds, we have some animals that
599
00:34:03,560 --> 00:34:06,680
just absolutely love interacting
with the crowds.
600
00:34:06,680 --> 00:34:09,620
We have some that are great during
the day, but if we have night events,
601
00:34:09,620 --> 00:34:12,050
they're going to scurry away to
their back area and be nowhere
602
00:34:12,050 --> 00:34:14,690
to be found because we've
screwed up their routine.
603
00:34:14,690 --> 00:34:17,870
And yes, we want to see people.
We try to give them that choice.
604
00:34:17,870 --> 00:34:22,100
But it's it's really fascinating
to watch them as individuals.
605
00:34:22,550 --> 00:34:26,870
So last question for you before
we go, what do you wish
606
00:34:26,870 --> 00:34:31,130
everyone knew about the zoo that
most people don't know?
607
00:34:31,130 --> 00:34:33,860
And I know we've covered a lot
of different topics.
608
00:34:33,860 --> 00:34:39,260
So, you know, feel free to touch on.
There's probably two.
609
00:34:39,380 --> 00:34:43,730
One is understanding how we get our
animals and why we have them. Okay.
610
00:34:43,880 --> 00:34:47,090, because I think there's a lot
of misperceptions of thinking we
611
00:34:47,090 --> 00:34:50,180
are just here to make money,
and that's not the case.
612
00:34:50,720 --> 00:34:53,510, we put the money back into
this organization and mostly
613
00:34:53,510 --> 00:34:56,900
into the care of those animals.
But I think the big thing is that we
614
00:34:56,900 --> 00:35:02,000
are a non-profit, fully on profit.
And we so many people assume that
615
00:35:02,000 --> 00:35:04,910
we are getting large chunks of
money from the government that
616
00:35:04,910 --> 00:35:08,000
are subsidizing everything we do,
and we don't really need money,
617
00:35:08,000 --> 00:35:11,120
and that's not the case.
We have to earn the money to do
618
00:35:11,120 --> 00:35:13,280
everything we do.
I had a boss at the Florida Aquarium
619
00:35:13,280 --> 00:35:15,860
and he used to always say no margin,
no mission.
620
00:35:15,860 --> 00:35:20,270
And that is so true for a nonprofit.
If you aren't earning enough
621
00:35:20,270 --> 00:35:22,310
money to cover your expenses and
have some more,
622
00:35:22,310 --> 00:35:26,030
you can't have more of an impact.
You can't do more conservation
623
00:35:26,030 --> 00:35:29,630
because there's nothing to fund it.
So for us, we're always trying to
624
00:35:29,630 --> 00:35:32,390
find sources of funding donors,
different things.
625
00:35:32,660 --> 00:35:34,280, so we're able to increase
that impact.
626
00:35:34,280 --> 00:35:37,400
So I think to me, people really
understanding that we're truly a
627
00:35:37,400 --> 00:35:41,870
full nonprofit and not funded by the
government is a really important one.
628
00:35:42,380 --> 00:35:46,010
Yeah, that is important, yeah.
I mean, because I didn't know.
629
00:35:46,010 --> 00:35:48,350
I might ask you right before we
got on this. That is it.
630
00:35:48,350 --> 00:35:51,710
Are you a nonprofit or a for profit?
Because I, I'm not completely sure.
631
00:35:51,710 --> 00:35:54,680
I thought it was nonprofit, but,
you know, you never know. Yeah.
632
00:35:54,680 --> 00:36:00,360
So that's a good one to clear up, so I assume you guys do tours?
633
00:36:00,390 --> 00:36:02,610
Do you do you ever do,
behind the scenes tours?
634
00:36:02,610 --> 00:36:04,800
Or people can go and see the
inner workings of the zoo?
635
00:36:04,950 --> 00:36:09,210
So we don't right now offer a behind
the scenes tour people can purchase.
636
00:36:09,210 --> 00:36:12,540
We do a lot of behind the scenes
tours, with people.
637
00:36:12,540 --> 00:36:16,170
Usually it's potential donors
and officials, things like that,
638
00:36:16,170 --> 00:36:20,670
to really explain what we do, we do have some programs,
639
00:36:20,670 --> 00:36:24,570
like we do a night hike periodically
or hike to the zoo at night.
640
00:36:24,570 --> 00:36:29,610
We we do photography tours where
you learn how to photograph. Yeah.
641
00:36:29,610 --> 00:36:32,220
Different animals and the,
the plants, all those kind of things.
642
00:36:32,220 --> 00:36:34,350
We do some things like that,
but at the moment we're not
643
00:36:34,350 --> 00:36:36,600
offering kind of a traditional
behind the scenes tours,
644
00:36:36,900 --> 00:36:41,940
partially because we are a 50 year
old facility and there are a lot
645
00:36:41,940 --> 00:36:45,600
of areas behind the scenes that
aren't really Ada accessible.
646
00:36:45,690 --> 00:36:48,480
So as much as we'd like to offer
something like that, we don't feel
647
00:36:48,480 --> 00:36:51,060
like it's right to offer it if
we can't offer it to everybody,
648
00:36:51,060 --> 00:36:55,380
right? That makes sense. Okay.
Well hey, this has been an amazing
649
00:36:55,380 --> 00:36:58,770
conversation as I knew it would, you officially run the most
650
00:36:58,770 --> 00:37:00,510
complicated business I've ever
heard of.
651
00:37:00,840 --> 00:37:05,280
And, good on you for doing it.
Well, it's a it sounds much more
652
00:37:05,280 --> 00:37:08,640
complicated than it really is.
No, it's it's complicated.
653
00:37:08,640 --> 00:37:12,390
It's very complicated.
And the only thing that you
654
00:37:12,390 --> 00:37:16,230
don't offer is air. Air travel.
You know, if you if you added
655
00:37:16,230 --> 00:37:18,900
travel in there, maybe it could
be a little bit more complicated.
656
00:37:18,930 --> 00:37:22,620
We do have a zip line. So we.
Okay. Yeah. All right. So.
657
00:37:25,530 --> 00:37:28,860
Thanks, Richard, for being on, you know, once this goes out
658
00:37:28,860 --> 00:37:31,710
and people see it, how can they
get in touch with you if they want
659
00:37:31,710 --> 00:37:35,010
to get in touch with you directly?
And if they wanted to explore all
660
00:37:35,010 --> 00:37:37,860
the things you have at the zoo,
how would they do that? Sure.
661
00:37:37,860 --> 00:37:41,340
So, if they want to find me on
Instagram, I've got an Instagram
662
00:37:41,340 --> 00:37:48,150
account as the zoo CEO specifically.
So. Okay, so fly zoo underscore CEO.
663
00:37:48,390 --> 00:37:50,910, but they can follow me there
and they can contact me directly
664
00:37:50,910 --> 00:37:53,640
through that. Love it, the zoo's website is Central
665
00:37:53,640 --> 00:37:58,410
Florida Zoo, dawg, and they can find
me that way, you know, and.
666
00:37:59,050 --> 00:38:02,080
There are many easy ways to find
me on LinkedIn and other places,
667
00:38:02,080 --> 00:38:04,450
so. Okay, I'm not gonna necessarily
668
00:38:04,450 --> 00:38:06,700
give out my phone number. No.
Of course. Yeah.
669
00:38:07,090 --> 00:38:10,270
But, yeah, if someone wants to
find me, it's not hard to find me.
670
00:38:10,570 --> 00:38:13,420
That's great. Well, thanks again.
And,
671
00:38:13,420 --> 00:38:16,600
we'll have to have you back in time, just because this is such a
672
00:38:16,600 --> 00:38:19,960
great conversation, I know there's
many more stories to to be told.
673
00:38:20,170 --> 00:38:23,620
Oh, for sure. All right.
Thanks a lot. Thank you so.
674
00:38:23,620 --> 00:38:24,700
Much I appreciate it.