Museum, staff grow together

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As the size of the Wonders of Wildlife museum rapidly increases, so does the growth of its staff. The administration has added eight new members since July 1 and is actively looking to continue this growth.|ret||ret||tab|

The staff additions began when Jack Payne was named three months ago as executive director.|ret||ret||tab|

"I believe that one of the most important things I'll do is hire the right people," Payne said.|ret||ret||tab|

The first person he hired was Allan Waldo as deputy director of administration. Other recently filled positions include Administrative Services Manager Ed Justus, Group Sales Specialist Denis Schmidt, Exhibit Coordinator Patrick Rhodes and Museum Information Technology Manager Randy Anderson.|ret||ret||tab|

"I'm very pleased with the quality of people we've been able to hire," added Payne.|ret||ret||tab|

Many of the new employees were attracted to Wonders of Wildlife by the excitement surrounding it.|ret||ret||tab|

"I look at it as a wonderful opportunity to serve the Springfield area and present something that the entire southwest Missouri area can be proud of," Waldo said of his new affiliation.|ret||ret||tab|

"What a neat, fantastic thing it's going to be," added Justus.|ret||ret||tab|

Wonders of Wildlife is a private, not-for-profit organization that has been in existence since 1997. The 92,000-square-foot, $52 million museum is located on the corner of Sunshine and Campbell, in the Bass Pro Shop parking lot. John Morris, owner of Bass Pro and Wonders of Wildlife board member, donated the land along with some taxidermy for the museum's use.|ret||ret||tab|

It will feature live animals including bobcats, beavers, otters, wild turkeys, pheasant, quail and bats. A 220,000-gallon tank will hold sharks and other salt water fish, while a 150,000-gallon tank will be home to many different fresh water fish.|ret||ret||tab|

"It's amazing what all is going to live inside here," said Lisa Hawkins, public relations and special events coordinator. "We've added a lot of staff very quickly and have a lot more to go to get this thing up and in operation."|ret||ret||tab|

According to Payne, now is the time to fill these positions, although the museum will not open to the public until Nov. 1, 2001. At that time, Payne projects to have about 60 full-time employees.|ret||ret||tab|

Next on his hiring agenda is a director of development and a curator, followed by persons in the education, human resources and marketing departments. He said he feels that these positions are key to the operation and success of the museum. He said the only forms of advertising they've used have been through their Web site, |bold_on|www.wondersofwildlife.org, and classified newspaper ads. Payne said he is currently interviewing for the development and curator positions. |ret||ret||tab|

Both Hawkins and Payne expect volunteer work to be another big part of the museum's operation. |ret||ret||tab|

"We'll have a lot of volunteer opportunities where people can donate anywhere from four hours to 40 hours a week to the museum," Hawkins added. They expect more than 160 volunteers helping out with the projected 1 million guests in the first year.|ret||ret||tab|

Payne said these volunteers will participate in a training program next spring and summer.|ret||ret||tab|

"We want the day that we open up this museum to be as smooth and seamless to the public as possible," Waldo added. "I would picture that we'll be full staffed about two months before that way we'll have time to get people trained."|ret||ret||tab|

Payne said he wants to hire about 20-25 operational employees for building maintenance, custodial duties, and plumbing and engineering oversights.|ret||ret||tab|

"There's a lot of background people to make sure the systems are functioning correctly," he said.|ret||ret||tab|

Hawkins said the building will be ready for the animals by next summer, but first they will need to be kept in off-site holding areas to get accustomed to their tanks. They are currently looking for those sites. She said the animals will be placed in those holding areas after Jan. 1. In a month the museum will be weather-tight and the interior work will begin.|ret||ret||tab|

Payne said that he is presently working on a marketing plan so people are aware of what the museum has to offer.|ret||ret||tab|

"I think that we are much more than an attraction," he said. "Yes, it provides entertainment for people, but at the same time educates them in regards to the value of our wildlife resources. The attraction is the means to the end and the end is really the educational aspect of it, but I want to do it in a way people have fun."|ret||ret||tab|

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