My company is just me. And that’s by design. I do not intend to hire employees and I purposefully keep my fees and client volume low. I view it as a complete success, but given the common perception of “business success,” I often wonder if others would agree… In this article, I outline my business strategy of Growing Small as an alternate measure of success.
Believe it or not, many consultants, including yours truly, are actually introverts! Learn the best practices for working with introverts by reading Felis Consulting’s somewhat self-effacing and certainly vulnerable ‘Top Tips for Working with Introverted Consultants.’
As a designer dedicated to the long-term planning of zoos and aquariums, I’ve had to explain the process of master planning many times, and although every zoo and aquarium is different, the best master plans (i.e. those which have been implemented) always follow a similar structure. In this post, we address the most commonly asked questions to help you understand what master planning is, when is the right time to start, and who should be involved.
The city of Lafayette, Indiana has one of the oldest—and best—small zoos in the country. Recent renovations, thoughtful and modern designs, and focusing on providing for their local guests as top priority are a few reasons they are successful.
Zoos and aquariums have a long way to go related to being community assets that are truly reflective of their surrounding communities. Recent discussions in the AZA suggest that instead waiting for ‘best practice’ solutions, that individual organizations must start somewhere acknowledging that our strategies will evolve as we all learn the most productive ways to approach DEAI.
Renderings of shark exhibit concept from designers, WRT. Thanks, Rob, for the tip!
Correction to earlier post: WRT and Cloud 9 are the design competition winning team. I reported that Smith-Miller +Hawkinson had the winning design. I apologize for the confusion.
Then, this spring, that design was thrown out the window for apparently being too restrictive to potential future growth. The next step, according to city officials, is to re-work the interior of the aquarium to attract new visitors.
First on the plate? A new shark tank. The $50 million tank would triple the aquarium's current shark population to 40, and plans for the 300,000 gallon tank include an arch for guests to walk beneath. For comparison, 300,000 gallons is approximately 1/18th the size of the Ocean Voyager tank at Georgia Aquarium. $50 million for 300,000 gallons seems a bit pricey to me, so perhaps other unreported exhibits are included in that number.
All of those plans are now moot, though, as the New York state government is proposing 55% budget cuts to all of the state's "living museums." This includes the NY Aquarium, the Bronx Zoo, and the Botanical Gardens, amongst many others. If this proposal passes, any redesign or renovation of the Aquarium is surely to die.
Sadly, I'm awaiting news of these types of budget cuts to occur all across the U.S. and the world, as unfortunately, educational and entertainment budgets are always the first to go. If your local zoo, aquarium, or living museum is currently facing major cutbacks, please let me know and I'll gladly post your story here.
