Gerald Borin once had to make a decision between taking the CPA exam and
working with a bunch of wild animals.
Naturally, he chose the animals. And
since then he’s been dedicated to improving the surroundings for those animals —
and their visitors — at the Columbus Zoo
and Aquarium.
Since he became general manager at the
zoo in 1985, Borin, now the executive
director, has helped boost visitor attendance from roughly 700,000 to more than
1.5 million per year. That growth has
come from Borin’s unrelenting effort to
improve the nation’s third-largest zoo by
expanding the park’s property and his
creativity in maximizing its capabilities.
Today, the zoo sits on more than 580 acres
— it was roughly 120 acres in 1986 — and
has added a water park and a golf course
to attract new people to the animal kingdom inside.
This unique business model is part of
Borin’s vision to turn the zoo into a complete vacation destination for families,
and the result is a successful structure
for the for-profit portions of the business like the water park and golf course
as well as consistent funding for the
nonprofit portion of the business that
supports the wildlife.
Around the time that Borin was making his decision to pursue a life with the
wild animals, a zoo was just a zoo.
Today, fueled by Borin’s passion, more
people than ever see the Columbus Zoo
as a vacation and learning destination.
It’s a good thing he passed on taking that
CPA exam.
HOW TO REACH: Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, (800) MONKEYS or www.columbuszoo.org