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Originally posted by Tenelen
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Even with that said, I can simply wish you luck. Please take no offense but getting what you are proposing off the ground at a private level will not happen, even if bill gates is your best friend. Would it be nice and wonderful yes. Getting past the red tape is where time will be consumed. You don't just build something of what your suggesting in a major city because you want to even if the financial backing were to be possibly there. There are entities that have there hands in the aquarium projects you have mentioned, that are the reason they are where they. Is it impossible, by no stretch of the imagination. Is it possible? Possibly. Again, as a long time aquarium enthusiast I will wish you the best of luck and even offer help if possible. Keep in mind both locations I mentioned were build to support aquatic education and understanding. But without the commercial aspect to each, neither would survive.
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No offense taken, but you are assuming the funding is coming from one source or type of source. Since nothing is in writing I cannot discuss the financial aspects of that but it does come from public, private, and corporate backers as well as the potential support from local and federal government. On the financial side of things that's as much as I can divulge at the moment.Originally posted by barrettsline View PostComment
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Completely understandable on the financial aspect. I would love to see something of this nature be done in houston. Obtaining land is another consideration. I have only one recommendation there which is the astrodome, however that vast amount of proposals for what it could become have all been shot down by the city. Another item to consider is that possible backlash or uncertain buy in, if the aquarium pyramid in galveston were to see a financial decline. the only reason I state that is because that is a huge draw to houston, even though it is in Galveston, and Houston has provided money(investment) into moody gardens. I do agree schools and university's buy in could help. but you'll have to go much larger than that. You'll need buy in from world wide organizations as many other larger aquariums have done. Consider a wing or school on the grounds of the site as well. That may add more problems that it solves but you never know.Originally posted by Tenelen View PostΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕComment
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Well partner ships in this kind of endeavor are always going to help, but the concern it not being tied directly to any of them as they have their own agenda and method of presenting their displays. As for a land resource there are lots of options here in Houston, one that was mentioned that would be nice is to connect the aquarium with the bayou system to some degree to highlight its wildlife and significance. I do have to ties to land developers here in Houston that would be on board for a project of this nature.Originally posted by barrettsline View PostComment
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I know that Moody Gardens in Galveston is already in the works to redo their aquarium, set to re-open in 2016 I think? I doubt you could get an aquarium up and running before then at the scale you are talking before then, but you may have to compete. You should definitely try to contact them, or gilbane, the layout of the project was not well planned. Everything is based around a circle on a square footprint, leaving random empty walls, then compact exhibit space. Make sure you contact a contractor that has done work with animals, otherwise you get shorty work that can normally be hidden to human eye, but and animal on exhibit will find every flaw.
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As a MARB/MARF graduate from TAMUG, and spending months interviewing with aquariums, the key to your facility should be higher pay with better employee retention. There are 101 jobs out there to the 1 employee. Which is normally a good problem, except for the fact that most wages are barely above minimum wage. People are in and out of jobs every 6 months and there is high turnover. I would love to see a facility that shows its appreciation towards their workers. Yes you can hire any TAMUG graduate straight out of college and pay them 10 an hour, but if you want top notch staff, higher pay with better than average benefits is how you do it. A great internship program will also help draw people in and guarantee quality staff before you even hire them.
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