As published in the October 1, 2011 Toledo Business Journal
Dr. Anne Baker,
The Toledo Zoo
Zoo providing economic impact
Toledo Business Journal recently interviewed Dr. Anne Baker, executive director at the Toledo Zoo. She shared the following thoughts:
Toledo Business Journal: Can you discuss the need and specific uses for the Toledo Zoo levy funds on the November ballot?
Dr. Anne Baker: Our levy funds currently support about 30% of our operations. What that support does is ensure that, on an ongoing basis, we can provide care of the animals and for a portion of the things it takes to run a zoo. It lets us do two things. First of all, it lets us keep prices within the range of most people. Those zoos that do not have support are usually double us in cost. Of all the accredited zoos that received public support the average level of support is about 48%. We are actually lower than average. But it does let us keep prices as low as we can and provides us with some stability from year to year.
The levy funding gives us somewhat of a buffer so that if we have a bad year, we still know that there is this core support that we can count on. If our earned revenue dips, we know we can still take care of the animals and feed them. We know that we can do the basics that we need to do.
TBJ: The attempt to obtain funding from Wood County residents through a levy issue was not placed on the ballot. Are there other alternatives for obtaining additional revenues from outside of Lucas County?
AB: Yes there are, and it’s something I hoped we would never go to because it presents problems of its own. One thing, we heard from Wood County residents is that if they want to go to the zoo, they’ll just pay more – so they will. We are instituting a differential. We felt that the best strategy given that this is a regional facility is to seek regional support. It was ultimately planned that the millage would be less for everybody and we’d have a broader basis of support. Wood County was the logical place to go because they are the next biggest user of the zoo on a per capita basis. In fact, about 66% of Lucas County residents use the zoo, while 54% of Wood County residents use the zoo. We felt that since over half the population is using the zoo it was reasonable to ask for support.
The current strategy is that we will be raising membership and admission rates and will discount for Lucas County in recognition of their levy. Membership rates will start kicking in this fall. This is one of the reasons why this gets so complicated. Our memberships are yearlong. If you buy a membership in November you are really visiting the zoo most of next year at that membership rate. Therefore, we are going to implement membership rates this fall, and gate increases will go into effect next January.
We are still fiddling with the increase, but it’s going to be the minimum that we need to have it to make budget. The last thing we want to do is put the zoo out of economic reach for anyone.
I’m hoping that at some point, as we move forward, there will be recognition by the general public that it would be good to support the zoo. My hope is that down the road there would be recognition that we truly are a regional facility and ought to have regional support.
From a management perspective, creating the differential structure is a nightmare. It doesn’t allow us to provide the discounts for group rates in-county like we could before. There are so many things that nobody thinks about like advance sales and discounts. There’s no way to verify. We are going to be asking Lucas County residents to pay a little bit more, but, in comparison, it is very small. It was my least favorite option.
We were asking Wood County residents for the same millage with the same benefits. Now they are getting hit with a big fee increase without ever having the chance to vote. The crazy thing is what we were asking for would have cost the owner of a $100,000 home $26 a year. That is actually less than it would cost a family of four to visit the zoo once, and every resident of Wood County could have come and had a free day.
TBJ: Can you discuss the economic and community impact of the Toledo Zoo on the area economy?
AB: We know from independent survey work that we are the area’s leading attraction. We drew in significantly from Michigan last year. We had over 200,000 visitors. These are people who are coming into the area and spending money that otherwise wouldn’t be spent here.
The economic impact has been calculated for a five-county area. This region includes Monroe County in Michigan and Fulton, Lucas, Ottawa, and Wood Counties in Ohio. The Toledo Zoo contributes $38,103,900 of total economic impact in the five-county area. In the five-county economy, the Toledo Zoo supports, directly and indirectly, $15,833,100 of payroll, accounting for $1 out of every $793. In the five-county economy, the zoo supports directly and indirectly, 490 full-time equivalent jobs, accounting for one job out of every 654 jobs.
The major industry in which the Toledo Zoo makes its economic impact is “museums, historical sites, zoos, and parks,” which has a fairly average multiplier effect, however, the zoo’s capital spending fuels the “construction” industry, which has a higher multiplier effect.
TBJ: Can you discuss the Toledo Zoo’s capital plans for the next several years and any other plans to continue to create new draws for visitors?
AB: We will be opening the new elephant exhibit in May 2012. It provides some wonderful new opportunities to see and experience elephants. The area that visitors will be in is a U-shaped area. On one side there is the indoor elephant facility and on the other two sides is the outdoor facility. Visitors can be part of an elephant herd. They are going to be able to get very close and sometimes be a part of the group.
We will do some temporary exhibits in 2013 and 2014 and the renovated aquarium will open in 2015. Those will all be funded by our current capital levy. Renovation plans for the aquarium are well underway. It will close next fall for two years for the renovations and we are working within the framework of the existing WPA building. The exterior of the building will not change but the interior will dramatically.
It’s going to be a real experience. For example, now our biggest tank is 8,000 gallons. In the new aquarium our biggest tank will be 90,000 gallons. We will have a big open ocean tank. We’ll have a much larger tank, so we’ll be able to exhibit much larger sharks. We are also incorporating a couple touch tanks so that visitors can actually touch rays and marine invertebrates, like starfish. We wanted to create more dimensionality. By providing the touch tanks we are creating another dimension.
Not many zoos have a full-fledged aquarium within the zoo itself and as part of the zoo admission. For example, if you look at Chicago, which has two zoos and an aquarium, you’re going to pay two fairly hefty admission rates. Here you get the experience for one price. I don’t think people think about the fact that we do provide a true aquarium experience, and even more so after the renovation, for the same price as the zoo’s admission.
TBJ: Are there opportunities for area businesses to become more involved with the Toledo Zoo?
AB: We have a variety of opportunities for sponsorships for various programs and events. Area businesses have stepped up. Sponsorship at various events like Zoo to Do; Feast with the Beast; Rock ‘n Roar; and Hallotween occur at multiple levels.
We have our Companies for Kids program, which is an opportunity that helps the Zoo and the broader community. It provides a certain number of free tickets to children who would otherwise be unable to come.
TBJ: Can you discuss the use by area businesses of facilities at the Toledo Zoo for meetings and events?
AB: We have some nice facilities for business meetings and very good caterers on staff. In 2010, we had 26 picnics, 53 business meetings, and 113 private events, which encompasses holiday parties, and company events such as client appreciation, employee awards, and corporate awards. It is also includes reunions, anniversaries, and proms.
Our business this year is up from last year. Thus far, we have had 43 business meetings and have 49 booked for the remainder of the year. We also have had 37 private events and 66 booked thus far. A little over 50% of the operating budget comes from this.
The nice thing about when a business books a party at the zoo is that not only are we competitively priced, but all of the “profit” is really non-profit because it helps to support the zoo. If they book a party for their staff here, they are not only giving their staff a good time, but they are helping to support a community treasure. You’re sort of giving twice.
TBJ: Are there any other issues that you would like to address?
AB: We regularly check our market through market surveys and consistently score 98% satisfaction levels. One of the things I find very gratifying is that about 67% of the people we survey say they learn something at the zoo, and that’s one of our missions. We are providing both a wonderful family recreation experience and people are also learning.
We’ve really done a wonderful job with trying to be inclusive in the community. A lot of the grants we go after support outreach to underserved economic areas. We have a grant from the PNC foundation that’s part of their Grow Up Great program. The program allows our education staff to go out and work with teachers and incorporate play-based learning opportunities.