South Carolina Aquarium

June 19th, 2007: Today’s meeting began with a moment of silence for our firefighters who made the ultimate sacrifice to provide safety and security for us all.

Bruce Murdy introduced Kevin Mills the President and CEO of the South Carolina Aquarium who joined us last year. Before coming to Charleston in September he was with the St. Louis Zoo. He led a very successful re-branding effort, which significantly increased the number of visitors at the zoo.

Mills shared information about how the Aquarium is serving the community in multiple ways. Currently, there are about 450,000 guests who visit the SC Aquarium every year. In addition to serving those who visit the Aquarium’s great attractions, which thrill both young and old, it is also an engine of economic development and a leader in conservation of aquatic life.

When the Aquarium opened, like many others, it experienced challenges. According to Mills, its business model was too optimistic, especially in the number of visitors and the revenue from those visits. The Aquarium has responded to those challenges and has been in the black for several years. Its remaining $4 million of debt is continuously being retired and future prospects are excellent.

The strategic plan, started in September 2006 and approved by the Board in May 2007, strikes a balance between the focus of conservation, education, and entertainment. Recent research indicates that conservation is the first priority with education as the second priority, while entertainment is still key and helps to build the other two themes.

The Aquarium’s Sea Turtle Rescue Program has been very successful. It has been able to heal and release 25 Sea Turtles back into the wild. This is an especially important project to protect our dwindling Sea Turtle population. The program is being developed into a national model. The work of the Aquarium, and other marine resource organizations, is extremely beneficial for all types of sea life.

A current key focus of the Aquarium is finding ways to rejuvenate the experience for “repeat visitors”. With its 8,000 member families visiting the aquarium three times a year, they created new programs and experiences to help stimulate and keep interest, such as the summer program entitled “Something’s Fishy”, which utilizes five characters in costumes and a multimedia experience to stimulate learning and entertainment.

The South Carolina Aquarium is not only a great source of entertainment, but it is also a great asset to our community for education and, most importantly, research and conservation.

Reported by Wayne Outlaw, Keyway Committee