Pride In Our People: gary

Today, we are featuring gary from the grounds department

This is his story…

I was born and raised here in Pittsburgh in the neighborhood of Bloomfield. As a child, I loved animals and would come to the Zoo almost every weekend. I would be dropped off at open and picked up at close. I knew the place so well I would answer people’s questions if they were lost or couldn’t find an exhibit.

After graduating from Central Catholic in 2003, I got a seasonal job as a Kids Kingdom Attendant. I ended up doing that for 10 seasons with one year being shortened due to my semester-long internship at Disney World in 2005. I also occasionally worked a second job (UPS for five years, The Dog Stop for three), and went to school part-time at CCAC Main.

I ended up leaving my position at the Zoo in 2013 to work full-time at The Dog Stop as a GM, and in 2016 I started my own dog walking/pet sitting company. I ran into an old coworker from the Zoo while I was walking a dog. After that conversation, I decided I wanted to return to the Zoo. My position in 2017 was being a seasonal Zip Line Attendant.

This was short-lived when I found out about the full-time position that opened up in the Animal Kitchen. My former boss from Kids Kingdom hired me to work full-time in the fall of 2017 in the Commissary Kitchen, prepping animal diets.

I then transferred to the Grounds Department where I currently am now. It’s surreal being in this department where I’m now working with coworkers whom I’ve known since my first year as an attendant in Kids Kingdom. Needless to say, it’s been a smooth transition with their guidance. I really enjoy my job here. A couple of things I love the most is prepping for events and doing keeper trash.

The people around me at the Zoo have helped me grow here in my position as well as outside of my position. For that I am thankful!

Thank you for all you do, Gary!