Most Interesting Job Contest

Winner

Michael "Micko" Bass

Micko is a Wilderness Park Manager at El Questro – Australia Parks and Resorts.  His everyday tasks take him into the untamed wilderness where he participates in jobs most others would never encounter.  For Micko an average days work could consist of relocating a 12 foot freshwater crocodile, catching and removing some of the world’s deadliest snakes, or participating in emergency rescues.  Previously this year he was dragged out of his office to do a media interview for 4x4 TV, only to be cut short due to a medical emergency that found him in a boat administering first aid within 15 minutes.  One of his all time favorite moments at work was when he was conducting a mission for the parks aerial burning program discovered a 300m high water fall.  Everyday Micko’s job presents him with new, challenging, and memorable tasks that truly make it the most interesting job. 

Runners Up

Richard Wood

Richard is an environmental compliance manager at the Kennedy Space Center Visitors Complex where he is responsible for all the environmental programs including GreenPath.  He spends a lot of time ensuring that the Kennedy Space Center Visitors Complex is in compliance with all laws and regulations to make sure that they are doing all they can to reduce any damage to the surrounding environments.  Another aspect of Richard’s job is working with a wonderful array of wildlife and protecting the native wildlife, including species of special interest and endangered species.  Richard is also a regional GreenPath Coordinator, which allows him to travel to other DNC properties and learn how GreenPath works in airports, stadiums and gaming facilities along with meeting all of the extraordinarily interesting people that work throughout DNC.  In his own words, “How could any job be more interesting!”

Chef Josh Distenfield

Josh is an Executive Chef at Oriole Park-Camden Yards and is involved in all day to day operations within their Food and Beverage department.  He said the city of Baltimore loves their Chefs especially at Oriole Park which allows him to receive incredible recognition from the fans, clients and employees on a daily basis as he walks the park.  Another part of his job is reaching out and interacting with local merchants to experience their products and facilities while discovering things about their history and the history of Baltimore.  Josh is also a part of their traveling chef team that assists in football, and most recently at the 2011 World Series in St. Louis at Busch Stadium. 

Polly Kelly

Polly is a Regional Visual Merchandise Manager for Parks and Resorts at the DNC home office in Buffalo.  She travels around to retail locations and transforms them by creating a new, fresh look coupled with proper product placement and exceptional visual merchandising.  As a creative person, Polly’s position offers the opportunity for her to express herself while interacting with the “most fascinating bunch of people you will ever meet.”  Her job has allowed her to work in some of the worlds most recognizable destinations such as the Grand Canyon.  Polly’s favorite experience was aboard the Queen Mary when Parks and Resorts was asked to assist in remodeling and presenting a new retail store.  The joy of her experience came from the ability to take an over the top idea from concept to reality while working alongside the Queen Mary and the amazing group of people that spend everyday with the ship. 

Daniel Stock & Eric Page

Daniel is the newest General Manager at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, FL and Eric is the Operations Manager.  As the only two managers at the stadium they take part in every position there such as setup and breakdown, cooking and cleaning, counting daily deposits, as well as working in the stands during some of the 200+ events that Roger Dean Stadium hosts throughout the year.  Daniel and Eric have a love for the game of baseball and feel lucky to be involved with managing and running the complex that is home to multiple Major League and Minor League teams throughout the year.  Some of their most memorable and favorite experiences have happened on the fields outside the stadium such as a tournament showcasing the best high school baseball players from all over the country or a charity kickball tournament benefiting the Make-A-Wish Foundation.  “So between the hot popcorn kernels, pulling tarps in the rain, and helping make terminally ill kids dreams come true, this makes us ‘Whistle While We Work’ here at the Roger Dean Stadium complex.”

Bill Renk

Bill is the Director of Public Relations at Jumer’s Casino and Hotel in Rock Island, IL.  His position encompasses a multitude of responsibilities such as being a public representative for the company, handling press relations, creating internal and external communications, and record radio advertising just to mention a few.  Bill said,  “What could be better than to love your job.”  According to Bill what makes his job so interesting and meaningful is that it allows him the ability to play a role in having a positive effect on people’s lives.  One of Bill’s greatest experiences came when he represented Jumer’s at the Hero Awards presented by the Community Caring Conference.  After the event he was humbled and truly understood what it meant to give back to the community and the difference that we all can make.