HOW DID YOU COME TO WORK IN THIS FIELD? My first job was as a supervisor for a YMCA summer camp. I loved it. It just felt like a natural fit. I went back to school for outdoor adventure (at Rogue Com - munity College) to learn zip line guiding and technical skills. I was into the technical aspect, the safety protocol. It just felt natural to me very quickly. Now I’m five years into this job, and I can see I have a knack for both filling holes and training others. WHAT IS IT ABOUT THE TRAINING THAT SPEAKS TO YOU? I love being a part of and observing people going from being introduced to a completely new—and sometimes somewhat
overwhelming—skill to [those people] being competent, confident, and capable. Every time, I find, it is a true “fill your cup” moment. WHY DOES THE WORK YOU DO MATTER? Gosh, I think it does—probably more now than ever in this world. The option for an individual at any time to not just get out in nature but also face real adversity, overcome that, and feel true success from it? I think the chances to do that are dwindling. We’re keeping that alive. So, to have a career dedicated solely to that, it gives me something vital: a chance to live a fulfilling, productive, and well-intentioned life.
WES HYNES Site Manager, Go Ape USA, Texas
T wenty years ago, Wes Hynes was about to age out of his beloved Boy Scout summer camp when the camp approached him with an offer to come on as a staff member. Those six years on staff gave him hands-on learning about group dynamics (and how to manage them), experience teaching outdoor challenge elements, and a feeling that his career was somewhere in this space. When Hynes first arrived as a manager at Go Ape in Plano, Texas, he focused on building a strong team. “He picked up where previous management had been lacking and he stepped in, prioritized the well-being of the staff, heard out all grievances and frustrations, and worked with his team to address and improve upon the morale and safety of the site—no small feat,” a nominator says. In addition, he has been instrumental in creating brand-new leadership development and team-building programs at Go Ape, “from field trips looking for early soft-skill development to corporate and military groups focused on stress inocula - tion and various modes of empathetic communication and critical-thinking skills,” says a nominator. WHAT’S YOUR SECRET TO BUILDING GREAT MORALE? Plano had a lot of management turnover in a very short time. So, when I came in, the staff were almost all not even caring to meet me, because they’d lost trust in longevity. The first thing I said was, “I’m not going anywhere. I am sticking around.” And I also said that while I am the site manager and “in charge,” you all have been here longer. You know better than me. And then I enabled them, through rewards, games and other things, to feel empowered in their roles. YOU HAVE A LOT OF CONFIDENCE. DO YOU EVER FAIL? Oh, sure. Generally, I am a trial-and-error kind of guy. I try things and see how they come along or not. The secret, though? I never really consider anything completely done. If you go into something with the intention of a lot of tweaking and growing, it tends to turn things from failure to success.
WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP? I don’t know if I’ll ever really grow up. When people say “what do you do?” I tell them I basically get paid to play games. So, growing up might not be essential here.
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