L et’s put some extra hurdles into your work situation. First, work for the family business. Next, get married and work side-by-side with your spouse. Toss in the whole parents/in-laws on-site thing. Then, choose an industry that’s ever shifting and consistently challenging, but still a whole lot of fun. Natalie and Gatlin Carnley have taken all of that on with grace. Natalie’s par- ents opened Butter and Egg Adventures in 2001, when she was in middle school. Today, she runs the day-to-day as its operations manager. As for Gatlin—who previously served as a police officer, and now oversees the Butter and Egg facilities and staff training—“I married into it,” he laughs. In doing so he found a career that fits him perfectly. A nominator says the partnership ben- efits everyone. “We are a family-based operation, and [these two] allow us to continue to improve our services and fa- cilities. Without them, our facility would not be the outstanding one that it is.” WHAT’S IT LIKE WORKING SIDE-BY- SIDE? There are going to be times we are on different pages. We both have strong personalities, and sometimes we have to just talk it out. But that’s typical for every relationship, right? (Natalie) WHAT’S YOUR LEADERSHIP PHILOSOPHY? Be tough, but fair. I expect everyone to do what needs to be done. But I also know things can take time. It goes back to my police training: do something over and over and you’ll get it right in time. (Gatlin) WHAT’S ONE INDUSTRY CHALLENGE? I am aware that our industry is male dominated. Sometimes I have to put my foot down a little harder to be heard as much as a man. I love seeing other women in management positions. We need more of that. (Natalie)
CAN YOU SHARE A GREAT MOMENT YOU’VE HAD OUT THERE? The whole point of our organization is to connect. I had this grandfather and grandson come out my first year and do the zip line tour and trekking park. The grand- father came up to me after and said, “This is the best day of our lives. We’ve never connected like this before.” WHAT DO YOU SEE AS THE BIGGEST OPPORTUNITY FOR THIS FIELD? I think it’s important that we have a place like this within a couple of hours of everyone. I know it sounds cheesy, but we see it time and again: this type of activity is just good for people and good for the world.
NATALIE AND GATLIN CARNLEY Operations Manager and Site Manager, Butter and Egg Adventures, Ala.
JESSE PASACRETA Park Manager, The Adventure Park at Storrs, Conn.
J esse Pasacreta was a computer sci- ence major in college and later found himself feeling “out of place” at a desk job. For fun, he added a part-time job at The Adventure Park at Storrs—and re- alized immediately that he wasn’t going back to that desk. “It was work that didn’t feel like work,” he says of The Adventure Park. “It was putting my time into something mean- ingful.” Six years later, he’s the boss. Pasacreta’s nominators applaud his strong people skills—the staff even held a “Dress Like Jesse Day” last season. “He has a true passion for the busi- ness, the staff, and the guests,” says a nominator. “He has made a true impact on our company.” WHAT’S THE BEST THING ABOUT THIS CAREER? It allows people to fall in love with the outdoors. When someone
comes in and you can change their lives? That’s so meaningful.
WHAT MOMENT STANDS OUT AS GREAT IN YOUR CAREER SO FAR? I recently had a staff member who felt out of place in life after a gap year during Covid (in which he worked at the park). He was worried about going back to school. He had no connections and felt isolated. But I saw him guiding kids and reaching them in amazing ways. And when you watch someone teach someone else to overcome something, they learn it themselves. He says he now knows how to connect, and he feels better. WHAT’S IN YOUR FUTURE? For me the best part of this job is mentoring others. It’s a uniquely challenging time (when people need support and men- toring more than ever), and that just means I want to do that even better.
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