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By TED JACKOVICS, The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 15, 2007

TAMPA - Donnie Mills started his career in the theme park industry 33 years ago in Tampa as a King High School teenager with a seasonal job at Busch Gardens.

Mills, 49, returned this month to become general manager and executive vice president of Busch Gardens Africa and Adventure Island, after holding the top position at Busch Gardens Europe and Water Country USA in Williamsburg, Va., since 2003.

Mills discussed his new job at Tampa's biggest tourist attraction with Tampa Tribune reporter Ted Jackovics on Friday. Comments have been edited for brevity.

Are you settled in?

I officially began here Dec. 1, but I am still going back and forth between here and Williamsburg. I will be here all next week and expect to be here full time after Jan. 1. My wife, Norene, and I have found a house in Tampa, so that's been good.

How have you kept in touch with what's going on at Tampa's Busch Gardens since you last worked here in 1999 as vice president of operations?

This company does a terrific job with internal communications. Part of that is a "best practices" policy in which we share ideas with other parks. The Busch parks also work with five-year plans that we discuss with each other. Those plans include new product development, oftentimes things we do not make public until we determine internal funding.

Has anything surprised you on your return?

Tampa has changed. There is so much more available to do here: sports, recreation, plenty of business. I want to meet people in the business community as soon as I can. Our job is to drive tourism here, so I will get around the community and become involved.

Will it be much different leading Busch Gardens Africa in Tampa compared with Busch Gardens Europe in Williamsburg?

The responsibilities are the same, but the markets are different. Tampa has more attendance while Williamsburg is a seasonal park, although work goes on there yearlong. Tampa depends on both international and domestic visitors.

Do you ride the roller coasters?

Sure, I ride, although not five or 10 times in a row any more with those G-forces at my age. When they had me test Griffon at Williamsburg (the world's first floorless dive coaster), they wanted me to rehearse a script to recite during the ride. I did that on the ground. I practiced turning my head back and forth as if I were riding and people wondered what in the world I was doing. Then they got me in this aviator's hat when I actually went up. But it was fun.

Tampa's market also involves working with Busch's Orlando parks - Sea World and Discovery Cove. How does that work?

Our marketing team works across all our Florida parks and will include Aquatica when the water park opens in Orlando next year. It is part of what I mentioned earlier, that our culture is to work together inside the company. It doesn't matter who has the good idea, it is important to use it.

Do you work closely with Busch Entertainment headquarters in St. Louis?

This morning I have spoken with four different people at our St. Louis office on four different topics.

What is different about the theme park business from when you started your career with Busch more than three decades ago?

The customers have higher expectations. So you have to keep finding ways to exceed their expectations. That's our goal with Jungala (Busch's 4-acre animal, entertainment and ride attraction that opens in April). There is much more competition for the leisure dollar. It's just a faster-paced world.

What advice would you give someone starting out with an interest in working for Busch Gardens?

You have to have patience, and you have to let things develop in front of you. You also have to take advantage of opportunities to cut across functions and learn. I had some assignments in operations, then I had some focus on productivity. You have to advance your business skills overall.

What is going to be good about living in Tampa again?

My wife and I golf. We work out. But I like to be at home, and Norene and I are looking forward to getting our house together.

DONNIE MILLS

POSITION: Executive vice president and general manager, Busch Gardens Africa and Adventure Island, Tampa

AGE: 49

WIFE: Norene

HIGH SCHOOL: King High School, Tampa

COLLEGE: University of South Florida, degree in marketing

THEME PARK EXPERIENCE: Worked at five of Anheuser-Busch Adventure Parks.

Reporter Ted Jackovics can be reached at (813) 259-7817 or tjackovics@tampatrib.com.

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