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Some of the best parts of Thom Stork's workdays were when he shared his passion for ocean life and conservation with others.
And Stork, the Florida Aquarium president and CEO for 14 years, was able to do that a lot. Take the Center for Conservation at Apollo Beach, a partnership with TECO and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission in the early stages of development. Stork, says Tampa crisis communications and advertising executive Tom Hall, who knew him for 30 years, loved to bring visitors to the not-yet-completed facility. “He would take you on a tour and tell you about every last detail,” says Hall, chairman of Tampa-based Tucker/Hall. “He was like a little kid when he was there.”
Stork died Jan. 2 after a battling cancer for several years. He was 68.
Florida Aquarium COO Scott Rose was named interim CEO. An aquarium succession planning committee, prior to Stork's death, hired a search firm and began the process of finding a permanent successor.
“A true leader, (Stork) led his team with great success and prepared them for the future,” says Florida Aquarium Board Chairman Mark Watson in a statement. “But more than that, Thom was a dear friend to so many of us. From the front-of-house staff to our leadership team and board members, Thom valued each person's unique skills.”
With his bowties, swashbuckling sense of adventure and quirky sense of humor, Stork also had a knack for excelling at two different tasks, Hall says. Hall knew Stork when the latter was a marketing executive at Busch Gardens in Tampa in the 1990s. Hall was later part of a team that helped recruit and hire Stork at the Florida Aquarium in 2002.
“Hiring Thom was the best decision we ever made,” says Hall. “He understood how to run this like a business, yet he was also able to focus on our mission of conservation and to restore the blue planet. And that's a rare find.”
Stork led the aquarium to record growth in revenue and attendance during his time at the helm of the organization. Beyond infectious passion, Stork, in an interview with the Business Observer in spring 2015, said he wasn't afraid to be bold and grow the aquarium through trying several new ideas.
Another key business lesson: be curious. For example, Stork was reminded of Dolphin Cove in Orlando one day when he walked past the aquarium's shark tank and spotted an employee diving in to feed the sharks. Stork asked around, if it was safe enough and could be done with guests. That led to introducing what's now three popular shark programs at the aquarium.
“He was a lot of fun to be around,” Hall says. “We're going to miss him.”
Stork's survivors include a wife and two children. A memorial mass will be held at 4 p.m. Jan. 18 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 509 N. Florida Ave., Tampa. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Stork's memory to the Thom Stork Legacy Fund at the Florida Aquarium.
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