Sometimes even the cutest stories come in small paragraphs…

Roland, our fearless leader here at VisitGainesville, has an unwritten work mantra that’s something close to “have fun and don’t take yourself too seriously while you doing the serious work of marketing Gainesville.”   So it didn’t surprise me in the least when he recently shared this little story….

One of our prestigious tourism associations recently invited Roland, a 40-year veteran of the hospitality industry, to be a guest speaker at an upcoming national conference.  Gracious hambone that he is, he accepted, jumping and waving his arms vigorously in true Sally Field “they like me, oh, they really like me” fashion. 

Then, in an attempt to personalize his introduction, the association asked him to recall,  that as a young boy, what it was he wanted to be when he grew up.  Without a moments hesitation, he answered, ‘a dinosaur and to be specific, Dino the Sinclair Oil mascot.  And look, it's true, I have become one!"

By the way, Roland, the Florida Museum of Natural History is calling..