Scott Tindle: Serving the State
Scott Tindle (’09) uses innovation to drive profits and support the citizens of Mobile.
In 2013, Tindle was hired as the Executive Director of The Grounds, home of the Greater Gulf State Fairgrounds, to transform the organization.
The first stop on the entertainment venue’s turnaround was the Disney Institute in Orlando, where Tindle and his staff studied the success of The Walt Disney Company. They learned how Disney makes emotional connections with attendees and how to add value to admission. Tindle immediately hired 25 employees who were trained by the Disney College Program. As a result, members of the guest services staff at The Grounds are former Disney cast members.
“What we’re really trying to do is create a theme park destination,” Tindle said.
It is a substantial goal, and Dr. Grant Zarzour, a resident in orthopedic surgery at the University of South Alabama, said Tindle can achieve it.
“He not only dreams big, but he’s willing to act on the dream,” said Dr. Zarzour, co-founder and chairman of the Fuse Project, a nonprofit that invests in initiatives promoting the health, fitness, education and social responsibility for children along Alabama’s gulf coast.
Jeff Galle (’09), Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Idyllic, an entertainment company based in Mobile, is also confident Tindle will attain his goal. Galle said he has never seen anyone work a room better than Tindle can. What’s different about Tindle, Galle said, is that he wants to know how he can help other people.
“There are few individuals I know that display the kind of selfless community activism that Scott does,” he said.
When Tindle arrived at The Grounds, it had been losing money. In two years, the venue has improved its product by creating a new theme each year and raising ticket prices, allowing it to become profitable and invest $800,000 back into the community.
A product of public education – from kindergarten to his law degree – Tindle said education is the key to lifting up the nation and moving it forward. There must be educational opportunities for every child, not just those whose parents can afford to enroll them in a good school or move them to a good school district.
While at UA Law, Tindle learned how to manage his time more efficiently, exceed expectations and never settle. He also embraced the importance of building lifelong relationships with people, including his classmates.
“Had I not learned those things there, we would not be doing the things we’re doing today,” he said.
As Tindle has made The Grounds profitable, he has helped improved the community. Each year, more than 65,000 public school children sell tickets to the fair and keep 10 percent of those sales for their schools. Most schools use the money to improve their libraries, he said.
A $5,000 grant, provided by The Grounds to the Mobile Area Education Foundation for its Leadership Academy, helps high school juniors and seniors develop leadership skills. The Grounds has helped raise money for the Mitchell Cancer Institute Patients’ Assistance Fund, which helps offset household expenses when someone has cancer, and in 2015 The Grounds provided a home for Project Homeless Connect. The program, sponsored by Housing First, provides health, legal, employment and other services to the homeless.
“It’s really fascinating because we’re able to fund these things through entertainment,” Tindle said. “We want to go from entertainment to impact.”
When Tindle accepted the position as Executive Director, he didn’t know anything about fairs or theme parks. Now he’s setting goals to make The Grounds even more successful. The fair draws most of its attendance from the coastal areas of Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. In the near future, Tindle would like to expand the fair’s reach farther into Alabama and Florida, as well as continue to develop the fair.
“We want it to be a regional destination,” he said. “We have told the community we want to create the cleanest most family-friendly event in America.”