George Sparks of Denver Museum of Nature and Science - Purpose and Profits - Uptime Logistics

Today, Doug Draper gets to talk with George Sparks, President and CEO of the Denver Museum of Nature and Science (DMNS). Tune in or read on to learn more about George, the Museum, and how profits & purpose can inspire better business.

Doug and George start off the discussion with a bit of background from George’s time as a pilot in the Air Force, continuing on to further study aerospace engineering, and teaching at the Air Force Academy. After the Air Force, George worked at HP during a time where computers were really growing and taking off. Holding to a promise he’d made to himself and a mentor, he eventually retired from HP to find the perfect role for giving back to the community through his work with the Denver Museum of Nature and Science.

The museum was founded in 1900 with a starting collection from naturalist Edwin Carter. In 2019 the museum served 2.3 million peoplem, making it the third largest natural history museum in the country. Their underlying mission is to inspire people about nature and science. They imagine an empowered community where everybody loves, understands, and protects the natural world.

DMNS is the most active natural history museum by some measures, such as their 1,800+ volunteers or 65,000 households as members (pre-pandemic) . That amount of community involvement speaks volumes about the people and the purporse involved.

Doug and George discuss the role of both profits and purpose for organations - whether a non profit like DMNS or a more traditional for-profit organization that wants to do more. Focused mission driven leadership, if authentic and congruent, can play an important role in organizations and society. That being said, it’s important to avoid marketing-only initiatives or especially any form of hypocracy, less an organization could do more harm than good. Fortunately most people really do care about a strong purpose, in addition to caring about a strong business plan that can ensure continuing succes into the future.

Some notable exhibitions upcoming at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science:
-Survival of the Slowest
-The Science of Guitars
(Sneak peak ahead: next year there will be a big new exhibit on Egypt!)

VIsit DMNS to become a member or attend these exciting shows!
https://www.dmns.org/