Many are excited about the recently announced pregnancy of Brookfield Zoo’s resident bottlenose dolphin, Allie – but fewer more so than Matt Gambs.
Which is convenient, because Gambs was recently one of three appointed to the zoo’s Board of Trustees.
“I have a picture at my house, I took a behind-the-scenes tour and I got to meet her, before she was pregnant,” Gambs said of Allie, 37 years old and a five-time mom. “It’s an amazing thing and especially with the new space they have. I’m not a veterinarian, but it’s amazing at 37 that she is going to have another calf.”
Gambs, who serves as chief impact officer at Wintrust, the Rosemont-based financial services company, has a lot of history with these gregarious mammals.
“My boys are grown, but when they were kids, it was a special thing to see the dolphins,” he said.
Gambs, who leads Wintrust’s community impact team, joins Stan Pepper, chairman and CEO of Pepper Companies, and Excelon Corp. senior vice president and chief strategy and sustainability officer Sunny Elebua, as new trustees.
The business experience of these three will be crucial to help execute Brookfield Zoo’s strategic plan, according to zoo president and CEO Mike Adkesson.
“Earlier this year we released our Next Century Plan that will guide the next 15 years of progress at Brookfield Zoo Chicago, including dynamic plans to reshape animal habitats, guest experiences and impact programs,” Adkesson said in a statement. “Stan, Sunny and Matt all have substantial expertise in major project development and execution.
“They are passionate about our mission and commitment to conservation of wildlife and nature.”
Pepper has his own favorite animal at the zoo – the giraffes.
Why? They are simply “cool to be around,” he said.
“Conservation is a passion of mine, and I needed something else to put my oar in the water,” said Pepper, whose Chicago-based commercial construction company was founded in 1927 by his grandfather, Stanley Pepper. “Brookfield Zoo came up and it was a good idea.”
Pepper said his company does much work on animal habitats around the country, but Brookfield Zoo is special, partly because of the work his firm has done there. That includes Tropical Forests, an anticipated $66 million project that creates nearly three acres of four new outdoor habitats.
“[The zoo has] a lot of opportunity,” he added. “They’ve got a lot of land and a good long-term plan to utilize it, to bring more animals in and create more opportunities. It’s on the edge of doing some great stuff. Dr. Mike [Adkesson] is fantastic, a really good guy.”
Elebua oversees Exelon’s sustainability strategy, including its Path to Clean initiative, and leads efforts to drive changes in technology, policy and regulation necessary to achieve the company’s net-zero greenhouse gas emissions goal by 2050. He joined Exelon in 2008 and previously worked in investment banking in the energy and power sector.
In leading Wintrust’s community impact team, Gambs focuses on building, strengthening and optimizing relationships that make the greatest impact in the communities the bank serves. In addition to 20 years of leadership in the banking sector, he also has six years of service in the U.S. Marine Corps and Marine Corps Reserves.
“Not only is the zoo a customer of ours, but it’s a partner of ours,” Gambs said.
As for Pepper, he oversees Pepper Companies’ strategic direction and resource management. He began his career at the firm at age 15. He also has work experience in private equity, consulting, software development and sustainable products. Prominent Pepper Companies’ projects include Tropical Forests at Brookfield Zoo, the 1060 Project at Wrigley Field, the University of Indianapolis Health Pavilion and the Northern Kentucky University Recreation Center.
“The zoo is a microcosm of habitat,” he said. “You have the power and the water, all the things necessary to bring animals and humans alive.”
“They always put me on the building committee, and that’s probably a good thing,” he added.