Where do Wilder Ideas come from?

While I was born in Pennsylvania, I was raised in Orange County, Southern California.  My father owned two children's orthopedic shoe stores, Wilder Shoes, and I learned my work ethic from helping in the store from the age of 13. My father was a community leader and my mother was the creative one with a drive to succeed.

As soon as I graduated from high school, started college and turned 18, I was off to Disneyland...to WORK!  It was the best experience for any young person. This was back in the early 70's, when the park still had TICKET BOOKS and "E" ticket rides.  I discovered that it really was the "Happiest Place On Earth".

While the job was fantastic, yes...taking guests on tours of the park and seeing the Jungle Cruise, Pirates of the Caribbean and It's a Small World every day, sometime twice a day...the customer service skills I learned and the people I worked with made every day a most amazing adventure.  In addition to the daily responsibilities in City Hall, welcoming guests at the front gate, and taking tours, our department had the opportunity to take movie stars and high level corporate executives on tour, visit special places like Club 33, and we reached out as public relations support for the Anaheim Convention and Visitors Bureau and the opening of the Walt Disney Travel Company.

A little known fact, I actually was one of the 10 runner-ups for the Disneyland Ambassador in 1974.   And, one other "claim to fame" was an appearance on the hot show of the decade..."THE DATING GAME".  Yes, I picked the bachelor and yes, I took the trip...and, no, it wasn't exactly the dream you would imagine!

The Wilder Ideas that have developed over these many years have much to do with the training and experiences from my Disneyland days.  Of course, it didn't hurt when I ended up working with the largest advertising agency (Tracy-Locke/BBDO) in Denver at the end of the 70's.  But the lessons learned and the ability to understand the quality and expectations of what customers want and need ...that certainly came from those early days!

Mikki & Mickey