We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Greg Gorga a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Greg, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – walk us through the story?

Maybe the biggest risk I’ve taken is getting into a metal cage at least 18 times and going 30-feet down into the water off of Guadalupe Island to see Great White Sharks, and often they came within inches of our cage. But I am a big believer in taking risks, and I encourage my staff to try new things all the time. I’ve let the staff step out of the box many times here at the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum (SBMM). We’ve held speed dating events, dance performances, opera on a tall ship, hosted a Harriet Tubman performance, tried new education programs like Maritime on the Move, which garnered national recognition. I think taking risks does many things. First, it breaks the monotony, so it keeps life and work interesting, it opens you up to new ideas, new audiences, new relationships, and teaches you new lessons, because generally new actions don’t always go perfectly. But we learn more from our mistakes than from our successes.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

The first part of my working career I spent working in and managing restaurants, small to very big, and it was fun, challenging, and taught me skills I still use today. I like to write, so I started my nonprofit career as a grant writer. I became the Director of Development here at SBMM in 2007, and the Executive Director a year later. I had no museum experience when I started, and my only maritime background was that my father served in the US Coast Guard during World War II. But I had management skills, I knew how to read financial reports, and I love learning history, so it was a good fit… well, at least I like to think it has worked out well.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

Being genuine and kind. I believe it is better to make friends than enemies, in just about everything I do. Whether you’re working with members, donors, and visitors, like I do here at the museum, or diners when I worked in restaurants, whoever your clientele is to you, don’t make it transactional. Make it about building relationships. And be honest with them. I want people to support us for the long term, I am not looking for a one-time gift or sale. Know your stuff, have a good story, and let your passion show. I think that is what people respond to, and it has been what has helped me be successful. And listen to them, because they all have interesting stories to tell, if we just take a moment to listen to them.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

When I started at SBMM, it was challenging to keep things running smoothly. Our budget was tight, and it often felt like we were just getting by. Then the economic downturn hit in 2008, forcing us to make difficult decisions, including staff layoffs. There were many sleepless nights worrying about how we would meet payroll and handle mounting financial pressures.
However, with the support of a dedicated board, generous donors, and a hard-working team willing to make sacrifices, we were able to turn things around. One of our proudest accomplishments was the successful completion of a major project that enhanced our exhibits, bringing the First Order Fresnel Lens from Point Conception Lighthouse here to the museum, a $400,000 project. We have come such a long way, and today, continue to have the support of an amazing family of donors as well as a growing endowment that supports our mission and education efforts.
SBMM is one of 1,100 in the country accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, which came to fruition during the pandemic.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://sbmm.org/
• Instagram: sbmaritimemuseum
• Facebook: sbmaritimemuseum
• Twitter: sbmaritime
• Youtube: sbmaritimemuseum

Image Credits

Ralph Clevenger